|
|
|
|
Message from the Vice-Provost
|
With the fall term approaching, I am excited to share a number of opportunities and resources that support our teaching and learning community. This month’s newsletter features updates on teaching awards and grants, including the Discovery Series and call for applications for LEAF+ on Civil Discourse. We celebrate the accomplishments of the Embedded Ethics Education Initiative (E3I) team and the launch of the new Library of Innovative Teaching. You will also find information on tools and programs designed to enhance teaching and learning as we continue our focus on Generative AI, including a new series on practical considerations for teaching and learning with AI. Please note the dates for the Forum on Experiential Learning have been released for 2025-26. Last but not least, I encourage you to review the MCU Directive on the Costs of Education Materials in preparation for the Fall semester.
|
|
|
|
Teaching Awards & Grants
|
Call for LEAF Expressions of Interest: Fall Cycle
Expressions of Interest due Wednesday, September 17
|
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.
|
|
|
|
LEAF+ on Civil Discourse: Call for Applications
Applications due Monday, November 3
|
|
The Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education, and the School of Graduate Studies invite proposals for LEAF+ projects that foster civil discourse in undergraduate or graduate curricula. LEAF+ is a special funding opportunity to support innovative teaching and learning projects that align with an emerging University of Toronto priority. Projects should explore, expand, or reframe civil discourse, encouraging respectful dialogue, empathy, critical engagement, and shared inquiry across differences in classroom and curricular settings.
|
Term: 1 year (projects must conclude by Fall 2026)
Eligibility: U of T faculty, librarians with continuing appointments, and teams with curriculum-connected staff & faculty co-leads
|
Successful applicants will join a cross-disciplinary network and participate in knowledge-sharing and community showcase activities.
|
|
|
|
Discovery Series: Civil Discourse in the Classroom: What’s the State, and What’s at Stake?
|
Thursday, September 18 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
|
via Chair’s Boardroom, Simcoe Hall (in-person) and Microsoft Teams (online)
|
Join us for a panel discussion on civil discourse: what it is, why it matters, and how to meaningfully foster it in the classroom. Building on the University’s Administrative Response to the Report of the Working Group on Civil Discourse, the session will also introduce LEAF+ for Civil Discourse, a new funding opportunity for instructors to explore innovative approaches or enhance current practices. Faculty panelists, all members of the Working Group, will share real examples from their teaching, reflect on the value of creating spaces where faculty and students can “think out loud” together, and offer strategies for facilitating thoughtful, inclusive dialogue. Whether you’re considering a LEAF+ application or simply seeking to strengthen civil discourse in your courses, this conversation will offer insights, ideas and practical tools.
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to the Embedded Ethics Education Initiative (E3I) Team!
|
This prestigious national award, presented at the annual Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) conference, honours innovative pedagogical approaches that enhance student learning. E3I’s work in embedding ethical considerations into computer science curricula exemplifies cross-disciplinary collaboration and educational innovation.
|
We extend our sincere thanks to the team for their continued contributions to teaching and learning.
|
|
|
|
New Library of Innovative Teaching
We are so pleased to share the Library of Innovative Teaching. The Library is a repository of teaching and learning projects that have received institutional funding through the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education. From course redesigns to new student supports, the Library highlights inspiring teaching and learning approaches across disciplines.
|
|
|
|
Teaching & Learning
|
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
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Working with Students: Experiential Learning Avenues
As an instructor or staff member at the University of Toronto, you have access to a range of experiential learning avenues that will allow you to engage students in advancing your own work, while providing students with meaningful learning experiences. These avenues may be paid or unpaid, and may take place within curricular or co-curricular settings. Learn more about working with students through experiential learning.
|
|
|
|
Forum on Experiential Learning
Hybrid - in person and online via Microsoft Teams
|
Co-chaired by the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education and the Vice-Provost, Students, the Forum on Experiential Learning (FEL) shares internal and external developments in the experiential education landscape, informs local and institutional strategic priorities in this area, and creates conversation and community among EL practitioners at the University.
|
2025-26 meetings will be held in hybrid format with in-person meetings at the Governing Council Chambers (October/February) and at UTSC (May, location TBD), as well as online via Microsoft Teams:
|
- October 15, 2025 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- February 3, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- May 5, 2026 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
|
The FEL has an open call for new members; those interested in joining can complete the FEL membership form
|
|
|
|
CTSI Self-Paced Programs
CTSI’s self-paced programs offer University of Toronto instructors the flexibility to explore key teaching and learning topics at their own pace. Whether you’re new to U of T, new to teaching, or looking to refresh your practice, these asynchronous programs provide evidence-informed strategies to support inclusive, engaging, and effective course design and delivery—both online and in-person.
|
|
|
|
UDL in Practice: Designing Environments
Friday, September 12, 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
|
|
UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). Designed for faculty and instructors who want to make small, meaningful shifts in their teaching, the series focuses on strategies drawn from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that promote flexibility, accessibility, and inclusion. Each 30‑minute virtual session highlights one dimension of UDL in course design—such as environments, materials, methods, access, support, and executive function.
|
|
|
|
Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Course Fund
Applications for Fall due Wednesday, October 8
|
The Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) offers small grants of up to $500 per course to support instructors teaching community-engaged learning (CEL) courses at the University of Toronto. This funding can be used for CEL courses to 1) recognize community partner engagement, 2) address barriers to student participation, and 3) support innovation in CEL.
|
|
|
|
Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Guides for Instructors: New Resource
|
The Centre for Community Partnerships is pleased to share the latest in its Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Guides for Instructors series. Best Practices for CEL in the Health Sciences: A Guide for Instructors offers strategies for effective CEL course teaching in the Health Sciences developed by a working group of staff from community organizations as well as U of T faculty, students, and staff. The guide reviews the literature, synthesizes trends, highlights course examples, and offers recommended practices.
|
|
|
|
Generative AI
|
Register for the next AI Roundup - Emerging Trends
Thursday, September 10, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
|
|
What’s Next with GenAI? Series:
Practical Considerations for Teaching and Learning
Thursday, September 18, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
|
Navigate GenAI's evolving impact on university teaching with CTSI's evidence-based three-part online series. Grounded in U of T's AI Task Force principles, instructors will explore practical strategies for fostering meaningful learning.Sessions:
|
- September 18, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. – What's Next with GenAI?: Practical Considerations for Teaching and Learning
- October 21, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Adapting Assessments with Generative AI in Mind
- November 20, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. – Developing AI-Literacy Activities for Meaningful Learning
|
Each session builds progressively, equipping instructors to adapt teaching practices in the GenAI era.
|
|
|
|
OVPIUE and U of T News
|
MCU Directive on the Costs of Education Materials
In response to a directive from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU), all instructors teaching Fall (F) and Fall-Winter (Y) courses this academic cycle are required to complete a brief survey to share the following information about each course being taught for Fall 2025:
|
- Individual costing for all textbooks or other learning materials (mandatory and optional).
- Whether there are any restrictions that would prevent a student from using a second-hand copy of the textbook or other learning materials.
- Instructors of Fall (F) and Fall-Winter (Y) courses will receive a message in Quercus with a link to a survey that will collect this information.
|
|
|
Introducing U of T’s Secure File Transfer Service "UTsend"
|
|
|
|
|
|
