Message from the Vice-Provost
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As summer unfolds, I hope you're finding time for both relaxation and academic pursuits. This month, I'm delighted to announce the first session of our 2024-25 Discovery Series, focused on AI Ethics Education. You'll also find in our newsletter information on several teaching initiatives and an invitation to the next AI Roundup.
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Teaching Grants
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Building an Effective LEAF Application: From Idea to Submission
Thursday, July 25 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams
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Join us for a workshop designed for instructors and staff interested in applying for the LEAF program. Topics covered in our workshop will include everything from defining a project for the Expression of Interest to addressing project sustainability to the basics of building an effective, integrated assessment strategy. We'll also discuss LEAF's new priority areas.
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Generative AI
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Discovery Series: AI Ethics Education
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Monday, September 23 from 1:00-2:30 p.m.
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via Governing Council Chamber (in-person) and Microsoft Teams (online)
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The Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE) is pleased to announce the Discovery Series for 2024-25. Each session will bring together faculty and staff for an interdivisional conversation to discuss teaching and learning approaches and practices and to share learnings from initiatives, awards and grants supported by our office.
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Our first session of the 2024-25 Discovery Series will explore a topic at the forefront of many discussions in academic units: how to address artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of student learning. In this session, panelists will explore two innovative projects that address the ethics of AI. One team has embedded ethics trainings within their program courses to encourage students to assess the ethical implications of the technologies they are creating, while the other team asks students to consider academic integrity, the biases of AI and their disciplinary relationship with AI within the context of a larger writing and communications program. Learn more on our website.
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Register for the next AI Roundup - Emerging Trends
Wednesday, August 28 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
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All U of T faculty and staff who would find this content helpful are welcome to attend.
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Updates to the CTSI Teaching with Generative AI at U of T Website
- Navigating Generative AI: Six Suggestions for Every Instructor
- Updates have been made to the ‘Generative AI Tools’ section, which summarizes the features, risks and concerns of using educational tools within and beyond the institutionally-supported space.
- The ‘Other Tools’ tab in the 'Generative AI Tools' section also features a guide for instructors interested in experimenting with tools like Open AI's ChatGPT Builder outside the University's supported environment (e.g., how to build virtual tutors).
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These resources together aim to guide instructors in effectively addressing the impact of generative AI in their teaching.
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Learning Analytics
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Quercus Data Insights: A New Dashboard Tool to Visualize Student Activity
Thursday, August 1 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
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To support your course planning for the 2024-25 year, CTSI and the U of T Learning Analytics initiative will hold a workshop to demonstrate a series of dashboards (Quercus Data Insights) visualizing your students’ activity in Quercus. The dashboards will include data for courses from September 1, 2022 up to August 31, 2024 and will be available to all interested instructors as of August 1. This session will focus on the functionality of the dashboards, how to formulate meaningful questions based on the data and how to access additional supports to effectively use this tool.
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Teaching & Learning
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Community-Engaged Learning Teaching Assistant Training
The Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) is accepting applications for its training for teaching assistants (TAs) in community-engaged learning (CEL) courses taking place in Fall 2024. CEL course instructors who have TAs can apply to have their TAs undertake 10 hours of training and support in a multicourse, multidisciplinary online cohort running alongside course delivery. Participating TAs will be able to better support CEL course instructors with elements of teaching specific to CEL courses including liaising with community partners, assessing reflection assignments, and preparing students for their engagement.
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To register TAs, interested instructors can complete this MS form by Friday, August 9, 2024.
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Change to Plagiarism Detection Tool
Update: The University of Toronto plagiarism detection tool is transitioning from Ouriginal to Turnitin effective September 1, 2024. Turnitin acquired Ouriginal in 2022 and will no longer be developing or supporting the Ouriginal platform.
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For instructors and students, this transition will not result in significant workflow changes, as both tools are integrated directly with the Canvas Plagiarism Framework in Quercus:
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- No changes to the University’s plagiarism detection tool conditions of use, or syllabus statement
- Any student papers submitted to the Ouriginal platform between 2021 and 2024 will be migrated over to Turnitin
The Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation will provide training and support documentation to help instructors migrate from Ouriginal to Turnitin prior to the September 1st transition date.
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Certificate in Effective Teaching Practice Framework
U of T faculty can obtain the Certificate in Effective Teaching Practice Framework by completing the Course in Effective Teaching Practices (ETP), a nine-month course (September 2024 – May 2025). Unit heads (Deans/Chairs/Program Directors) are asked to nominate up to 3 instructors for this program. Application period closes on Monday, July 29th.
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News from the OVPIUE
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Welcoming Clare Gilderdale as Director, Innovations in Undergraduate Education
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We are pleased to share that Clare Gilderdale has accepted the position of Director, Innovations in Undergraduate Education within the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE). Clare brings nearly 20 years of experience at the University of Toronto, most recently as Manager, Teaching Initiatives with the OVPIUE, where she has demonstrated exceptional strategic leadership and project management skills, leading numerous academic initiatives and forging strong relationships with stakeholders across the institution. Please join us in welcoming Clare to her new role with our office!
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5 Fun Facts about Student Success at the U of T Data Summit
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Jeff Burrow, Special Projects Officer, and Kayla Pedret, Student Success Project Officer, present "5 Fun Facts about Student Success" at the 2024 U of T Data Summit.
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