Conference on University Teaching and Learning

• Beyond Chatbots: AI Agents Are Capable, But Are They Smart?
• Back to the Future: A Brief History of EdTech Optimism, from the Postal System to AI

Beyond Chatbots: AI Agents Are Capable, But Are They Smart?

AI agents - systems that can reason, plan, and act on their own - have arrived, and they're remarkably capable. They can draft documents, run analyses, manage workflows, and interact with complex systems. But here's the catch: they still lack something fundamental. Call it common sense, judgment, or just knowing when to stop. That gap between what AI agents can do and what they understand puts us in a tricky spot, especially in higher education, where the stakes involve real students, real research, and real institutional trust. This keynote is a practical, clear-eyed look at where AI agents are today, why educators and administrators need to understand them now, and how universities can engage with this technology thoughtfully rather than reactively.

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Dr. Alexander Olson

Acting Director, Centre for Analytics & AI Engineering, University of Toronto

Alexander Olson is the Acting Head of the Centre for Analytics & AI Engineering (Carte) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering at the University of Toronto. In this role, he provides academic and operational leadership for Carte's applied artificial intelligence programs, industry partnerships, and international collaborations. Alex oversees a portfolio that spans professional AI training, graduate and executive education, and large-scale research and talent-development initiatives with corporate, government, and academic partners in Canada and internationally. His work focuses on translating advances in machine learning and generative AI into practical, responsible applications, while building sustainable programs that connect students, researchers, and industry. He has led the design and delivery of numerous AI bootcamps, workshops, and customized training programs for corporate and public-sector audiences, and is actively involved in developing new models for applied AI education and collaboration.

Back to the Future: A Brief History of EdTech Optimism, from the Postal System to AI

This keynote traces the historical relationship between teaching and learning and information and communication technologies (ICTs), from the postal system and radio and TV broadcast media to computers, the internet, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI), while also examining the techno-optimist discourse that accompanies each wave of innovation. For more than a century, each new ICT has been accompanied by a recurring pattern of EdTech optimism: that new technologies would fundamentally transform education for the better, solve cost and efficiency problems for public educational institutions, and usher in a brighter future for teachers and learners alike. Yet the real history of ICTs in education tells a messier and more complicated story. By revisiting this history, the keynote invites reflection on how we are encouraged to perceive the role, application, and impact of ICTs in higher education. It also encourages mindfulness about the organizations that currently play a role in shaping how we may view technology's role and impact in education. In particular, the keynote probes the relatively recent rise of the global, multi-billion-dollar EdTech industry, which seeks to sell its products and services to all public education institutions, and sometimes, aims to supplant them. It summarizes the industry’s four main business models and considers how their success depends on the outlook that new machines are transforming education for the better, and, in some cases, even outperforming human teachers. The keynote concludes by reaffirming the value of human-centered, relational pedagogy in the age of AI, pedagogy that may be augmented by ICTs, but not defined by them. The future of education will be best served not by replacing teachers with machines, but by renewing the human-centered values of connection, community, care, and critical thinking needed to understand and address the greatest societal challenges of our time.

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Dr. Tanner Mirrlees

Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University

Tanner Mirrlees is a Professor of Communication and Digital Media Studies in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at Ontario Tech University, whose research focuses on the technology, media, and creative industries in relation to security, politics, education, society, culture and environment. He is the author of over one hundred publications, including books, such as Work and Labor in the Digital Media and Entertainment Industries: A Critical Introduction (2025), EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age (2019), Hearts and Mines: The US Empire’s Culture Industry (2016), Global Entertainment Media (2013), and The Television Reader (2012). Recent publications focus on Artificial Intelligence in relation to creativity, geopolitics and energy.

2026 Conference on University Teaching and Learning
Back to the Future: Where Tech and Humanity Meet

View the full program online.

9 to 9:15 a.m.
Land Acknowledgement and Welcome
Lasandra Conliffe, Educational Developer, Teaching and Learning Centre
Kevin Johnson, Educational Developer, Teaching and Learning Centre

9:15 to 9:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Dr. Susan L. Forbes, Director, Teaching and Learning Centre

9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Beyond Chatbots: AI Agents Are Capable, But Are They Smart?
Dr. Alexander Olson, Acting Director, Centre for Analytics & AI Engineering, University of Toronto

10:30 to 10:55 a.m.
Critical Thinking and Academic Integrity in the era of Generative AI
Dr. Alyson King, Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

10:55 to 11:10 a.m.: Break

11:10 to 11:35 a.m.
Harnessing Student Co-creation in Open Education and Educational Technology Initiatives
Hannah Atkinson, Educational Technology Analyst, Teaching and Learning Centre
Pranjal Saloni, Open Education Lab Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Centre

11:35 a.m. to noon
The Theory and Practice of Case Study Competitions
Dr. Laura Banks, Associate Teaching Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Janet McCabe, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Adam Dubrowski, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences

Noon to 1:10 p.m.: Lunch Break
Note: Light refreshments and beverages will be available throughout the day, but lunch will not be provided. Visit the Food Services website to view available meal options and plan accordingly.

1:10 to 1:35 p.m.
Expanding Pedagogical Pathways: The Role of Alternative Media Formats in Student Learning
Dr. Rajen Akalu, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Information Technology

1:35 to 2 p.m.
Fostering Student Engagement Through Authentic, Technology-Enhanced Assessment: Integrating Excel, Power BI, and Industry Evaluation
Adam Prokop, Assistant Teaching Professor, Faculty of Business and IT

2 to 2:10 p.m.: Break

2:10 to 2:35 p.m.:
Designing AI-Ready EPA-Based Assessment Frameworks to Operationalize Precision Education in Non-Clinical Undergraduate Programs
Anjali Jagannathan, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Otto Sanchez, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Adam Dubrowski, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences

2:35 to 3:15 p.m.:
Back to the Future: A Brief History of EdTech Optimism, from the Postal System to AI
Dr. Tanner Mirrlees, Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

3:15 to 3:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Dr. Mary Bluechardt, Deputy Provost

Visit our archives to review materials from past conferences.

• 2025: Teaching for Tomorrow
• 2024: Transformative Teaching: The Past, Present, and Future of Teaching in Higher Education
• 2023: Embracing the Opportunities of Hybrid Teaching and Learning
• 2022: Learning Re-imagined: Developing Dynamic, Positive, and Engaging Learning Experiences