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
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 ♣).
- New Quizzes: Question Type Deep-Dive
- CoPilot and Agents
- H5P Elements
- 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
- Moving Beyond Multiple Choice
- Alternative Grading Strategies
- Process Over Product
- Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice
- Accessibility Beyond Accommodation
Workshop Schedule + Descriptions
March
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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, Noon to 1 p.m.
Facilitator: Pranjal SaloniThis 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.
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♥ The Sound of Learning - March 11
The Sound of Learning
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Facilitators: Miranda Varricchio, Kevin JohnsonThe 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
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♣ Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice - March 30
Inquiry in Action: Bridging Educational Research and Practice
Date: Monday, March 30, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson, Dr. Lidya SalimThe 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
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♦ H5P Elements - April 1
H5P Elements
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Facilitators: Miranda Varricchio, Kevin JohnsonEnhance 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
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♣ Accessibility Beyond Accommodation - April 9
Accessibility Beyond Accommodation
Date: Thursday, April 9, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Facilitator: Lasandra ConliffeAccessibility 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