Arts & Science Teaching & Learning Showcase

Every year, the Faculty of Arts & Science hosts a Teaching & Learning Showcase to celebrate innovative and exceptional teaching practices, programs, and initiatives from instructors across A&S.

This year's showcase will take place over two days (Tuesday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 7, 2025) in-person and online. Review the program for each day provided below or download the full program as a PDF Download PDF. 

Register online Links to an external site.. 

Engaging Learning Communities

Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 9:15 am–4:15 pm EST

In-Person: Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George Street

Registration: History Conference Room, Room 2098

Panels and Roundtables: Room 2102

Online: Zoom Meeting ID: 894 2173 7974

Registration and Coffee

Opening Remarks

Don Boyes (Acting Vice-Dean, Undergraduate and Associate Dean, Teaching & Learning)

Alexandra Logue (Assistant Director, Teaching & Learning Initiatives) 

Roundtable: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Generative AI

This multidisciplinary roundtable explores the evolving challenges and possibilities of teaching and learning in the context of Generative AI. Panelists will share how Gen AI tools are reshaping their classroom practices, from rethinking assignments and assessments to fostering critical AI literacy. Join us for a conversation on how educators can adapt thoughtfully and critically to support student learning in an increasingly AI-integrated world.

Karen Reid (Professor, Teaching Stream, Computer Science), Siobhan O’Flynn (Interim Director and Assistant Professor, Canadian Studies); and Nathan Sanders (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Linguistics)

Facilitator: Don Boyes (Acting Vice-Dean, Undergraduate and Associate Dean, Teaching & Learning)

Break 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Panel: Multimedia Assets for Enhanced Student Engagement and Learning

This panel will showcase three innovative multimedia projects, designed to enhance student experience in diverse learning contexts, including experiential and immersive learning. Each project was undertaken in collaboration with the A&S Digital Teaching & Learning Studio spanning several weeks to two years.  

Asif Zaman (Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Mathematics), "Calculus with Fruits: An Update"

Seika Boye (Associate Director, Undergraduate and Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Centre for Drama, Theatre, & Performance Studies), "Animating Dance Focused Learning Materials" 

Charlie Kivi (Laboratory Technician and Course Instructor, Chemistry), "Instrumentation Demonstrations in Chemistry" 

Facilitator: Phil Rudz (Service & Technology Delivery Lead, Teaching & Learning) 

Lunch and Digital Teaching & Learning Studio Drop-In Tour

Lunch and refreshments will be provided in Room 2098. 

Available for free to A&S faculty, instructors, and staff, the Digital Teaching & Learning (DTL) Studio is equipped for professional-quality video and audio recording projects, and staff are available for end-to-end production services. Showcase participants are invited to an in-person drop-in Studio tour over the lunch break. The DTL Studio is in Sidney Smith Hall, Room 570A on the ground floor (basement).

Panel: Innovative Cross-Disciplinary Education

This panel highlights creative and future-facing approaches to cross-disciplinary teaching and curriculum development. Presenters will share how they are bridging disciplinary boundaries to respond to emerging educational needs and better prepare students for an increasingly complex world.

Nazanin Khazra (Assistant Professor, Economics), “Emergence of Tech-Econ: Teaching Machine Learning and Big Data Skills to Economics Students”

David Liu (Associate Chair, Undergraduate and Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Computer Science) and Nathan Taback (Associate Chair, Undergraduate and Professor, Teaching Stream, Statistical Sciences), "Faculty of Arts & Science Applied Data Science Minor"

Steve Engels (Professor, Teaching Stream, Computer Science) and Vivienne Luk (Interim Associate Dean, Academic Experience and Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute of Forensic Science, UTM), "Forensic Pursuit: Virtual Labs for Forensics Investigations"

Facilitator: Yiran Zhang (Faculty Liaison, Pedagogical Support, Teaching & Learning) 

Break 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Panel: Innovations in Teaching Undergraduate and Graduate Writing

This panel brings together instructors and lead writing teaching assistants from various disciplines to share their innovative approaches to embedding writing pedagogy and writing resources in courses and curricula. Presenters will offer pedagogical strategies that can be applied across the curriculum, in undergraduate and graduate contexts. 

Andrea Williams (Deputy Director, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation; Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Writing & Rhetoric), "Retooling Writing Pedagogy to Foster Critical Literacy"

Laila Khoshkar (Lead Writing Teaching Assistant, Political Science) and Lauren Borders (Lead Writing Teaching Assistant, Criminology & Sociolegal Studies), “Writing Creatively Using Low-Stakes Activities”  

Daniel Newman (Director of Graduate Writing Support in the Faculty of Arts & Science; Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, English), “An Approach to Teaching Graduate Students About Integrating Sources in their Scholarship"

Facilitators: Joel Rodgers (Coordinator, Graduate Student Professional Development, Experiential Learning & Professional Development) and Shannon Black (Faculty Liaison, Pedagogical Support, Teaching & Learning)