Instructional Support Workshops

Workshop Schedule + Descriptions

September

• Canvas "Refresh": What's New and What's Next - September 12

  Canvas "Refresh": What's New and What's Next

  Date: Friday September 12, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
  Facilitator: Lasandra Conliffe

  Are you ready for the Fall semester? This session will provide key start-up reminders, including key academic dates, course storage limits, and gradebook policies. It will also highlight new Canvas tools and features, to help you make the most out of your courses.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Identify important guidelines and policies for setting up your Canvas course(s).
  • Explore new Canvas tools and features that you can leverage in your course(s).
• ♦ Presenting with Purpose: Designing PowerPoint Templates from the Ground Up - September 19

  Presenting with Purpose: Designing PowerPoint Templates from the Ground Up

  Date: Friday September 19, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
  Facilitator: Kevin Johnson

  In this hands-on workshop, you will create a reusable PowerPoint template that is visually appealing, adaptable, and accessible. Learn how to customize Slide Master to create a consistent theme, integrate media easily and effectively, and use built-in tools to ensure your content is inclusive and polished.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Customize the Slide Master to create a consistent reusable template.
  • Incorporate multimedia content to enhance visual engagement while ensuring clarity.
  • Evaluate the accessibility of presentations using PowerPoint’s built-in tools to identify and correct issues.

  ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

• ♥ The 4Rs in Teaching and Learning: Indigenizing and Decolonizing Practices - September 25

  The 4Rs in Teaching and Learning: Indigenizing and Decolonizing Practices

  Date: Thursday September 25, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
  Facilitator: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson

  In this session, we will explore Kirkness and Barnhardt’s (1991) 4Rs in education: respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility. The workshop will also offer an opportunity to identify ways in which you can Indigenize and decolonize your practice to support Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Describe relevant concepts and terms associated with Indigenizing and decolonizing education.
  • Evaluate existing practices, approaches, and perspectives that align with or depart from the 4Rs.
  • Imagine what a decolonial classroom can look like.

  ♥ CUT-eligible: Inclusive Teaching

• ♦ Back to B(AI)sics - September 29

  Back to B(AI)sics

  Date: Monday September 29, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
  Facilitators: Kevin Johnson and Miranda Varricchio

  Don’t let generative artificial intelligence (GAI) be the elephant in the room. Let’s explore together the good, the bad and the ugly of generative artificial intelligence in the educational context. Learn the basics of generative artificial intelligence and why critical literacy is important as we move forward. This workshop is being re-offered as part of a series that approaches various topics related to GAI.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Discuss the benefits and challenges of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in teaching and learning.
  • Explain the importance of critical literacy in the context of GAI.
  • Identify indicators that GAI has been used in the creation of content.

  ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

October

• ♦ Leveraging Technology for Inclusive Teaching - October 1 [In person]

  Leveraging Technology for Inclusive Teaching

  Date: Wednesday October 1, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
  Facilitators: Hannah Atkinson and Lasandra Conliffe

  This workshop will explore how technology can drive inclusivity in education by integrating intersectional approaches and Universal Design for Learning( UDL) principles. Participants will explore tools and resources that can be applied in their instructional practices.

  Please note that this session will be offered in person, at the North Oshawa Campus.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Apply intersectionality and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to create inclusive learning environments.
  • Employ technology for inclusivity and accessibility in practice.
  • Identify actionable strategies to address inclusive instructional challenges in your practice.

  ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

• ♣ Providing Feedback in Large Classes - October 6

  Providing Feedback in Large Classes

  Date: Monday October 6, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
  Facilitators: Kevin Johnson and Dr. Kaitlyn Watson

  Providing feedback to learners is one of the most pivotal components of teaching and learning. In this session, we will discuss the importance of the various types of feedback, best practices, and specific strategies for providing feedback to large classes including online and in person contexts.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Identify barriers to providing feedback to learners in large classes.
  • Describe best practices for providing feedback to learners in diverse contexts.
  • Select tools and strategies for providing feedback to learners in diverse contexts.

  ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

• ♦ Presenting with Purpose: Pre-Recorded Presentations - October 23

  Presenting with Purpose: Pre-Recorded Presentations

  Date: Thursday October 23, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
  Facilitator: Kevin Johnson

  Pre-recorded presentations can offer flexibility for both educators and learners, but to be effective, they need to be created thoughtfully. In this workshop, we will cover how to plan, record, and share pre-recorded presentations using PowerPoint’s built-in tools.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Identify effective use cases for pre-recorded presentations.
  • Prepare content that streamlines the recording process.
  • Record video and narration on slides using PowerPoint’s integrated recording features.

  ♦ CUT-eligible: Educational Technologies

• ♣ Moving Beyond Multiple Choice - October 24

  Moving Beyond Multiple Choice

  Date: Friday October 24, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
  Facilitators: Dr. Lidya Salim and Miranda Varricchio

  Effective assessments should capture the full range of students’ knowledge and skills. This session will explore the development of diverse question types that go beyond traditional multiple-choice formats. We will also examine how you can leverage New Quizzes to create more interactive and engaging assessments, using questions like hot spots, categorization, and more.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Recognize the importance of designing assessments that cover a wide range of cognitive levels.
  • Explore question types that move beyond simple recall.
  • Identify strategies for developing engaging assessments with New Quizzes.

  ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

• ♥ Inclusive Instruction: Humanizing Learning Communities - October 27

  Inclusive Instruction: Humanizing Learning Communities

  Date: Monday October 27, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
  Facilitator: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson

  In this workshop we will discuss inclusive practice and humanizing education in pursuit of fostering learning communities that honour learners as whole individuals. Participants will explore practical strategies to enhance empathy, equity, and engagement of all learners in their classrooms.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the importance of inclusivity in the classroom by drawing on principles of equity and anti-oppression.
  • Examine one’s practices to identify alignment with and departure from goals of inclusivity and humanizing education.
  • Apply techniques to humanize interactions with students in the classroom.

  ♥ CUT-eligible: Inclusive Teaching

November

• ♥ From Margins to Belonging: Teaching Through an Inclusive Curriculum - November 4

  From Margins to Belonging: Teaching Through an Inclusive Curriculum

  Date: Tuesday November 4, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
  Facilitator: Lasandra Conliffe

  This workshop invites educators to reimagine their teaching through inclusive, equitable and learner-centred approaches. Grounded in principles of intersectionality, participants will critically reflect on how experiences of marginalization are shaped across diverse identities. Through discussion and activities, we will examine how traditional education often overlooks intersections, while inclusive practices can recognize and respond in ways that foster belonging, accessibility and diversity.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Examine how identity and intersectionality shape and influence inclusive teaching and learning.
  • Critically analyze how experiences of marginalization shape educational access and inclusion.
  • Implement inclusive feedback strategies to foster learner growth and agency.

  ♥ CUT-eligible: Inclusive Teaching

• Intro to UDL: The Plus-or-Minus-One Approach - November 6

  Intro to UDL: The Plus-or-Minus-One Approach

  Date: Thursday November 6, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
  Facilitators: Kevin Johnson and Dr. Lidya Salim

  Looking to make your teaching more inclusive without overhauling your course? This workshop introduces the plus-or-minus-one approach, a simple strategy for getting started with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by making small but meaningful adjustments to your instruction.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Examine the relationship between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility.
  • Recognize how small adjustments can reduce barriers and support learner variability.
  • Apply the plus-or-minus-one approach to making UDL-informed adjustments to your teaching practice.
• Leveraging Peer Feedback Tools for Assessment Design - November 13

  Leveraging Peer Feedback Tools for Assessment Design

  Date: Thursday November 13, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
  Facilitators: Hannah Atkinson and Lasandra Conliffe

  This session will offer support to instructors in designing peer feedback activities that are inclusive and meaningful. We will explore peer feedback tools that help students give and receive constructive feedback during assessments. Participants will engage with tech tools that guide students' learning and growth during peer feedback.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Examine peer feedback tools for various assessment types.
  • Create a peer feedback activity that utilizes Canvas Peer review, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
  • Support students in developing feedback skills that enhance learning.
• Homepage Hospital - November 14 + November 28

  Homepage Hospital

  Dates: Friday November 14 and Friday November 28, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
  Facilitators: Dr. Lidya Salim and Miranda Varricchio

  In this two-part workshop, participants will learn about the benefits of using a Canvas homepage, explore best practices for creating effective and accessible Canvas homepages, and have an opportunity to design or refine their own!

  Part 1 will provide a foundation in pedagogical and design principles that support learner engagement, while Part 2 will be a hands-on session, where you can apply what you have learned or bring what you have worked on for feedback and support.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Identify best practices for designing an effective and engaging Canvas homepage.
  • Apply design principles and formatting tools to create or enhance a Canvas homepage.
  • Incorporate accessibility best practices to ensure a Canvas homepage is inclusive for diverse audiences.
• ♣ Beyond the Grade: Inspiring Motivation in the University Classroom - November 17

  Beyond the Grade: Inspiring Motivation in the University Classroom

  Date: Monday November 17, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
  Facilitators: Dr. Kaitlyn Watson and Miranda Varricchio

  There are a variety of ways in which university learners can be motivated: extrinsically, including grades and recognition, as well as intrinsically, such as curiosity and personal interest. In this workshop, we will draw on principles of andragogy and the three learning domains of Bloom’s taxonomy to identify strategies and tools that inspire and motivate learners to engage.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Identify various extrinsic and intrinsic motivators that influence engagement in the university classroom.
  • Apply principles of andragogy in course planning to promote intrinsic motivation.
  • Reflect on personal teaching practices to identify opportunities for growth.

  ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education

• ♣ Interactive and Engaging Learning Materials - November 24

  Interactive and Engaging Learning Materials

  Date: Monday November 24, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
  Facilitator: Kevin Johnson

  Engaging learners goes beyond being an entertaining speaker. This workshop focuses on transforming traditional readings and lecture materials into interactive and engaging learning experiences.

  Learning Outcomes

  • Apply principles of andragogy when deciding how and when to incorporate interactivity.
  • Design engaging pre- and post-class materials to support learning.
  • Incorporate interactivity into lecture materials to promote active learning during class.

  ♣ CUT-eligible: Special Topics in Higher Education