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Instructional Support Workshops

Instructional Support Workshops are supported by the Teaching and Learning Centre's Educational Developers and offer participants a variety of programs based on their teaching and learning interests and needs.

While these workshops are designed primarily for members of the University community engaged in teaching-related practices, other members of Ontario Tech may enroll in our workshops as part of their professional development.

Register for Workshops

Register for Workshops

Note for CUT participants

Note for CUT participants

While Certificate in University Teaching participants may attend as many workshops as they wish, only certain sessions are eligible for the mandatory workshop attendance requirement.

This semester's CUT-eligible workshops are listed below. To successfully complete the program, participants must attend at least one workshop from each of the three categories.

In the full workshop schedule, CUT-eligible workshops are marked with a corresponding icon for each category (♦, ♥, or ♣).

Educational Technologies ♦
  • New Quizzes: Question Type Deep-Dive
  • CoPilot and Agents
  • H5P Elements
Inclusive Teaching ♥
  • The Weight of the World: How Instructors Can Support Students Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
  • From Margins to Belonging: Teaching Through an Inclusive Curriculum
  • The Sound of Learning
  • Decolonizing Your Syllabus
Special Topics in Higher Education ♣
  • Moving Beyond Multiple Choice
  • Alternative Grading Strategies
  • Process Over Product
  • Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice
  • Accessibility Beyond Accommodation

Workshop Schedule + Descriptions

February

  • ♦ CoPilot and Agents - February 19

    CoPilot and Agents

    Date: Thursday February 19, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
    Facilitators: Kevin Johnson, Miranda Varricchio

    Discover how generative AI can streamline your workload. This introductory workshop provides attendees with a practical overview of Copilot, our institutionally supported GenAI tool, and explores how AI agents can be developed and used to enhance and support a variety of day-to-day tasks. Attendees will learn what Copilot can do, how to design and deploy effective agents, and why these tools can enhance efficiency, creativity, and decision-making in academic contexts. No prior AI experience is required!

    Learning Outcomes

    • Explain the core functions and capabilities of Copilot as our institutionally supported genAI tool and identify appropriate use cases in their personal context.
    • Develop and test a basic AI agent within Copilot.
    • Evaluate the benefits and limitations of Copilot’s AI agents.

    ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

  • ♣ Alternative Grading Strategies - February 27

    Alternative Grading Strategies

    Date: Friday February 27, 9:30 am - 11:00 am
    Facilitators: Miranda Varricchio, Dr. Kaitlyn Watson

    Traditional grading structures can demotivate learners. In this workshop, we will explore several types of alternative grading methods such as contract grading, mastery grading, and ungrading. You will learn about their practical applications in a variety of educational contexts and reflect on the benefits and challenges for both instructors and students.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Compare various alternative grading strategies for use in various contexts.
    • Describe the benefits and challenges of implementing alternative grading strategies for instructors and students.
    • Apply an alternative grading approach for both low- and high-stakes assessments.

    ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

March

  • Beyond Cost Savings: How Open Educational Resources Support Student Mental Health - March 2

    Beyond Cost Savings: How Open Educational Resources Support Student Mental Health

    Date: Monday March 2, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
    Facilitators: Pranjal Saloni

    Textbooks can be expensive, stressful, and sometimes out of reach, and that pressure often shows up in students’ well-being and learning. In this Open Education Week session, we’ll talk about how Open Educational Resources (OER) can ease some of that stress by giving students free, day-one access to course materials and more flexible, inclusive ways to learn. Together, faculty and students will explore research, real examples, and small design choices that can make learning feel more supportive, human, and equitable. You’ll leave with practical ideas you can use right away.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Describe how Open Educational Resources (OER) can reduce student stress and support mental well-being by giving examples from research and practice.
    • Identify strategies for using OER to create more equitable, flexible, and inclusive learning experiences in their own courses or studies.
    • Reflect on the impact of course materials on mental health and propose at least one actionable change they could make to support student well-being through OER.

    Who should attend?

    • Faculty, students, instructional designers, librarians, and educational developers who are interested in how open educational resources can reduce student stress, support well-being, and create more inclusive learning experiences.
  • ♣ Process Over Product - March 2

    Process Over Product

    Date: Monday March 2, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
    Facilitators: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson, Dr. Lidya Salim

    Assessment is an integral part of the learning process. However, assessment is often used to capture learning at a specific moment in time which does not reflect the complexity or diversity of students' skills and understanding. In this workshop, we will explore how centering 'process over product' in assessments can enhance understanding, provide multiple means of expression, and promote academic integrity.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Describe the limitations of assessment approaches that capture learning at specific moments in time.
    • Identify opportunities to design or revise assessments that emphasize the learning process.

    ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

  • Call to Action: Co-designing and Enhancing Pharmacology for Nurses - March 6

    Call to Action: Co-designing and Enhancing Pharmacology for Nurses

    Date: Friday March 6, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
    Facilitators: Pranjal Saloni

    This Open Education Week, we’re inviting Health Sciences faculty to join us in reviewing, modifying, or adapting our Pharmacology for Nurses Open Educational Resource (OER). This resource was developed specifically for nursing graduate students preparing for the NCLEX, providing evidence-based content, clear explanations, and practical examples to support safe and effective medication management. By participating, you’ll help ensure it remains current, inclusive, and student-centered.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Demonstrate how your expertise can enhance and support the Pharmacology for Nurses OER by suggesting updates or improvements.
    • Apply evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices to ensure the OER meets diverse learner needs, documenting your recommendations.
    • Create adapted or supplemental OER content that aligns with course objectives and promotes accessible, student-centered learning.

    Who should attend?

    • Health Sciences faculty members who teach nursing or pharmacology-related courses, particularly those supporting NCLEX preparation.
    • Teaching assistants, instructional designers, and educational developers involved in nursing education.
  • ♥ The Sound of Learning - March 11

    The Sound of Learning

    Date: Wednesday March 11, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
    Facilitators: Miranda Varricchio, Kevin Johnson

    The halls are alive…with the sound of learning!

    These are a few of our favourite things: podcasts, audio lectures, and sound-based assignments that bring learning to life. In this interactive workshop, you’ll explore how audio can serve as an inclusive, accessible, and engaging alternative to traditional content delivery. Learn to design assessments that sing, using pedagogical best practices, and discover open tools and resources that can help you confidently bring the sound of learning into your course design.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Evaluate effective strategies for using audio content, including podcasts and audio lectures, as accessible, inclusive, and engaging alternatives to traditional text-based or visual course delivery methods.
    • Apply pedagogical best practices when incorporating sound-based assignments, such as audio recordings, podcasts, or soundscapes, into course assessments.
    • Identify open tools and resources that can be utilized in the design and delivery of sound-based content.

    ♥ CUT-eligible: Inclusive Teaching

  • ♥ Decolonizing Your Syllabus - March 27

    Decolonizing Your Syllabus

    Date: Friday March 27, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
    Facilitator: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson

    Academic curriculum, content, and the broader university system exist in a historical context of subjugation and control. The process of decolonization has the potential to disrupt colonial ideologies including the superiority of Western thought. In this workshop, we will examine colonialism in education as well as strategies for decolonizing your syllabus. All disciplines are welcome!

    Learning Outcomes

    • Describe colonization and decolonization and their relationship to education.
    • Examine existing syllabi through the lens of decolonization.
    • Envision new possibilities for a decolonized syllabus.

    ♥ CUT-eligible: Inclusive Teaching

  • ♣ Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice - March 30

    Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice

    Date: Monday March 30, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
    Facilitators: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson, Dr. Lidya Salim

    The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a systematic approach to investigate teaching and learning practices with the aim of enhancing educational outcomes. In this session, we will explore various inquiry methods and how to engage meaningfully in SoTL.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Describe the practice of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).
    • List various techniques and approaches that can be used to engage in SoTL.
    • Explain the importance of SoTL for instructors and students.

    ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

April

  • ♦ H5P Elements - April 1

    H5P Elements

    Date: Wednesday April 1, 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
    Facilitators: Miranda Varricchio, Kevin Johnson

    Enhance your Canvas courses with rich, interactive learning experiences. This hands-on workshop introduces faculty to the creation and deployment of H5P elements, which are dynamic activities such as interactive videos, knowledge check activities, branching scenarios, and more. Participants will learn how to build H5P content and integrate it seamlessly into Canvas.

    No prior experience is required, but it is suggested that participants pre-register for their free H5P account through eCampusOntario at https://h5pstudio.ecampusontario.ca/register. 

    Learning Outcomes

    • Create a basic H5P interactive element using the H5P authoring environment.

    ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

  • ♣ Accessibility Beyond Accommodation - April 9

    Accessibility Beyond Accommodation

    Date: Thursday April 9, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
    Facilitator: Lasandra Conliffe

    Accessibility extends beyond responding to individual accommodation requests; it's about creating learning experiences where all students can participate fully from the start. This workshop introduces instructors, postdoctoral researchers and teaching assistants to simple, proactive practices that make instruction more inclusive and equitable. Through examples and practical strategies, participants will learn how small changes in communication, assessment, and course design can help build instructional practices that work for everyone.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Distinguish between the key concepts of accessibility, accommodation, and inclusion.
    • Identify common physical, digital, and pedagogical barriers that affect learner access and participation.
    • Apply proactive strategies to improve accessibility or inclusion within your teaching practice.

    ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education