Registration is now open for the 17th annual University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference taking place on April 30, with a day of online workshops taking place on April 29. Last year saw over 550 faculty members, staff, and students gather to learn from and with one another around the theme of disruption and uncertainty across higher education.
Our 2026 conference theme is “The Human Factor: Shaping the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Education”. We will focus on the role of AI in teaching and learning and our role in shaping its use in higher education; whether novices or experts, we have the power to shape AI’s role on our campus, by asking questions, sharing insights, and creating meaningful learning experiences. We ask: How best do we embed AI tools into our courses, and champion new approaches to teaching and assessments of learning to better address the learning needs of our students? When best do we prioritize foundational knowledge and skills versus higher-order learning outcomes? In what ways can we enhance student belonging and authentic emotional and intellectual connections? And how might we work together with AI to improve education? How do we maintain the integrity of assessments, given tools that can complete various assignments are almost undetectable? How do we continue championing accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion with Large Language Models (LLMs) that are biased and exclude important voices?
The registration deadline is Wednesday, April 15. Late registrations will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until Friday, April 24.