Agenda

EMERGENCY NOTICE — TEACHING AND LEARNING SYMPOSIUM CANCELLED

Rotman School of Management is without power and we have been informed it is a safety issue to have people in the building. Therefore we must cancel the entire day of in-person programming and lunch for TLS2024.

CTSI staff are on site for the morning. Our sincere apologies and we thank everyone for their commitment to this year’s event. We will follow up with further information as appropriate.

University of Toronto’s Teaching and Learning Symposium
What is a Classroom?

May 22 (online) and May 23 (in-person)

May 22 — online (see details on Timetable, login required)

May 23 — Rotman School of Management, 105 St. George Street
Registration: 2nd floor, outside Desautels Hall

Full Agenda (PDF)

May 22, 2024 (online)

9am-9:15am: Welcome and Opening Remarks by President Gertler

9:15am-11:30am: Opening Plenary Panel: What is a Classroom? Five Faculty Perspectives

Moderators:
Alison Gibbs, Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Statistical Sciences and Director of the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation
Andrea Williams, Director, Writing & Rhetoric Program and Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Deputy Director of Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation

Panelists (bios):
Ahmed Allahwala, Professor, Teaching Stream, Human Geography, UTSC
Ariel Chan, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, FASE
Leanne De Souza-Kenney, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Health Studies Program & Human Biology Program
Jon Johnson, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Woodsworth College
Spyridon Kotsovilis, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Political Science, UTM

Join us for a conversation about this year’s symposium theme: what is a classroom? Drawing from their experience, five instructors from a range of disciplines and contexts share their ideas about what constitutes a classroom. We’ll consider how a range of pedagogical approaches can expand our understanding of where and how learning happens to work toward more inclusive and transformative teaching and learning experiences.

11:30am-12:15pm: Lunch/Break

12:15pm-1:15pm Concurrent Sessions 1

1.1 Teaching Dialogue: Celebrating Innovation in Learning Opportunities for Graduate Students

Vina Goghari, Vice-Dean, Research and Program Innovation, School of Graduate Studies
Andrea Duncan, Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, International Entrepreneurship Special Advisor, Office of the Vice President, International, Co-Director, Education, International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, TFM
Rebecca J H Woods, Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science, FAS
Karen Smith, PhD, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Director of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation MEnvSc Program, Physical and Environmental Sciences, FAS

The Graduate Education Innovation Fund (GEIF) of the School of Graduate Studies, aims to enrich the learning experience of graduate students in our programs by supporting projects that create positive, innovative changes in the design and delivery of graduate education. The GEIF has a number of priority areas, experiential learning, interdisciplinary learning, technological innovation, Indigenous and diverse cultural ways of knowing, decolonization, anti-oppression, and anti-racism pedagogies, professional development, and public scholarship. This session will focus on “How” we engage our graduate students and on expanding the notions of learning found in the traditional classroom. Three speakers will involve the audience in a dialogue about different learning practices, that redefine the classroom, by discussing different projects and methods. The first project will introduce how to train students in audio-based media such as podcasting, audio documentaries and experimental sound recording, through a “Sound Lab”, that allow students to disseminate their work to make an impact outside of academia. The second project will introduce the creation of a micro-credential that addresses issues of Indigenous Sovereignty, environmental governance, and knowledge-valuing into practices in environmental sciences and management. The third project will introduce the use of virtual reality, a computer-generated experience, as a teaching tool in medical education. All of these original projects were funded by the GEIF grant and have led to creative outputs and sparked discussion of their application in other disciplinary and learning contexts.

1.2 Inquiry on Teaching and Learning Talk 1

1.2.1 Investigating ChatGPT as an Extension of the Writing Classroom
Amanda Paxton, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM
Christopher Eaton, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM
Sharleen Bains, 2nd-year Undergraduate Student, Life Sciences, UTM

Students and instructors are increasingly turning to AI as an extension of the classroom: for instance, by using platforms as spaces where students can acquire additional instruction on course concepts and skills. To understand the affordances and limitations of this turn is just as important as studying other de facto extensions of the classroom (e.g., libraries, writing centres, etc.). To that end, our team of instructors and students undertook an ROP project to investigate the potential for using ChatGPT as a supplementary space of writing instruction while ensuring critical engagement with it.

Our presentation will describe one unit of our project, in which each student researcher was asked to choose an essay that she had submitted in a previous term for UTM’s first-year writing course, ISP100. The students then used ChatGPT to generate a high-quality university essay on the same topic and compared the resulting essay with their own original. ChatGPT offered a space to test, reinforce, and apply course concepts such as genre knowledge, feedback, and rhetorical awareness, and it made us consider the role AI spaces could play in supporting writers’ development. One student researcher will join us to present her findings from the project, including her critical assessment of the skills required to use ChatGPT effectively, the useful features of its interface, and its potential drawbacks as a site of learning. We will conclude with potential recommendations for the use of genAI as an extension of the university writing classroom.

1.2.2 Generative AI Impact on Students Learning in a Management Undergraduate Course
Sarah Cherki El Idrissi, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, UTM

This study investigates the transformative potential of Generative AI (Gen AI) within an undergraduate Management course. Focused on enhancing the learning experience, the research aims to assess students’ interactions, awareness of ethical implications, and the impact on group dynamics compared to traditional teaching methods. Employing a semi-experimental design, the study integrates Gen AI into tutorial activities and analyzes learning processes and outcomes. Preliminary findings provide promising insights into the benefits and challenges of incorporating Gen AI, highlighting its potential to enhance learning experiences and contribute to the evolving landscape of AI in management education.

1.3 Spark an Idea 1

1.3.1 Nifty Assessment: Using interactive e-modules to guide the development of science literacy and communication skills
Stavroula Andreopoulos, Professor, Teaching Stream, Biochemistry, FAS
Meghan Kates, Teaching Assistant, Immunology, Biochemistry, FAS

Many large undergraduate science courses, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, are taught in lecture format with limited opportunity for skills development (1). Therefore, in this session we will discuss the development of four assessments and accompanying interactive e-modules to teach third-year Biochemistry students science literacy, communication and critical thinking skills. The e-modules engage students in active learning at their own pace, which has been shown to enhance student learning and skills development (1). The assessments that accompany the e-modules include answering questions about a journal article they were given to read, creating a TED Talk-style assignment to orally present a concept related to the course, writing a reflective piece to further discuss a course concept and its impact on a field of research, and the creation of a concept map using key topics given throughout the course. Additionally, students are allowed to use generative AI to edit their reflective piece followed by assessment of the differences between the two versions. Student writing outcomes and assignment completion rates have improved dramatically following implementation of these measures into the molecular biology course (2).This session will allow participants to start thinking about the creation of their own educational materials to develop students’ ability to reflect, think critically, gain science literacy and communicate scientific concepts to their peers. Particular focus will be on transfer to other STEM courses to facilitate skills development in upper-level courses while preparing students for a career setting.

[1] Mazur, E. (2009) Farewell, Lecture? Science 323, 50–51.

[2] Fitzpatrick, A., Andreopoulos, S., and Freedman, L. (2021) Enhancing science literacy and communication among the next generation of scientists in an online learning environment. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education: A Bimonthly Publication of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 49, 856–858.

1.3.2 Nifty Assessment: “Can I offer you some feedback on your lecture?”: A brief, low-stakes feedback task extends the classroom into office hours

Alexandra Motut, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Rotman School of Management/Rotman Commerce Program

In this brief but effective assessment in an undergraduate Commerce/business class, I extend the classroom into my office hours, giving students an opportunity to check in with me one-on-one while also practicing giving and receiving feedback (the topic of the third week of class). In a course focusing on oral communication skills in primarily extemporaneous and impromptu contexts, I assign an assessment at the mid-point of the course where students attend my office hours and are asked to provide feedback on one of the first four lectures of the course. Once students have provided their feedback, we switch roles, and I ask, “Can I give you some feedback on your feedback?” Students then practice receiving feedback from me on how they completed their task. They are evaluated on these aspects of effective feedback: both positive and constructive feedback given, specificity, a focus on the behaviour rather than the person, clarifying the impact on the feedback-giver, suggesting an alternative, and various dimensions of the oral communicative competency including vocal and physical delivery (tone, pace, eye contact, etc.). Students learn feedback skills but also practice unscripted oral communication in a low-stakes environment; I learn how students are experiencing the course at a point when their feedback can often be immediately implemented. Additionally, the task helps students develop positive help-seeking habits by requiring them to seek out the instructor during office hours. It also provides valuable one-on-one time between instructor and student without adding additional instructional hours to the course. This assessment is easily adaptable to any course with slight modifications to the learning outcomes.

1.3.3 Teaching Strategy: Engaging Students with Guest Speakers Online and In-Person
Aviv Shachak, Associate Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, DLSPH
Dr. Karim Keshavjee, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, DLSPH

Guest speakers provide opportunities to enrich student experience and to learn from experts on a specific subject matter. Guest speakers may be either academics or from outside of academia e.g., industry, government, or non-profit organizations. In Fall 2020, as we moved our graduate course online due to COVID-19, we sought ways to utilize the new online platform to improve the graduate student experience. We had always been concerned about how little interaction students had with guest lectures. Guest lectures are often didactic in nature, with the speaker talking most of the time with little opportunity for active engagement- usually in the form of 5-10 minutes Q&A at the end. We were especially concerned about long lectures on Zoom which, at that time, were causing “Zoom fatigue” and exacerbating student stress. We asked ourselves, how can we decrease Zoom fatigue? We sought ways to break guest ‘lectures’ down with more small-group work and more active learning. In this presentation we will describe how we addressed this challenge by utilizing a flipped class approach. Our subjective assessment as well as course evaluations attest to the success of this approach. The quality of the questions asked by students went up dramatically, time for conversation with the guest speaker increased significantly, and the students mentioned it as one of the highlights of the course in their evaluations.

1.4 Community as Classroom Stream – From the Classroom to the Sandbox: A Model for Multidisciplinary Experiential Learning

Christine Ovcaric, Experiential Learning Coordinator – Sandbox Initiative, Experiential Learning and Outreach Support, FAS
Dr. Scott Schwartz. Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Statistical Sciences, FAS
Dr. Jennifer Leitch, Associate Director, Trinity Ethics, Society & Law, Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Teaching Dialogue

How does the ‘classroom’ evolve when multiple courses join forces to work on the same project from different academic lenses? How can we transform learning into multidisciplinary knowledge beyond the classroom?

In Fall 2023, the office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support launched The Sandbox. Adapted from an award-winning program at the University of New South Wales, U of T’s version integrates a multidisciplinary element, wherein external partners propose complex challenges, and multiple courses from varying academic disciplines work together to produce multifaceted solutions.

In its inaugural year, The Sandbox recruited 12 faculty members from 11 courses in 9 different disciplines for 3 partners, and course-based projects were completed by 1320 students. This session will showcase a multidisciplinary project with UNICEF, an internationally renowned humanitarian organization. Two participating faculty members, Dr. Scott Schwartz of Statistical Sciences, and Dr. Jennifer Leitch of Trinity College’s Ethics, Society & Law program, will discuss how participation in The Sandbox led to improved student engagement with course material and increased student awareness of multi-pronged approaches to real-word problems. Participants will learn about embedding partnered-project work into courses, approaches to the unique challenges of class size, TA management, partner collaboration, and evaluation, while gaining an appreciation for the potential impact of a multidisciplinary model.

Participants are invited to discuss the unique skills, knowledge and approaches their students bring to solving complex real-world problems and to explore what learning beyond the classroom might look like and which academic disciplines and external organizations might be complementary partners.

1:30pm-2:30pm: Concurrent Session 2

2.1 Inquiry on Teaching and Learning Talk 2

2.1.1 The Global Classroom: Impact of Experiential Learning with Indigenous Partners from Abiayala
Victor Rivas, Assistant Professor, Spanish and Portuguese, FAS
Paula Karger, PhD, University of Toronto
Mariela Giuliano, PhD Candidate, York University

At the University of Toronto, and in Canada in general, few courses explore Indigeneity as it exists outside of North America/Turtle Island, in particular, Latin America/Abiayala. Those that do focus on Indigenous topics share similar challenges, in particular, the absence of Indigenous voices in the classroom. Our talk centres on the inclusion of Indigenous pedagogies and voices in the university environment, deep learning, and the benefits of high-impact experiential learning. Taking as a case study the course LAS350, Indigenous Realities in Latin America, our research examines the effects of a high impact blended global classroom on students’ learning and personal and professional growth. In the course, (1) students engaged with media and texts chosen in collaboration with Quechua-speaking Indigenous Knowledge Holders, (2) Indigenous Knowledge Holders gave weekly online synchronous presentations, and (3) a selection of students traveled to the Cusco region of Peru for one week, participating in a cultural exchange with local people. Our research looks at student feedback, submitted assignments, and personal conversations to compare students’ perceptions and experiences. We seek to identify the actual impacts of such learning, sharing with participants not only our findings, but also some methods to integrate community voices into the classroom. In addition, our talk brings attention to cultural extractivism, exemplifying methods by which to avoid extractivist practices. We will discuss with audiences our method, experience, and challenges faced, seeking feedback on the course design, possibilities for offering such a course in a sustainable manner, and comparisons with their own experiences.

2.1.2 Towards Cultural Equity: Including Indigenous Content in Social Work Child Welfare Education
Ashley Quinn, Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Karima Jaffer, Student

There are Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that directly address social work education and Indigenous children in child welfare. While several scholars have contributed to the development of Indigenous approaches to social work, research is lacking on including Indigenous content in child welfare education and on identifying barriers and facilitators to its inclusion. This study aimed to draw from the experience of child welfare educators across Canada to understand their experiences including Indigenous content into their child welfare social work curricula. Researchers reviewed institutions and course outlines in Canada that teach child welfare curricula to identify potential participants, with focus on social work programs. Responding to an online survey, all participants had at least three years of teaching experience. including child welfare courses in social work education. Text responses were collectively coded and analyzed with inductive thematic analysis. Participants mostly included Indigenous content in the subject areas of historical and contemporary contexts of child welfare, kinship care, and legislation and policies to guide practice. Further research should explore the viewpoint of social work students, as to how Indigenous content is received and understood would best be measured through learners’ perspectives.

2.2 Community as Classroom Stream – Examining the Role of Self in Community Partnerships using a Personal Inquiry Approach

Leanne De Souza-Kenney, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Human Biology Program and Health Studies Program, University College
Moni Kim, MSc, Senior Research Program & Engagement Officer, Reach Alliance

Interactive Workshop

In this workshop we examine the role of self in community partnerships using a personal inquiry approach. We explore the ways that personal and professional goals relate to implicit/explicit biases and impact our work in our classroom community and beyond. In the present climate, the classroom culture must necessarily be rooted in social justice frameworks that support actively dismantling inequities and power structures. Therefore, every classroom can be one that involves the precepts of ‘community engaged learning (CEL)’ wherein students partner directly/indirectly with community or investigate -through anti-racist course design- the impact of course learnings on life outside the classroom. Who are we in our classrooms individually and as a collective? How does examining the role of self, lend to classroom culture? What is our role and responsibility as educators in shaping the ‘world views’ consciously/subconsciously being formed in our classrooms?

This workshop has been adapted from a version delivered to a cohort of multi-disciplinary students in the Reach Alliance -a consortium of students from eight global universities working in interdisciplinary teams for 12-18 months under guidance of a faculty member, to identify innovative solutions to public health, environmental, and economic challenges.

Reflections from Reach Alliance students who attended this workshop will be included in our discussion of personal inquiry, to explore the potential of this approach in our classrooms. Attendees will be asked to reflect on how to incorporate personal inquiry practices no longer as hidden curriculum, but rather as intentional pursuit of critical literacy and social responsibility.

2:45pm-3:45pm: Concurrent Sessions 3

3.1 Spark an Idea 2

3.1.1 Nifty Assessment: Improving concept synthesis, critical thinking, and written communication through a Data Analysis Flowchart
Katherine Daignault, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Statistical Sciences, FAS

Methods of Data Analysis 1 is a third-year statistics course covering statistical theory and practical application of linear regression models. Key course-level learning outcomes focus on considering the appropriate usage of statistical methods and on effective written communication. Prior course iterations included a capstone data analysis project to assess these outcomes, however the organizational quality of the written reports hindered their assessment. We reintroduced the project as a three-part scaffolded assessment, mimicking the Problem-Plan-Data-Analysis-Conclusion cycle and building in opportunities for feedback on scientific writing and appropriate usage of statistical methods. The scaffold includes:

1. Research Proposal: Students choose an area of interest and locate corresponding open-source data to investigate their proposed research question.
2. Analysis Flowchart: Students create an explicit visual plan detailing the use and specific outcomes of each statistical tool in their analysis, prior to implementation on data.
3. Scientific Report: Students conduct the planned analysis and craft a report describing their findings.

The “unorthodox” Analysis Flowchart assessment aims to reduce student work- and cognitive loads by encouraging early synthesis of the material and by creating a replicable and actionable plan. Through explicit description of each tool and possible outcome, students can receive feedback on any misconceptions regarding statistical concepts. Finally, the flowchart provides the organizational framework for drafting the methods of their report and highlights what evidence should be provided in the results to support conclusions. This session reviews the benefits of visual mapping for improving written communication and critical thinking and its adaptability to other contexts.

3.1.2 Nifty Assessment: There is no way to make a basic science assignment creative, is there? Yes it’s possible and I think I learned more than my students!
Judi Laprade, Associate Professor, Division of Anatomy, TFM

Coming into the Covid pivot, there was a strong request to redistribute a portion of the evaluation component in my first year anatomy course from examinations to another form of evaluation for the sake of the students learning online. Options considered included assigning an essay, a capstone-style portfolio, or another type of assignment where students could demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter. Given the subject matter and it’s dependency on 3d structure and function, I opted to introduce a creative assignment which would allow student’s to lean into their strengths and learning style to complete this assignment.

Since 2020, I have iterated this creative assignment in multiple formats, and not only in the first year course but a 4th year seminar course as well. Students were given discrete topics with multiple deadlines to choose from and other than the expectation that the assignment must reflect accuracy, completeness and have a creative element the only other guideline was that they should develop their submission as a learning or review tool to be used by students taking the same course the following year. Over the past three years, students have astounded me with their willingness to work within the assignment guidelines, with their incredible talents and truly creative outputs. In this session, the steps to developing the assignment (and subsequent iterations) will be shared, as well as the marking rubric refinement. Examples of the assignments (adapted games, artworks, singing, acting, baking!) submitted as well as student informal feedback will be presented to highlight the challenges and benefits of this type of assignment. Lessons learned and best practice tips from an educator perspective will be outlined for any other instructor who are seeking an alternative method for evaluating student mastery of their subject matter.

3.1.3 Teaching Strategy: Strategies for supporting difficult conversations in education: Curated peer-to-peer learning
Shone Joos, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, TFM
Kevin Reel, MSc (Medical Ethics), OT Reg (Ont), Practicing Healthcare Ethicist, Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, TFM, Chair, Canadian Association of Practicing Healthcare Ethicists, Director-at-Large, Community Ethics Network

Healthcare education must prepare students to address the complex ethical realities of clinical practice. We will share our experience organizing an Ethical Discussions Forum tailored to stimulate conversations on sensitive healthcare topics, such as assisted dying, COVID-19, and burnout. Our approach prioritized student-to-student dialogue through clear instructional goals and pre-discussion assignments to foster thoughtful reflection. Students were organized into study groups and tasked with analyzing articles on their assigned topics. Utilizing the Hypothesis platform within Quercus, students created annotations and engaged in online discussions, enhancing conversations with additional resources. Prior to the forum, students collaboratively established class agreements, promoting an inclusive and respectful learning environment. Discussion norms were also reviewed on the day of the ethics discussion forum. Students were organized into workshop groups, and the various topic ‘experts’ took turns leading discussions about their assigned articles. These ethics discussion groups encouraged peer-to-peer learning, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills. Student accountability for leading discussions and preparing annotations in advance motivated students to actively participate in pre-class and in-class activities. Post-forum reflections and preliminary feedback from students have been highly positive. The Ethical Discussions Forum serves as a template to support educators looking for ways to structure having difficult conversations in the classroom while equipping students with real-world understandings of complex issues, presenting them with diverse perspectives, and empowering them with an opportunity to gain essential collegial collaboration skills.

3.2 Spark an Idea 3

3.2.1 Teaching Strategy: From Eco-anxiety to Eco(h)ope: Infusing phycological resilience into classes on the environment
Simon Appolloni, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, School of the Environment, FAS

University students, particularly those taking courses on the environment are, by the very nature of their studies, faced with the reality of the rise in intensity, duration and frequency of severe weather events within their life time and more so for their offspring. They know that their futures will face tremendous social, political, economic as well as environmental challenges. This fosters tremendous anxiety, grief and even anger within them. A recent survey of 10,000 youth and children across the globe found that 75% them thought the future was frightening with over half feeling helpless or powerless. One in four of these respondents is hesitant to have children for fear of bringing a child into a threatening or doomed world (see The Lancet, December 2021, “Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey”.) While these emotions are very appropriate, it is no longer possible nor ethical for instructors of these courses to leave students to manage these emotional feelings on their own. Rather than simply adding on extra ideas, practices, places to visit to help them deal with their eco-anxiety, what if we built the formation of physiological resilience into the curriculum? What if the very lectures included evidenced-based strategies, practices, exercises, and assignments that helped students not only cope with their assuredly darker futures but develop some form – even if dark – of hope that will proffer them the energy to do the hard work needed in the future? What if the classroom were a place where psychological resilience can be nourished? My talk explores my recent shift away from merely teaching about the doom and gloom of environmental studies to reshaping my entire curriculum so as to help students not only understand the state of the environment as science is telling us, but how to foster healthy emotional responses to it, what I call eco(h)ope, a fusion of coping and hoping.

3.2.2 Teaching Strategy: The Case for Public Pedagogy
Colin Furness, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Faculty of Information

Public Pedagogy is the formal term to describe efforts by academics to engage communities of informal learners – the public – outside the confines of the institution. Public pedagogy is a new term for a venerable idea concerning the importance of informed public discussion, analysis and knowing in society. Habermas (1962) coined the term “public sphere” to describe the need for civil society to have intellectually informed public debate on important issues of the day. Since 2000, however, use of the term has grown rapidly, with a systematic and authoritative framework published (2010), the creation of the Institute for Public Pedagogies (2014), and the launch of the Journal of Public Pedagogies (2015).

This session will present the case for Public Pedagogy as an invaluable activity for teaching stream faculty, both for advancing the mission of the public university, and for building a high-impact “Creative Professional Activity” section of their teaching dossier. The presenter will draw upon his own journey from one interview to national recognition. The emphasis in this session will be on how to get started and what to expect.

3.2.3 Teaching Strategy: The Imagination as a Classroom: Metaphor as a Teaching Technique
Daveeda Goldberg, Writing Instructor, New College, English Language Learning Specialist, New College, FAS
Leora Freedman, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Coordinator, English Language Learning, FAS

Research has established metaphor as a key influence on thought and perception (Lakoff and Johnson, 2003), with the potential for deepening both teaching practice and students’ learning (Shaw and Andrei, 2020; Xu, et.al, 2022). In this session, we will demonstrate several examples of our use of intentional, extended metaphors in teacher-training, through a variety of eModule techniques as well as live lectures. In our work with TAs, faculty, and writing instructors, we intend that the immersive experience in verbally described, and visually illustrated metaphors will help our audiences become aware of the processes of additional language development and productive ways to aid those processes. Participants in this session will be prompted to question the hidden assumptions in metaphors that guide their thinking about students and about themselves as instructors. We will also demonstrate how participants can generate and develop metaphors to enhance teaching in their own disciplines.

3.3 Teaching Dialogue: Embracing Hybrid Teaching to Foster Cross-Cultural Learning Post-COVID-19

Pascal Tyrrell, Associate Professor, Institute of Medical Sciences, TFM

The proposed roundtable invites educators to a 60-minute online dialogue, with potential for select in-person engagement, focused on the transformative impact of the pandemic on education. This session aims to dissect and discuss the advancements in hybrid teaching models that emerged as silver linings during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their role in enhancing students’ understanding of diverse cultures and jurisdictions through shared lived experiences.

This educational symposium segment is dedicated to exploring how the integration of asynchronous and synchronous learning environments can bridge geographical and cultural gaps, providing a platform for students from various backgrounds to collaboratively learn and grow. Participants will delve into the nuances of hybrid learning strategies that not only cater to the logistical challenges posed by different time zones and physical locations but also significantly enrich the educational experience by incorporating a wide array of cultural perspectives and insights.

Through interactive discussions, panel talks, and creative collaborative formats, educators will share insights, experiences, and innovative practices that have effectively leveraged hybrid classrooms to promote inclusivity and global understanding. The roundtable encourages a forward-thinking dialogue on how these educational innovations can be further refined and expanded, ensuring that the positive educational shifts prompted by the pandemic continue to evolve and impact global learning environments positively.

This session represents an opportunity for educators to collectively reflect on the lessons learned during the pandemic, focusing on how hybrid teaching models can continue to facilitate a deeper, more inclusive understanding among students from diverse cultural and jurisdictional backgrounds, embodying the essence of global education in the 21st century.

3.4 Community as Classroom Stream: Bringing real-life experience into the university classroom: broadening perspectives and giving back to our communities

Michelle Arnot, Professor, Teaching Stream, Pharmacology and Toxicology, TFM
Tanya Chute, Vice President and Director, CanPKU+
Olga Dura, 4th year student, Pharmacology &Toxicology, TFM
Theresa Forster, Program Manager, Good Shepherd Non-Profit Homes Toronto
Norman Fu, 4th year student, Pharmacology and Toxicology, TFM
Andrew Johnson, Manager, Patient and Family Education & CAMH Publications CAMH Education
Jess Pearson, Board Chair, CVHLA (Canadian VHL Alliance)
Krisha Shenoy Kasargod Pattanshetty, Pharmacology and Toxicology, TFM
Rebecca Laposa, Assistant Professor, Pharmacology &Toxicology, TFM

Teaching Dialogue

Holistic education of our students, the next generation of leaders and advocates, needs an integrated approach. It is essential to contextualize student learning to explicitly situate our discipline within larger societal spheres of diverse perspectives and views. When students interact with people outside of academia, they improve lay communication about their discipline, learn to work with diverse communities, and integrate these perspectives into their learning.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology offers two community engaged courses that integrate community partner projects into the course curriculum. Students learn from community partners in the formal classroom through community panels, guest discussions and speakers and informally through their supervision of students in a community placement.

Collaboration with the larger community in these courses has resulted in positive student learning by providing better awareness of their discipline, broadening their perspectives, and by providing an opportunity for students to reflect on why and how their discipline can play an important role outside of academia.

This panel discussion will include community partners from four different partnerships across the two courses as well as three students who have participated in these courses. The panel will be asked to share experiences, challenges and will address ways that collaboration and integrating community members into the classroom improves outcomes for both students and our partners.

4pm-5pm: Concurrent Sessions 4

4.1 Special Session: In Conversation with the Graduate Student Course Instructor Teaching Excellence Award Shortlist

Presenters:
Andre Flicker, Germanic Languages and Literatures, PhD Candidate/Course Instructor
Hazal Halavut, Women and Gender Studies, PhD Candidate/Course Instructor
Jona Zyfi, Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, PhD Candidate/Course Instructor
Kat Furtado, Department of Classics, PhD Candidate/Course Instructor
Laura Moncion, Department of Historical Studies (UTM), PhD Candidate/Course Instructor
Maryna Pilkiw, Human Biology, PhD Candidate/Course Instructor

Moderator: Veronica R. Curran, PhD., Dept of Germanic Languages & Literatures, CI Coordinator, Teaching Assistant Training Program

In this roundtable session, we will engage in conversation with some of the University of Toronto’s top graduate student course instructors on their approach to teaching challenges and building learning communities. These instructors were shortlisted for the 2023-2024 Course Instructor Teaching Excellence Award, which is given annually by the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program to the top graduate student course instructors across the University of Toronto campuses. The panelists will join us to reflect on their teaching experience and share with us their top strategies for engaging, supporting, and motivating their students. Panelists will also reflect on their journeys of becoming effective educators and designing transformative teaching strategies. The roundtable will conclude with a live Q&A, giving participants an opportunity to ask questions.

4.2 Spark an Idea 4

4.2.1 Nifty Assessment: From Climate Change to Workers’ Compensation: Experiential Case Competitions as Extended Classrooms
Vicki Zhang, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Statistical Sciences, FAS

Various pedagogical researchers have written about the merits of project-based learning and authentic assessments (Azizah, 2023, Xu et al., 2021, Zotou, 2020). At the actuarial science programs, we are constantly searching for experiential, externally-partnered authentic projects and assessments, and have experimented with case competitions in insurance and finance that span many real-world challenges. We have found case competition a highly effective way to expand the scope of a traditional classroom, and to engage both our students and industry partners. In a friendly but competitive environment, students work in small teams to solve real-life insurance and finance problems by applying their theoretical knowledge to practical challenges from the industry. We have also used case competitions to engage students in societal crises such as researching and quantifying the impact of climate change on certain lines of insurance.

In this session, we will present both the in-course and co-curricular case competitions we have designed and implemented. The focal points of our discussions include:
(1) the goals and logistics of case competitions;
(2) how case competitions solve real-world problems while improving students’ technical and communication skills;
(3) how we involved co-educators outside the academy in designing the cases;
(4) ways to facilitate student engagement online during the pandemic and in a hybrid fashion post-pandemic;
(5) the grading rubrics for case competitions and the importance of qualitative feedback.

Much of the process is applicable to other disciplines. We also encourage session participants to share their experiences related to case competitions in their own fields.

4.2.2 Teaching Strategy: A CURE “classroom”: a unique student-partnered approach to promoting equitable access to research in biology
Aarthi Ashok, Professor, Teaching Stream, Biological Sciences, UTSC
Emily S. Bell, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Biological Sciences, UTSC

Course-Based Undergraduate Experiences (CUREs) rethink the traditional biology lab classroom by turning it into a mentored experiential learning environment where teams of students develop and investigate a novel research question. CUREs create broader and more equitable access to the well-documented learning gains and enhanced career preparedness associated with engaging in undergraduate research. However, there are challenges in creating a course where classroom curriculum is successfully driven by students’ curiosity for discovery. How can we provide structure and support that helps students understand the research context while still prioritizing student-driven experimental design and discovery? How can we ensure that course expectations and supports are tailored to the curiosity and experience level of the participants? To address both of these challenges, we have developed a student-partnered approach to creating a CURE in biological sciences (Bio-CURE). Undergraduate students as part of a course design team play an integral role in developing and testing research projects and course materials for use in a non-traditional student-centered “classroom” space in the Bio-CURE course. This approach allows us to build and evolve research project “sandboxes” that contain pre-validated potential themes and tools for student-led authentic discovery in Bio-CURE. We describe the features and benefits of this student-partnered model to building equitable and inclusive experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates, which allows us to redefine the tradition “classroom” with regard to both space and power structures.

4.2.3 Teaching Strategy: Storying Wellbeing Across Disciplines: An Indigenous Wholistic Health Course with an Integral Community- and Land-Based Field Trip
Melanie Jeffrey, CLTA, Indigenous Studies and Human Biology, FAS

In Canada and other colonial nation-states there is increasing interest in including Indigenous content in mainstream curriculum. This must be carefully navigated, for the tendency of some disciplines to subsume or separate Indigenous voices from context are dangerous to self-determination and principles of Indigenous education. Especially little is known of these principles in Western positivist paradigms such as sciences. How then do we reconcile teaching and learning about Indigenous wellbeing in the context of science education? This paper details the development and first two years of offering a science course housed in Human Biology Program for second year students at a large, research intensive university with explicit goals to bring syncretic ways of knowing Indigenous health and wellbeing to students. Students in the course learn from local Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Indigenous healers, healthcare practitioners, and biologists/researchers. Learning outcomes vary from a typical science course at our institution, and include: 1) inquiry-based exploration of Indigenous and Western health systems; 2) introduction to various Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) practices and epistemologies of holistic health and healing; 3) Examine Western science themes holistically using Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the four aspects of being (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual); 4) Examine the influence of traditional practices, cultural activities, arts, land-based healing, language-learning, music, and ceremony have in the health and healing of Indigenous peoples; 5) Develop practice-based skills and confidence in oral and written communication to present findings to Indigenous communities and colleagues, including critical reflection, and deep and active listening.

4.3 Inquiry on Teaching and Learning 3

4.3.1 A Classroom Beyond the Classroom: Incorporating Group-Based Writing in Large Introductory Courses to Enhance Student Well-Being and Self-Efficacy
Julius Haag, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Sociology, UTM
Zach Richer, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Sociology, UTM
Jonathan Vroom, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM
Catherine Yeh, Doctoral Candidate, Sociology, UTM

A growing body of scholarship supports the vital career development benefits of writing retreats for academic researchers and writers. These benefits include formal features, such as dedicated writing time, protected writing space, peer accountability, and developing time-management strategies. These formal features also contribute to several important cognitive, affective, and social benefits, including increased motivation and reduced publication-related anxiety. To date, scholarship has focused on the professional development benefits for early-career scholars, such as faculty members and graduate students. However, research suggests that undergraduate students face many of the same writing challenges, in addition to unique challenges such as adopting a new writing style and feelings of isolation and alienation. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the benefits of academic writing retreats for undergraduate students in introductory courses. In this session, we introduce the Undergraduate Writing Retreat, an assignment-specific, instructor-facilitated, and peer-led program in group writing. Drawing on the cognitive, affective, and social benefits of professional writing retreats, we explore the benefits of writing retreats for two important constructs in the writing skills literature: writing self-efficacy and academic well-being. Our study assesses student change in these constructs using a mixed-method survey administered to 180 students in an introductory social science course co-taught by two of the presenting authors. Our findings suggest that a single-administration writing retreat can significantly improve writing self-efficacy and academic well-being. We discuss the implications of our findings as they relate to evidence-based pedagogical interventions to reduce stress, improve social integration, and promote well-being among undergraduate students.

4.3.2 Tri-Party Collaborative Course Design: Proposal of a Framework for Higher Education Courses
Rafael Chiuzi, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Management, UTM

This session presents a tri-party collaborative course-design framework using a case study based on the launch of a new 4th year course at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, Department of Management. This study employed a multi-method qualitative approach consisting of a survey, followed by three focus groups with distinct stakeholder groups: students, industry practitioners, and academics. The results revealed a surprising overlap of interests among the different groups, with the data supporting the design of the new course, which was launched in the Fall of 2022. In addition, data from current students indicated robust positive acceptance of both the course content and class dynamics. The results confirm the proposed framework’s promise for use in designing new courses or redesigning existing ones.

May 23, 2024 (in-person)

Rotman School of Management, 105 St. George Street, Toronto, ON

Please note: When entering the Rotman building, please be advised that only the main North-West entrance is open. All other doors remain closed. For directional support, look for TLS volunteers in blue vests.

8am-9am: Continental Breakfast

Outside Desautels Hall, Rotman School of Management, 2nd floor

9am-10am: Concurrent Session 5

5.1 Teaching Dialogue: Discussing Tough Topics: Strategies for Building and Maintaining Equitable Learning Environments
Said Sidani, Sessional Lecturer, Education Studies, Language Studies, UTM

In this session, participants will engage in dialogue around creating and maintaining inclusive and equitable learning environments. The use of community guidelines as an approach for engaging in constructive classroom discussions will be presented using a real-life case study from an undergraduate course on Equity and Diversity in Education at the University of Toronto Mississauga. The benefits and affordances of implementing community guidelines rooted in key concepts of EDI will be discussed as a means of honouring students’ lived experiences and ensuring that classroom discourse never debates any one person’s or group’s humanity.

Participants will also engage in ‘taking stock’ as they examine how their current pedagogies are influenced by their own identities and those of their students. The majority of the time in this roundtable will be dedicated to working in groups to investigate and assess different strategies for discussing tough topics while remaining unequivocally committed to maintaining a safe learning environment. Although avoiding difficult conversations and controversial topics with our students may seem appealing for a range of reasons, this session argues that in order to best meet the needs of our students, familiarity with their intersectional identities can facilitate the aforementioned conversations in service of the overall student experience.

5.2 Interactive Workshop: All Work and No Play? The Classroom Is/As Play — SESSION CANCELLED

Jennifer Ross, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Woodsworth College
Erin K. Vearncombe, Sessional Lecturer, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM

“Play” and “work” appear as opposites: work is conceptualized as rigorous, accomplishment-oriented activity whereas play appears as unstructured activity for its own sake, a voluntary behaviour directed at personal enjoyment. Scholarship on play in education, however, shifts our perspective such that neat divisions between work and play are constructively blurred. Koops and Taggart, for example, view play “as activities and dispositions that allow for trying out ideas without immediate judgment or evaluation, increasing enjoyment or flow, and fostering creativity in a safe environment” (2011). Although similar to active-learning, play emphasizes the development of core academic behaviours such as curiosity, experimentation, resilience, and adaptive problem-solving while foregrounding low stakes exploration.

In reframing the classroom as play, this interactive workshop seeks to empower instructors with methods of addressing the challenges shaping higher education today, including anxiety, depression, structural inequities, classroom absence, and burnout. Emphasizing learning through play is particularly important as both learners and educators struggle to rekindle curiosity and joy after a grueling pandemic. This workshop invites participants to connect with both research and each other as we engage recent scholarship on play and learning in higher education. Shifting between play, reading, and discussion we facilitate a puckish and critically engaged learning period centering on the pedagogical value of curiosity. Attendees will participate in analog and digital techniques for grounding learning through play, including movement, art, collaboration, and gamification. By imagining the classroom as play, participants will leave curious about their own instructional processes and eager to experiment with play across our diverse teaching contexts.

5.3 Interactive Workshop: Family Friendly Classrooms

Joanne Lieu, Graduate Professional Development Coordinator, FASE
J. Sparks, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph

Student caregivers navigate different challenges in postsecondary spaces than their non-caregiver peers (Bleakney, 2014; Sinha, 2013). With the additional role of being responsible for the well-being and health of a loved one, and at times more than one person, students often find themselves experiencing role tension and strain. While family roles can motivate students and life experiences may support their maturity, research has also suggested that students with caregiving roles can disproportionately face economic insecurity, difficulties meeting their basic needs, and additional time demands (van Rhijn, Lero, & Burke, 2016; Cruse, Mendez, & Holtzman, 2020). However, being a caregiver is an invisible identity, especially as many students do not realize they are one (Beed, 2017; Charles et al., 2012). Since, a limited amount of SoTL research has been published on this often invisible student group within Canadian higher education, our workshop aims to encourage discussion and knowledge sharing in advocacy of student caregivers at U of T. In particular, this workshop will share research describing the experiences of those caring for and studying at a large urban postsecondary institution. We will also highlight on-campus and local community resources supporting student carers. Workshop participants will also use personas to share how they would create carer-friendly classrooms and learning environments in response to students’ diverse roles. Overall, this workshop will advocate for students and highlight that the inclusion of student carers at U of T enriches the learning environment for all.

5.4 Community as Classroom: Part One: Community Places as Classroom Spaces: Reflecting, Disrupting, Re-Imagining

Facilitator: Jennifer Esmail, Director, Centre for Community Partnerships

Panelists:
Maggie Hutcheson, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Faculty of Information
Maria Assif, Professor, Teaching Stream, English, UTSC
Rubén Gaztambide-Fernandez, Professor, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE
Reid Locklin, Associate Professor, Department for the Study of Religion, St. Michael’s College
Suzanne Sicchia, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Health and Society, UTSC

What are the implications of envisioning community places as spaces of student learning? As experiential learning, and more specifically, community-engaged learning expands across the University, partnerships with First Nations, community groups, nonprofit organizations, grassroots initiatives and the public sector are increasingly pursued as strategies for teaching our students across all disciplines. These teaching strategies seek out “community” as an innovative site and partner in teaching and learning. What does imagining community as classroom enable, and what tensions emerge? How might community-based approaches to teaching and learning disrupt–or reify–inequities? If best practice dictates that widely varying models of community-engaged learning (CEL) aspire to “reciprocity” with community-based co-educators and co-learners, how might we move the dial from transactional to transformational engagement, at individual, collective and systemic levels?

This session is Part 1 of a two-part morning as part of the Community-Engaged Learning Stream: Community as Classroom. Here, seasoned community-engaged professors address these questions through their varied teaching practices. Part 2 will follow a short break and will feature interactive discussion with panelists and audience.

10:30am-11:30am: Concurrent Session 6

6.1 Teaching Dialogue: Catalyzing Beyond the Classroom to Address the Climate Crisis

Michael Classens, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Associate Director, School of the Environment, FAS
Sarah Urqhart, PhD Student, OISE
Nicole Spiegelaar, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, School of the Environment and Trinity College, FAS
Hilary Inwood, Lecturer, Curriculum, Teaching, & Learning, OISE
Liat Margolis, Associate Professor, Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design

Education in the context of what Kai Heron (2023, np) has recently described as “capitalist catastrophism and eco-apartheid” requires fundamental changes to what and how we teach. As key sites of social reproduction, institutes of higher education share responsibility for creating the conditions of climate collapse and related geo-political instability. We take inspiration from a growing cohort of critical sustainability pedagogy scholars reckoning with the challenge of teaching within this destabilized context. Our modest intervention, grounded in our collective time and space, has been to form a Community of Practice on Sustainability Teaching (CoP). This teaching dialogue session will extend the work of the CoP with a specific focus on how we might collaboratively reimagine higher education classrooms for teaching for social and ecological justice.

By modeling a place-based education approach, this session aims to provide an opportunity to collaboratively deconstruct and re-imagine the places and pedagogical strategies that inspire teaching and learning in higher education during a climate crisis. Two sites close to the Rotman building – St Hilda’s back garden and the (yet unfinished) Lawson Centre for Sustainability – will take learning from the conference into the natural and built environments of the campus to utilize how to use ‘campus as classroom.’ Provocations and prompts at each site will encourage dialogue and guide reflection on the principles and pedagogies of critical sustainability education and how to utilize place-based and Land-based learning to ensure inclusion of all learners in our courses.

6.2 Interactive Workshop: Teaching Wellbeing and Mental Health Literacy in the University Classroom

Lauren Brown, Program Coordinator, Mindfulness, Meditation and Yoga, Multi-Faith Centre, Division of Student Life

Who are our students and what are they experiencing when it comes to wellbeing and mental health challenges? How do they learn about wellbeing and how do students improve their wellbeing in personally meaningful ways? In this workshop participants will hear the stories of diverse undergraduate students from my recently completed doctoral narrative inquiry research. Through my research I found that students aren’t taught about mental health or wellbeing in secondary school. Compounding this educational gap, learning about mental health and wellbeing in the university classroom is unequally distributed across academic departments. Yet education acts as both a preventative measure and an early intervention to help improve wellbeing. Participants in this workshop will learn how experiential learning and contemplative pedagogy can support students learning in this area. They will also have the opportunity to try a variety of contemplative practices including deep listening, bearing witness, beholding, and reflective writing. The session will conclude with a collaborative activity where everyone will have the opportunity to share how they have or could in future support student mental health and wellbeing in their own classrooms. Participants will also build an understanding of mental health literacy to help support themselves and the students they serve. Finally, the workshop will demonstrate how to engage contemplative pedagogy with the aim of inspiring participants to use these methods in their own teaching spaces.

6.3 Teaching Dialogue: Exploring Critical AI Literacy as a Learning Community

Elaine Khoo, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Centre for Teaching and Learning, UTSC
Dina Soliman, Faculty Liaison, Educational Technology, Centre for Teaching and Learning, UTSC,
Armando Rojas, UTSC Student
Jasmine Willy Saphira, UTSC Student
Yuseon Jeong, UTSC Student

In the fast-changing Generative AI (GenAI) landscape, re-examining roles of instructors and students allows higher education to capitalize on unique learning opportunities arising from the current climate of uncertainty. While universities are determining ways to deal with academic integrity in the age of AI, students need to learn the nature of AI – the good, the bad and the ugly – so that they are critical and ethical users. This session draws on a three-pronged approach of active learning about GenAI developed through a LEAF+ grant to explore creative and ethical uses of GenAI for equity-deserving students. This approach involves (a) developing critical AI literacy through the process of hands-on questioning and investigation; (b) academic integrity socialization (Khoo & Kang, 2022) for students to understand best practices for a genuine learning process as junior scholars; (c) cultivating a knowledge-building environment where students collectively advance community knowledge (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006). We will share the GenAI assignment ecology which is adaptable to different learning contexts, framed as manageable investigative projects, and the in-depth feedback mechanism which enabled every investigator to receive anonymous peer feedback which they use to improve their final assignment submission. Student co-presenters will share their experience with the GenAI tools they investigated or developed. Learning outcomes include (a) learning creative and ethical ways of using GenAI for the process of learning, (b) gaining insights on the benefits of students as partners in investigating GenAI, and (c) exploring guidelines for adapting this approach for different learning contexts.

6.4 Community as Classroom: Part Two: Community Places as Classroom Spaces: Reflecting, Disrupting, Re-Imagining

Facilitator: Jennifer Esmail, Director, Centre for Community Partnerships

This session is Part 2 of a two-part morning as part of the Community-Engaged Learning Stream: Community as Classroom. Part 1 featured panel presentations by seasoned community-engaged professors on the topics of reflecting, disrupting and re-imagining “community as classroom”. Part 2 is intended as a follow-up theoretical and practical discussion among panelists and participants through their varied teaching practices. What are the implications of envisioning community places as spaces of student learning? What does imagining community as classroom enable, and what tensions emerge? How might community-based approaches to teaching and learning disrupt–or reify–inequities? How might we move the dial in a wide range of CEL models, from transactional to transformational engagement, at individual, collective and systemic levels? This session is intended as a participatory co-learning space where participants and panelists can discuss tensions and opportunities when envisioning community places as classroom spaces. As in CEL pedagogy itself, all forms of expertise, lived experience and ways of knowing and being across the disciplines are welcome.

6.5 Special Session: Civil discourse in the classroom: The state and stakes

Moderator: Randy Boyagoda, Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse

Panelists:
James John, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Philosophy, FAS
Nasim Niknafs, Associate Professor, Faculty of Music
Brian Silverman, Professor, Rotman School of Management
Alison Thompson, Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

How important is it for faculty and students to think out loud together in the classroom? In this panel, faculty members, all members of the university’s Working Group on Civil Discourse, will discuss their experiences with teaching and learning when it comes to the state and stakes of civil discourse in the classroom.

11:45am-12:45pm: Lunch

Desautels Hall, Rotman School of Management, 2nd floor

NOTE: YOU MUST REGISTER FOR LUNCH. If you still need to register, visit the TLS registration page to update your schedule.

1pm-3:30pm: Interactive Closing Plenary: Finding the Balance: Learning spaces that promote rigour and kindness

1pm-1:15pm: Welcome remarks by Susan McCahan, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education

1:15pm-3:30pm: Finding the Balance: Learning spaces that promote rigour and kindness

Garfield Gini-Newman, Associate Professor, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE (bio)

As the world undergoes transformational change and societies deal with polycrisis

how can we best ensure that university classrooms are bastions of civil discourse and learning spaces where curiosity is nurtured, and intellectual growth promoted?
When considering three pedagogical facets of university education: core learning goals/purposes; sources of evidence of learning; and, instructional practices,
how much has changed?
What should change and what constants are important?
Do university classrooms need to undergo revolutionary change or an evolution in practices?

What are the opportunities and challenges presented by the increasing presence of AI in our world?

During the plenary session, Garfield will explore the possibilities and challenges of responding to teaching and learning in a rapidly shifting world. Participants will consider and respond to a variety pedagogical issues and ideas to find ways to embrace change so that learning in university classrooms balances kindness and rigour, curiosity and deep learning, collaboration and individuality so that students can flourish in their university career and beyond.

Can the inversion of traditional structures help to promote richer discourse, deeper learning, and better opportunities for meaningful assessment to occur? Consider the impact on university classrooms if the assignments given to students were used as invitations to learn rather than proof of learning. If they were used to initiate and sustain learning rather than testing for learning at the end.
What if we focused on problem managing over problem solving? What might course design and classroom instruction look like framed around a problem management approach? Imagine the opportunities if we valued the journey as much as the product, and if we expanded the sources of evidence gathered to reflect the range of ways students will engage in the world after graduation.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

If you have any questions concerning TLS2024, please email tls@utoronto.ca.