BC TEAL 2026 Annual Conference

Avenue, the national LMS used in LINC and ESL programs, plays a central role in supporting newcomer learning across Canada. Many learners arrive with limited digital skills, and instructors—while trained to teach on Avenue—often need additional support managing the platform, navigating classroom tools, or troubleshooting activities. Increasingly, organizations rely on digital navigators or digital assistants to offer this support. These staff members act as trusted guides, helping clients to access devices and develop digital confidence, and helping instructors to make full use of their online learning environment.
Until now, digital assistants had only one training option: to take the same Avenue course that was designed for teachers. The new Avenue Digital Assistant Course was developed to offer targeted, support‑oriented skills with training tailored specifically to those who assist learners and instructors rather than teach classes.
This workshop introduces the ADAC course and highlights how it equips digital assistants with essential competencies, including navigating user roles, supporting classroom setup, using the Avenue Course Builder, managing tools like the calendar and gradebook, working with learning activities (forums, quizzes, H5P, etc.), and guiding instructors in using the ePortfolio. The course emphasizes practical, hands‑on learning through videos, help‑file links, and interactive simulations.
Participants in this workshop will first discuss which common issues digital assistants are typically asked to address, then explore some sections of the ADAC course and discover how this role-specific training can strengthen the support system in your organization. Attendees will leave with clear insight into how the course works, how it benefits organizations, and how to request access for their own digital support staff.
This workshop is ideal for anyone seeking scalable, effective training that boosts organizational capacity and improves digital experiences for both instructors and newcomers.

This session introduces a new Avenue management tool designed to streamline administrative workflows for Service Provider managers and teachers. Through a structured live demonstration, participants will see how the tool supports efficient, accurate, and centralized program management within a single system.


The session objectives are to demonstrate how the tool simplifies administration and to highlight how improved data organization strengthens oversight, accountability, and reporting. Participants will observe practical workflows, including creating teacher accounts, registering them for Avenue training, configuring funders, assigning funding to specific courses or learners, and managing enrolments across programs. The session will also demonstrate how these relationships are reflected automatically in real-time reporting outputs.


A key focus is reducing duplication and manual tracking. By centralizing course, learner, and funding data, the tool improves record integrity and simplifies communication between instructors, administrators, funders, and leadership teams. Participants will see how built-in reports can be generated for internal monitoring, compliance requirements, and external reporting to funders and management.


The session will include a demonstration of best practices to enhance the overall Avenue experience. This will cover practical strategies for managing course size and content structure, optimizing student enrolments, and improving system speed and performance. These operational practices complement the new tools and help ensure sustainable, scalable program delivery.


Grounded in current digital administration practices in adult language training, this session responds directly to the need for transparent, auditable, and efficient program management. By the end of the session, participants will understand how the new Avenue tools and accompanying best practices can reduce administrative burden, improve data quality, and support informed decision-making.

This session will explore how teachers can use AI to produce formative, annotated feedback on student writing without losing the personal touch.


We’ll look at examples where large language models generate margin comments that highlight strengths, note recurring issues, and suggest next steps - while keeping teacher voice, tone, and judgment central. Participants will learn practical prompting techniques, ways to scaffold AI-generated feedback for different proficiency levels, and ethical considerations such as transparency and student data privacy. 


We will use Google AI Studio to create a simple workflow that allows teachers to:


- Paste in text from a student writing assignment
- Generate color-coded and categorized annotations directly on the text
- Import assessment criteria or rubrics to guide AI-generated feedback


The focus is on prompt design, feedback categorization, and practical classroom application. Teachers will leave with a working prototype they can adapt independently.

This is a fun, active, and participatory workshop that requires an open space large enough for approximately 20 participants to stand in a circle. Attendees are invited to join and/or observe the modeling of several group improvisation games designed to create memorable opportunities for students to practice speaking in the language classroom.


Two types of improv games will be explored. First, large-circle rhythm and repetition games will be introduced. These are used to reinforce useful speaking patterns and high-frequency phrases (e.g., go to the store, on the weekend, need to + verb). Second, participants will experience contextual “on-stage” speaking games in which students practice spontaneous communication within familiar roles and relationships (for example: parent and child, teacher and student, employer and employee, or classmates). In these games, some students speak, and other students enjoy the short show. Then a new group of students is rotated in.


These activities, adapted specifically for English language learners and classroom use, are drawn from the practices of professional improvisers and improv training environments. The games have been tested successfully over three years with learners at all proficiency levels (A2–C2) at the University of Victoria’s English Language Centre.


A brief overview, practical guidance, and take-home handouts will be provided. The objective of the workshop is both to model accessible improv-based speaking activities and to inspire participants to incorporate these flexible, low-prep games into their own English language teaching contexts. Participants will leave with a set of adaptable, low-prep improv speaking games ready for immediate classroom use. The games can be easily adjusted to align with a wide range of course content and communicative goals.

This research session presents findings from a systematic review examining factors associated with postsecondary international students’ academic success beyond language proficiency, with a particular focus on implications for building effective support systems for EAL learners in postsecondary contexts. The study responds to growing evidence that language proficiency scores alone are insufficient indicators of students’ ability to succeed academically and socially in English-medium institutions.
The review addressed the research question: What factors, beyond language proficiency test scores, are associated with international students’ academic success in postsecondary education? Using established systematic review procedures, the authors conducted a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2023. Studies were included if they examined predictors of academic outcomes (e.g., GPA, program completion) among international students. Following screening and eligibility checks, 54 empirical studies were retained. Data were extracted on study design, participant characteristics, outcome measures, and identified success factors, and findings were synthesized thematically.
Results show that while language proficiency is a meaningful contributor to academic performance, success is shaped by a broader constellation of factors. These include prior educational experiences, self-regulation and study strategies, social and academic integration, sense of belonging, and access to institutional support structures. Across studies, students’ ability to navigate academic expectations and engage with support networks emerged as critical mediators of success, often interacting with language proficiency.
The session will discuss how these findings can inform the design of responsive support systems for EAL students. Implications include the need for coordinated academic, linguistic, and psychosocial support; clearer pathways connecting language development with disciplinary study; and institutional practices that view language assessment data as one input among many. At a policy level, the findings support more holistic approaches to admissions, placement, and student support as well as the importance of EAP programs for scaffolding international student success.

This CCLB Professional Learning Session supports LINC instructors to use AI ethically, confidently, and effectively in PBLA‑aligned classrooms. Grounded in current Canadian guidance on the responsible use of generative AI, the session highlights key considerations such as privacy, transparency, and accountability when using AI tools with learners. Through discussion and problem‑solving activities, instructors will examine common challenges such as bias, over‑reliance on AI, and use of professional judgement to name a few, and leave with concrete strategies and questions to guide ethical decision‑making in their own LINC classrooms.


Learning outcomes:  
 
▪ Learn about the Canadian government standards for the use of AI  
▪ Explore appropriate uses of AI in a PBLA-aligned language learning class 
 ▪ Practice identifying problems and solutions with using AI in LINC