MacEwan University

Abstract Re‐designing games facilitates interest‐driven learning and immerses learners in systems thinking. However, there are limited studies exploring how the form and function of tabletop games influence learners' design decisions and learning experiences. To address this gap, we conducted a mixed‐methods study in a STEM classroom in western Canada. Third and fourth graders re‐designed a tabletop game called Triominos while we collected data, including classroom videos, photos of students' work‐in‐progress, observation notes, semi‐structured interviews and final game designs. Our analysis was focused on their decisions about form and function during the re‐design process. Our findings revealed how learners translate their ideas about form and function into mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics. Our analyses show that re‐designing tabletop games can surface mathematical reasoning as learners iteratively align representations (tile forms and symbol systems) with rule logic (goals, scoring and constraints) to stabilize playable systems across cycles of prototyping and playtesting. This research underscores the importance of exploring various forms of systems for learning and encourages further research in this area.

Micro-credentials have become a significant point of discussion in the employment and education landscape, and many interested actors are considering whether to complete, require, or offer micro-credentials. This paper addresses the views and expectations of workers and employers towards micro-credentials in the context of entry roles for Supply Chain Management. The three-fold purpose of the paper is to i) present a background of micro-credentials, ii) explore whether and why micro-credentials are an important part of employment preparation and performance in Supply Chain Management, and iii) provide insightful guidance to actors in the micro-credential ecosystem. As an exploratory study with a differentiated but highly relevant body of participants, this paper advances awareness and understanding of an idiosyncratic and complex circumstance of the micro-credential conversation.

This piece uses reflective questions to explore how fat people can respond to art and creative work that dehumanizes fat bodies. It uses text and photography to illustrate one protest response to a local art exhibit.

BackgroundDrug-drug interactions (DDIs) are a major concern, especially for older adults taking multiple medications. Although Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use population-based studies to identify adverse drug events, detecting harmful DDIs is challenging due to the millions of potential drug combinations. Traditional pharmacoepidemiologic studies are slow and inefficient, often missing important harmful DDIs.ObjectiveThis protocol outlines a novel approach to efficiently identify harmful DDIs using administrative health care data.MethodsUsing high-throughput computing, we will conduct multiple population-based, new-user cohort studies using Ontario’s linked administrative health care data. The cohorts will be selected from the population of Ontario residents aged 66 years and older who filled at least one oral outpatient drug prescription from 2002 to 2023. In each cohort, the exposed group will comprise individuals who are regular users of one drug (drug A) who start a new prescription for a second drug (drug B); the referent group will comprise regular users of drug A not taking drug B. We will evaluate 74 acute outcomes within 30 days of cohort entry, including hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and mortality. Propensity score methods will balance exposed and referent groups on more than 400 baseline health characteristics. Modified Poisson and binomial regression models will estimate risk ratios (RRs) and risk differences (RDs). To ensure findings are both statistically and clinically meaningful, we will apply prespecified thresholds for effect sizes (eg, lower bounds of 95% CIs≥1.33 for RRs and ≥0.1% for RDs) and control the false discovery rate at 5% using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to address multiplicity. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses, including negative control outcomes and E-values, will assess robustness.ResultsIn a preliminary analysis, we identified approximately 3.8 million older adults who filled prescriptions for over 500 unique medications during the study period (2002-2023), and therefore, approximately 200,000 potential drug combinations will be available for study. The initial drug pair cohorts had a median of 583 new users per cohort (IQR 237-2130); the median overlap in drug pair prescriptions was 57 days (IQR 30-90). The protocol was finalized on August 30, 2025, and outlines the analysis of data from 2002 to 2023. The analysis is scheduled to be completed by fall 2026, with results interpreted in 2027. The final manuscript submission is planned for December 2028.ConclusionsThis study aims to identify credible signals of harmful DDIs in older adults in routine care. This study will use an innovative approach that leverages data from provincial administrative health care databases and integrates high-throughput computing and rigorous pharmacoepidemiologic methods to generate robust real-world evidence that can inform safer prescribing practices and regulatory decision-making.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/77224

Background: What does it mean to mobilize queer joy as pedagogy, and how does it manifest in educational projects? Although much scholarship has examined queer pedagogy through critique and resistance, less attention has been paid to joy as a radical and collective mode of learning. In educational contexts marked by systemic violence and exclusion, we think that queer joy might offer a way of reimagining what teaching and learning can feel like. This study situates queer joy as both affective and political—a force that can create sanctuary within and beyond formal education. Objective: The study aims to develop and theorize “queer joy as pedagogy” through arts-based and activist research. Specifically, it explores how collective creative practices can transform experiences of marginalization into moments of affirmation, connection, and resistance. By tracing how joy circulates in queer and trans-led educational projects, the research seeks to contribute to a more expansive understanding of critical and inclusive pedagogy. Research Design: Grounded in participatory visual research methodologies, this study draws on two multiyear projects— Pride/Swell+ and the Queer Sexual Joy Project. Together, these projects engaged over 300 queer and trans participants aged 14 to 50+ years, primarily across Canada. Participants collaborated through art-making, storytelling, and visual activism to articulate experiences of queer joy in everyday and educational life. The resulting archives and artworks serve as both data and pedagogical interventions, illuminating how collective creation fosters belonging and critical reflection. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that queer joy functions not as a retreat from struggle but as an active practice of survival, solidarity, and transformation. By centering creative collaboration, the projects cultivated spaces that disrupted normative hierarchies of who can teach, learn, and feel joy. We argue that queer joy as pedagogy offers educators a framework for cultivating radical inclusivity and critical hope. Ultimately, this work positions joy as a transformative force capable of reshaping educational spaces into more just and liberatory environments.