Message from the Vice-Provost
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As the summer heat settles in, I trust you're enjoying a mix of rest and rewarding professional reflection. This month, I'm delighted to highlight the upcoming Academic Advising Training Program, the Building an Effective LEAF Application workshop and the 2024 Provostial Review of Academic Advising Supports.
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Teaching Awards & Grants
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Call for LEAF Expressions of Interest: Fall Cycle
Expressions of Interest due Wednesday, September 17
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The Learning & Education Advancement Fund (LEAF) aims to enhance the learning experiences of undergraduate students in first-entry divisions by supporting projects that anticipate, leverage and create positive changes. OVPIUE is now accepting Expressions of Interest for the Fall Cycle.
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Workshop: Building an Effective LEAF Application
Wednesday, July 30 from 12:30- 2:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
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If you are interested in learning more about LEAF, you are invited to attend our workshop Building an Effective LEAF Application: From Idea to Submission designed for faculty 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.
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Teaching & Learning
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Community-Engaged Learning Teaching Assistant Training
Apply by Friday, August 8 for Fall 2025
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The Centre for Community Partnerships is accepting applications for its training for teaching assistants (TAs) in community-engaged learning (CEL) courses starting September 2025. CEL course instructors 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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Applications open: Academic Advising Training Program (AATP)
Apply by Friday, August 8
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Foundations of Advising (Level 1) is a free five-week program designed for University of Toronto administrative staff in student advising roles. Come explore key theories, concepts, and skills in academic advising, while deepening your understanding of advising practices within your division and across the University.
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This program is ideal for those at any experience level. It’s also a great opportunity to connect and collaborate with colleagues across U of T.
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All staff with student advising responsibilities are encouraged to apply.
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Quercus Data Insights: A New Dashboard Tool to Visualize Student Activity
Monday, August 25 from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
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To support your course planning for the 2025-26 year, CTSI and the U of T Learning Analytics initiative is offering a workshop to demonstrate a series of pilot dashboards (Quercus Data Insights) visualizing your students’ activity in Quercus. 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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CTSI Tune into Teaching
The Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation is pleased to offer Tune into Teaching, a summer series for instructors preparing to teach in the upcoming academic year. Tune into Teaching is open to all new and returning faculty and librarians.
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Generative AI
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Register for the next AI Roundup - Emerging Trends
Thursday, August 14, 12:00- 1:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
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Please note: If you usually register and will not be continuing in your appointment for the upcoming academic year, please advise our office of new administrators to be invited and share this link with colleagues in your unit who might be interested in attending on your behalf.
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Each month, Vice-Provost Susan McCahan hosts a session intended to sort through the vast amount of information about AI advances, sharing a few key items of interest to the U of T community. The hope is that it will help people stay abreast of emerging changes that will potentially impact work at the institution. The recording and links from previous AI Roundups can be found on our SharePoint site. All U of T faculty, librarians and staff who would find this content helpful are welcome to attend.
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Creating AI Virtual Tutors for Your Courses
As part of the current phase of the Virtual Tutor Initiative, the University of Toronto is piloting the use of Cogniti: a generative AI chatbot specifically tailored to course content and integrated within Quercus. Cogniti is designed to support learning by providing helpful responses to course content-related questions. To learn more about Cogniti visit CTSI’s Virtual Tutor Initiative website, which includes a recorded demo of the platform and an expression of interest form for instructors.
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OVPIUE Presents
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Provostial Review of Academic Advising Supports
The 2024 Provostial Review of Academic Advising Supports, commissioned by Vice-Provost Susan McCahan, provides an overview of the current state of academic advising services for undergraduate students offered by first-entry divisions across U of T, highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations for enhancement.
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