PT Matters Research Presentation
How High Can We Raise the Bar? Rethinking Expectations for Today’s Learners
Dr. Judi Laprade, Associate Professor of Anatomy at the University of Toronto, will challenge faculty to consider how we can raise the bar for learning while responding thoughtfully to the realities of today’s learners across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Drawing on current pedagogical thinking and her own teaching experience, Dr. Laprade will explore a range of approaches designed to promote deeper learning, engagement, and academic challenge. She will examine the evidence for and against strategies such as gamification, creative and alternative assignments, and assessment approaches that move beyond reliance on traditional exams including the use of two-stage examinations and consider what these approaches can offer both learners and educators.
This interactive lecture promises to provide faculty members and teaching assistants with practical ideas, evidence-informed perspectives, and fresh inspiration for rethinking what we expect of our students and how we help them achieve it.
Dr Judi Laprade is an anatomy educator, curriculum innovator, and educational leader with over 25 years of experience enhancing student learning through evidence-based and high-impact pedagogy. Her work focuses on making anatomy accessible, engaging, and relevant for diverse learners through gamification, active learning, creative assessments, and the integration of 3D digital technologies. Her current teaching complement includes a full-year course for undergraduate Kinesiology, an intensive dissection and functional anatomy course for Physical Therapy and an Arts & Science upper-level seminar course on Functional Mechanics and Anatomy.
Her early research was heavily focused on investigating factors contributing to knee pain such as Patellofemoral Syndrome, in particular the muscular contributions to alignment, movement and pain production. Dr Laprade’s current scholarly activity spans the design of novel anatomy learning toolkits, development of digital 3D resources, and research on visuospatial learning, assessment modalities, and gamified education. She routinely mentors undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across engineering, medical sciences, and rehabilitation fields.
Most recently, she has launched a national initiative the Canadian Collaborative of Anatomy Educators and the Canadian Anatomy Research in Education (CARE) Conference—to advance collaboration and innovation in anatomy education.
Previous PT Matters Research Presentations
Dr. Jo Dawes presents: Frailty in people experiencing homelessness.
Dalhousie School of Physiotherapy PT Matters Research Presentation -Student Edition
PhD in health candidate Sarah Remedios - How the shoulder moves: Biomechanics before rotator cuff surgery. MScRR student Kaela Trumble - Frailty trajectories in people with and without cardiovascular disease. And MScPT research group Lily Jacobs, Hannah Elliott, Heather Manning, Thomas Chaulk and Ellie MacAulay - How has transitional care been operationalized, delivered, and evaluated in Canada? A scoping review.
Amy Prescott presents Beyond the Binary: 2S/LGBTQIA+ Care in Physiotherapy.
Dr. Rita Orji presents: Persuasive technology for health and wellness.
Dr. Myles O'Brien presents: Activity promotion and measurement considerations in primary care: Are all sedentary postures the same?
Dr. Scott Kehler presents: What is frailty good for in people living with cardiovascular disease?
Dr. Olga Theou presents: Frailty a topic that affects us all.