Tag: Interviews

 

Mehran Jamshidi
B.Sc. (Islamic Azad); M.Sc. (Islamic Azad); Ph.D. (UBC) Lecturer, Accounting and Information Systems Division

In this AI Showcase presentation, Mehran demonstrated a different approach to artificial intelligence in education: using AI not directly as a teaching tool, but as a development tool for creating interactive learning activities.

He has been using AI to help build web-based applications that transform traditional classroom exercises into more engaging digital experiences.

During the showcase, he demonstrates two examples:

• An interactive personality assessment: Students can enter using a nickname or pseudonym, select an avatar, answer a series of questions, and immediately see their results. At the same time, an instructor dashboard provides a real-time view of students’ progress and completed results.
• The demonstration illustrated how a relatively simple classroom activity can become a shared, interactive experience. In a class of 40 students, for example, an instructor could watch results appear as students complete the activity and use those results to support discussion and engagement. The presenter noted that students have responded enthusiastically to this type of interaction.
• A moon-landing decision-making exercise: Participants first complete the activity individually before discussing the problem as a team. A designated team lead then submits the group’s decisions. The application allows participants to compare their individual and team results in real time.
• When the presenter recently used the activity in a workshop, participants took longer to reach decisions collaboratively than individually, but the team results were better. This creates an opportunity not only to teach decision-making concepts, but also to make the differences between individual and collaborative decision-making immediately visible to participants.

The showcase highlighted an important possibility for AI in teaching and learning: AI can help educators become creators of customized learning experiences. Rather than relying solely on handouts, spreadsheets, or other traditional approaches, instructors can use AI-assisted development to create activities tailored to the learning experience they want to facilitate.

Overall, the demonstration offered a compelling example of how AI can support educators behind the scenes, helping turn familiar classroom exercises into dynamic, participatory learning experiences.

Key takeaway

AI’s role in education does not have to begin and end with students interacting with a chatbot. It can also give educators new ways to design and build the learning experiences themselves.

 

Christopher Thomas Ryan
BA, Mathematics (UBC) PHD (UBC) Professor, Operations and Logistics Division Advisory Council Chair in Management Science

Chris Ryan explores how generative AI has fundamentally changed the way case studies can be used as assessments in business education. While he remains a strong advocate for case-based learning because cases are memorable, contextual, and encourage critical thinking, he explains that traditional take-home case memos have become increasingly ineffective due to widespread AI use.

Rather than trying to prevent AI use, Chris redesigned his assessment strategy. He now uses:

• Low-stakes Canvas quizzes to ensure students prepare before class.
• A new assignment where students write original business cases instead of analyzing existing ones.

His key innovation is having current students interview alumni about their organizations and create original teaching cases. Because these stories have never been documented before, students produce genuinely original work that AI cannot simply generate.

Chris argues this approach creates a “win-win-win” scenario:

• Current students learn more deeply by researching and writing authentic cases.
• Alumni reconnect with the school and share meaningful professional experiences.
• Future students gain locally relevant teaching cases featuring organizations and alumni they can relate to.

Throughout the presentation, he frames AI not simply as a challenge, but as a catalyst for designing more authentic, human-centered learning experiences.

 

Rajesh Vijayaraghavan
BTech (Madras); MS (New York); DBA (Harvard)
Assistant Professor, Accounting and Information Systems Division

Over the past couple years, UBC Sauder’s Learning Services team has continued to expand its pilot initiatives, working closely with faculty to explore new technologies and teaching approaches. One of the most rewarding partnerships has been with Rajesh Vijayaraghavan, who collaborated with the team on two major pilots: the EXAMIND assessment tool and the HelpMe Bot.

When asked to reflect on his experience, Rajesh shared thoughtful insights about the value of collaborating with Learning Services. He noted that “working with the Learning Services team has been one of the most positive aspects of my teaching at Sauder. Throughout these collaborations, Learning Services was fully attentive to the student experience, putting them first along while making student play a key role. This ensured that new tools and approaches enhanced learning while maintaining fairness and integrity.”

With a strong interest in experimentation and innovation, Rajesh emphasized the role LS played in enabling new ideas to take shape in the classroom. “I have tried to push the boundaries with new ideas and innovations… and they have been true partners every step of the way,” he shared. The team’s “openness, responsiveness, and problem solving mindset” made it possible to explore and refine new teaching tools with confidence.

Rajesh also highlighted the team’s professionalism and reliability, describing Learning Services as “consistently dependable, proactive, and highly resourceful.” He expressed particular appreciation for LS’s calm leadership during a complex exam-related issue last year, adding, “I learned a great deal from how thoughtfully they navigated it.”

Beyond expertise, it was the team’s communication and collaborative spirit that stood out: “Their communication is always clear, transparent, and respectful… Their support for new teaching approaches made working together on both EXAMIND and the HelpMe Bot genuinely enjoyable.”

For Learning Services, these partnerships embody the core of our mission; supporting faculty in exploring, testing, and implementing innovative teaching solutions that meaningfully enhance the learning experience.

about examind

EXAMIND is an assessment platform designed to help educators build rigorous, modern exams with ease. It specializes in generating questions with complex variability (both dependent and independent) and supports extensive randomization to create unique, fair versions of each assessment.

Grounded in principles of accessibility, pedagogy, and thoughtful design, EXAMIND provides instructors with a flexible way to create assessments that reflect real-world learning while reducing common integrity challenges. By emphasizing assessment structure rather than surveillance, the platform helps minimize the benefits of cheating and supports more meaningful evaluation of student understanding.

ABOUT HELPME

The HelpMe course help system is a UBC-hosted AI chatbot that answers student questions using your instructor-approved course materials. It integrates with Canvas, protects privacy, respects copyright, and gives you full control over the content and responses.

If you’re interested in either of these technologies or partnering with Learning Services on a future pilot, we’d love to hear from you! Please reach out at help@sauder.ubc.ca

 

Paul Cubbon
BA [Honours] (Oxford), MBA (SFU)
Lecturer, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Innovation Group

Over the past two decades, Instructor Paul Cubbon has made significant contributions to UBC Sauder through his leadership in applied learning and venture commercialization. He served as Assistant Dean, Innovation for several years, during which he helped shape impactful initiatives across campus. Paul also launched and led Creative Destruction Lab Vancouver from its founding in 2016 through 2022, guiding science-based start-ups toward scalable impact.

As a decorated educator, he has received UBC’s Graduate Teaching Award, the Talking Stick Award for pedagogical innovation, the Killam Undergraduate Teaching Award, and in 2020 was named a 3M Canada National Teaching Fellow for excellence and leadership in higher education pedagogy.

Paul currently teaches in the Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Innovation Group at Sauder, where he designs experiential entrepreneurship and innovation courses and bridges science research with business education throughout UBC’s ecosystem. His breadth of experience makes him a natural fit to lead the Global Network of Advanced Management (GNAM) program.

Now a fully remote program, GNAM has become a global learning opportunity that gathers students from across time zones. This collaboration between 32 graduate schools translates in-person teaching principals to an online setting without sacrificing student engagement. 

Learning Services caught up with Paul to talk about the tips & tricks he used to make the GNAM program so successful!

Student Testimonial:

“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this was the first time the course was held entirely online. It felt as real as being in an actual classroom! 

[Paul’s] “learning by doing” approach has been a game-changer, encouraging us to dive deep into the material and understand the nuances of crafting genuine, evidence-based business plans (rather than those GPT-generated) through hands-on activities like customer interviews. 

Without exaggerating, this course has been one of the most enriching educational experiences I’ve ever had, thanks to the exceptional organization and management of every class, group work, and discussion. Entrepreneurship now looks less intimidating to me.” – MBA Candidate, 2024

Staff Testimonial:

“Working with Paul on the GNAM course was a true example of collaboration and flexibility. Transforming a fully in-person course into a fully online experience—without compromising student engagement or learning—was no small feat. Students across time zones worked together to build thoughtful business ventures, guided by Paul’s expertise and supported by a strong instructional team.

From course design to delivery, collaboration was central: between Paul, his TA, the LS media team, and myself as the learning designer. The flipped classroom model empowered students to prepare independently and engage deeply during live sessions. Shared, editable tools fostered engagement, peer learning and ongoing reflection.

Flexibility in structure and tools allowed students to take ownership of their learning, while Paul’s clear communication ensured they came prepared and confident. Despite being online, the energy and engagement were inspiring—students were invested in building their ideas and supporting each other’s growth.” – Erica Hill, Learning Designer, Learning Services