This session offers faculty and staff the opportunity to explore how to create meaningful Land Acknowledgements that demonstrate responsibility and personal understanding.

Participants will learn to construct thoughtful Land Acknowledgements that meaningfully connect their presentations or speeches to the Territory, while reflecting the principles of relationship building and reconciliation.

Looking both back towards the recently completed courses and forward towards the coming Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter terms, this session outlines principles of course design that prioritize instructor well-being, including modular content, efficient assessment design, integrating student-led activities, and strategies to reduce the burden of repeated course preparation and updates.

Are you looking for new ways to transform your assignments into engaging, real-world learning opportunities? This workshop introduces the principles of action learning and open pedagogy, two approaches that shift students from passive recipients of knowledge to active creators and problem-solvers. Faculty will explore how to design assignments that foster creativity, collaboration, and public impact while aligning with equity-focused, experiential, and authentic assessment practices. Through examples across disciplines, participants will consider strategies for rethinking assessment design, integrating open educational practices, and enhancing student engagement in meaningful ways.

By the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Analyze examples of creative, student-centered assignments that use action learning and open pedagogy principles across different disciplines.

• Consider at least one assignment idea that incorporates action learning or open pedagogy to promote authentic, collaborative, and publicly impactful learning.

Teaching with AI Community of Practice (CoP) - Teaching About AI: Examining How to Build Critical AI Literacy Among Students

The rapid rise of AI in education presents both opportunities and challenges for how we teach and how students learn. For educators, this means navigating two key areas: teaching with AI—helping students explore and use AI tools in meaningful ways—and teaching about AI—encouraging critical thinking about its societal, ethical, and educational implications. (Searson, Langran, and Trumble, 2024).

As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, it’s important to thoughtfully consider how these tools fit into our classrooms. Avoiding AI altogether or relying solely on traditional methods can unintentionally widen the digital divide, leaving some students with more access and familiarity than others. By exploring balanced, inclusive approaches, we can better support all learners.

We invite you to join the Teaching Commons’ Teaching with AI Community of Practice (CoP). Last semester, we focused on Teaching with AI and sharing ideas, strategies, and examples to enhance learning. This semester, we’ll shift to Teaching about AI, examining how to build critical AI literacy among students.

References: Searson, M. Langran, E., Trumble J. (Eds). (2024). Exploring new horizons: Generative artificial intelligence and teacher education. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/223928/ 

This session outlines strategies for connecting with colleagues, establishing peer mentorship relationships, and leveraging faculty communities for shared support, professional development, problem-solving, and stress reduction. 

Some of the options presented (with guiding resources) include communities of practice (connecting with existing CoPs and developing more), mentoring relationships, teaching triangles/squares, discussion and reflection circles, other peer observation groups and practices as well as in-department/faculty and cross-departmental/faculties opportunities with some suggestions on how to initiate each.

Join us in celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and educational leadership at this year’s Teaching Awards Reception. This special event recognizes outstanding instructors and teaching support staff who have demonstrated exceptional commitment, innovation, and passion in supporting student success.

The celebration will feature a presentation by the 2025 Distinguished Instructor Award winner, lightning round presentations from the Teaching Innovation Award recipients, and posters from the Contribution to Teaching and Teaching Support award winners. Following the ceremony, guests are invited to enjoy light refreshments and connect with colleagues as we recognize our shared dedication to teaching and learning.

Please register by November 17th to help us finalize catering and ensure an accurate food order. 

Session 2: Workshop – Adapting the AI Assessment Scale for Our Context and Closing Remarks

Building on insights from the open forum, this interactive workshop will take a hands-on approach to exploring how the AI Assessment Scale can be applied to real assessment practices across disciplines. Working with sample assignments, faculty will test the scale, consider adaptations for our institutional context, and identify the supports and principles needed to integrate it into teaching and assessment. Outcomes from this workshop will be shared with the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee and may contribute to shaping future AI-related policies at the university.

To prepare for this workshop, participants are asked to do the following:

• Review Leon Furze’s AI Assessment Scale and to 

• Watch Leon Furze’s webinar, Attack Your Assessments (~46 mins).

• Bring an assignment from one of your classes that you would like to consider using in alignment with the AI Assessment Scale.

Delivery Format: Online via Zoom

Audience: Faculty, Lecturers and Lab Technicians

Click here to view the full Teaching and Learning Week Schedule

The good, the bad, and the algorithm: International students' experiences with AI at university

This interview-style session explores how international students navigate both the opportunities and challenges of AI in higher education. A student panel will share firsthand perspectives on how AI shapes their learning experiences and academic practices. The session aims to strengthen teaching, learning, and connection by fostering deeper understanding between students and instructors in the rapidly evolving AI era.

Delivery Format: Online via Zoom

Audience: Everyone is welcome

Click here to view the full Teaching and Learning Week Schedule

Session 2: Workshop – Adapting the AI Assessment Scale for Our Context

Building on insights from the open forum, this interactive workshop will take a hands-on approach to exploring how the AI Assessment Scale can be applied to real assessment practices across disciplines. Working with sample assignments, faculty will test the scale, consider adaptations for our institutional context, and identify the supports and principles needed to integrate it into teaching and assessment. Outcomes from this workshop will be shared with the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee and may contribute to shaping future AI-related policies at the university.

To prepare for this workshop, participants are asked to do the following:

• Review Leon Furze’s AI Assessment Scale and to 

• Watch Leon Furze’s webinar, Attack Your Assessments (~46 mins).

• Bring an assignment from one of your classes that you would like to consider using in alignment with the AI Assessment Scale.

Delivery Format: In-person Senate Chambers UC 1001 (Thunder Bay), OA 3041 (Orillia).  There will be a virtual option for this session on Thursday. 

Audience: Faculty, Lecturers and Lab Technicians

Click here to view the full Teaching and Learning Week Schedule

Study Smarter, Not Harder with Contact North | Contact Nord’s AI Tutor Pro

Join Dr. Ron Owston for a one-hour interactive workshop on how to study smarter, not harder. Participate in hands-on activities, upload documents, and explore any topic at any level—no user ID required. Learn with confidence through expert guidance and gain unique insights from the creator of AI Tutor Pro, with ample time for questions and experimentation.

Delivery Format: Online via Zoom

Audience: Everyone is welcome

Click here to view the full Teaching and Learning Week Schedule