Sustainable Approaches to Virtual and In-Person Digital Humanities (DH) Experiential Learning (EL)

Abstract

“Sustainable Virtual and In-Person Digital Humanities (DH) Experiential Learning (EL)” highlights recently implemented virtual initiatives in a large, EL-Cultural Studies course at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). While DH tools were first introduced to address the challenges of offering in-person field trips, high-impact practices, and a meaningful space for peer-to-peer interaction remotely, they have served to increase access to EL-related activities and created several undergraduate research opportunities, thereby heightening the quality of learners’ experiences.


Presenter Biography
Professor Lobalsamo teaches Italian Language, Cinema, and Food Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), where she is Associate Professor Teaching Stream and Undergraduate Coordinator of Italian Studies in the Department of Language Studies. Together with her undergraduate students, she is currently curating a digital archive of Italian-Canadian foodways - a cultural preservation project that spans entries from the early 1900s to present day. Professor Lobalsamo is affiliated with the Culinaria Research Institute (University of Toronto Scarborough), the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy (UTM), and serves as the AATI Regional Representative (Canada). In recent years, she was recognized as the recipient of UTM’s Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty.


Dellannia Segreti recently completed her undergraduate studies in Italian, Psychology, and Sociology. She is continuing her studies in Child Study and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She is passionate about creating digital pedagogy tools that work to preserve history. Together with Professor Teresa Lobalsamo, she works to collect oral histories and physical artifacts for the Italian-Canadian foodways archive, which is a cultural preservation project that spans entries from the early 1900s to present day. In recognition for her continuing contributions, she received the Dean’s Excellence Award – Experiential Learning for the graduating class of 2022.