Tuesday, July 29, 2025

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• Reflecting on the impact of Waterloo's Teaching and Learning Conference
• You're invited to the premiere of TBH: To Be Honest
• Students organize AI debate and other notes

Reflecting on the impact of Waterloo's Teaching and Learning Conference

A message from the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

It’s an understatement to say that the annual University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference has grown since its inception in 2009. That first conference attracted 90 attendees. Just a few years later, in 2014, attendance had more than doubled, to 255. And our most recent conference, in 2025, nearly doubled again, to over 500 attendees!

Planning and delivering the conference requires dedicated time and effort from CTE staff, but what is the impact of the conference on the instructors and university staff members who attend it? We recently reached out to a random sample of past attendees and invited them to tell us about that impact. From their responses, several themes emerged.

Not surprisingly, one theme is appreciation for the learning that happens when members of our university community share strategies with one another. For example, Toni Serafini (Sexuality, Marriage, & Family Studies) commented, “I learn a lot from what others are doing in their classrooms — such as active learning or different types of assessments — and have often incorporated colleagues’ ideas into my own courses.” Nadine Furtado (School of Optometry and Vision Science) concurred, saying that “Hearing from other educators provides practical strategies and diverse perspectives on teaching, which I’ve found directly applicable to my own instructional approach.” Similarly, Chris Rennick (Management Science and Engineering) noted that "the UWTL is very helpful for practical examples of ways to improve my teaching practice.  Sometimes these are big ideas around new projects or collaborations, and sometimes they are smaller but still useful ideas like how to structure an acknowledgement on the use of GenAI in an assignment — an example that came out of the 2025 UWTL that I’ve been using in my capstone course this term."

Clare Bermingham (Writing and Communication Centre) likewise commented on the learning that the conference always delivers: "The UWTL Conference is a staple professional development opportunity for our team each year. The workshops, presentations, and panels are always high quality and have broad applicability to our teaching and to our collaborations inside and adjacent to the classroom. We are always inspired by colleagues’ work at UWaterloo and other schools, and the conference sparks new ideas for initiatives and program improvements each year.

The keynote sessions, in particular, were cited by several attendees as providing useful takeaways. For Chris Rennick, those keynotes are “always thought-provoking and provide a breadth of perspectives on teaching and learning that I miss in my more discipline-specific education conferences.” Cynthia Richard (School of Pharmacy) agreed, especially with regard to the keynote session delivered this year by Vanessa Andreotti: "Vanessa’s emphasis on needing to protect the future rather than the past was particularly impactful. In my field, we are soon going to be embarking on our next curricular renewal process, so this messaging was very important as we think of training the pharmacy practitioners of the future — how they will be different as pharmacists, and how their practice setting will be different, making sure they are more future-ready. 

Cynthia also noted that the Igniting Our Practice sessions are consistently among her favorite sessions. This year, she said, “Brenda Lee’s mini-lecture stood out as such a simple and practical way to incorporate some Indigenous pedagogies, and how to be relatable and engaging as an instructor without it seeming flashy or overdone.”

Other attendees commented on how they find the conference to be rejuvenating. For example, Tamara Maciel (Kinesiology and Health Sciences): “The session I’m always most excited to see is the Igniting Our Practice presentations... I always leave that session feeling motivated and invigorated.” These comments were echoed by Nadine Furtado — “the sessions give me a renewed motivation to continue to improve my teaching methods” — and by Toni Serafini — “connecting with colleagues and focusing on mental health and well-being feels both energizing and healing.”

Another common refrain from respondents was how the conference fosters much-appreciated community and connection among the attendees:

“I love how the UWTL Conference brings a large and diverse group of faculty, staff, and students together to talk and learn from each other," says Clare Bermingham. "It’s a chance for our team to connect with familiar and new colleagues, to find fruitful synchronicities and ways to support each other and benefit students.”

“UWTL is invaluable in building community on campus and providing opportunities to talk with past or potential future collaborators," says Chris Rennick.

“I always look forward to a day of sharing ideas and making connections with other folks on campus who value teaching and learning," says Tamara Maciel.

“When I was new to UW, attending the UWTL helped me connect with colleagues and find others across campus who are passionate about teaching and learning," says Michelle Ogrodnik (Kinesiology and Health Sciences).

For Tim Ireland (Library), the conference serves as a stepping stone to establish later connections with colleagues: “Many times I’ve reached out to UW researchers after the conference to learn more about their projects and potentially network and make connections.”

Learning from one another, getting re-inspired, and fostering community — these have been important and enduring impacts of the UWTL conference since its inception in 2009. Recent challenges — local, national, and global in scope — have made those impacts all the more critical. As Toni Serafini says, “These ‘uncertain times’ have been difficult to navigate as an instructor… but so many UWTL sessions, both online and in person, focused on topics that provided not only thoughtful and engaging content, but also time for reflection, grounding, and future planning.”

CTE’s UWTL planning committee is already working on next year’s conference, striving to continue its positive impact on teaching and learning at Waterloo.

You're invited to the premiere of TBH: To Be Honest

A message from WUSA and Campus Wellness.

Waterloo Orientation’s award-winning production welcomes students with energy and enthusiasm. This year's edition is entitled From Strangers to Friends: A Musical About Finding Your Place at Waterloo. 

To Be Honest: The Musical is Waterloo Orientation’s production designed to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and empowering environment that supports students' academic and social success. The year-at-a-glance musical, with an all-student cast, addresses key undergraduate student experiences such as homesickness, mental wellness, academic integrity, consent, and more. With a focus on building community, promoting resilience, and raising awareness of campus resources, the play brings to life institutional goals and frameworks like the Okanagan Charter, WatSEE, and the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. Through uplifting performances, it aims to create a sense of belonging, empower students to advocate for themselves, and celebrate the diversity and values that define the University of Waterloo and the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA). 

“Starting university is a wild ride - new environment, new people, new pressures," says TBH Director Amanda Kind. "Between figuring out friendships, navigating academics, building relationships, and managing the pressure of expectations (your own and everyone else’s), it can feel overwhelming. TBH dives into all of that with heart, humour, and honesty to help first-year students feel seen, supported, and set up for success. And the best part? It’s a musical - so we tackle all that real-life stuff with some awesome songs, high-energy dancing, and a whole lot of fun!”

You’re invited! As the co-producers of the production, WUSA and Campus Wellness are excited to host you at one of our three premieres of To Be Honest: The Musical. The musical takes place in the Humanities Theatre (HH) and is open to everyone – including staff, faculty, upper-year students, community members, friends, and family. Admission is free, but we encourage you to reserve tickets so we can plan accordingly. The show runs for approximately one hour. Doors open 15 minutes before showtime. 

The performances are scheduled as follows:

• Wednesday, August 27, 3:00 p.m. - open to all; encouraged for Campus Housing/AFIW staff and dons;
• Thursday, August 28, 3:00 p.m. - open to all; encouraged for members of the campus community (staff, faculty, cast family and friends);
• Friday, August 29, 7:00 p.m. - open to all; encouraged for Orientation volunteers and Off-Campus Don. 

Mark your calendars and register your attendance. Scroll to the bottom of the site to reserve your tickets. This performance is not to be missed!  

Students organize AI debate and other notes

A group of students calling themselves The Waterloo Forum have put together a debate this week on the following subject: Should the use of AI be permitted on all assignments? 

"The use of AI to complete assignments is an issue of relevance to both professors and students," says a note from the debate organizers. "How do we encourage learning at a deep level while equipping students with skills that are relevant in a world that uses AI? Arguing in favour of the motion is Dr. James Nugent of Environment, paired with a student debater, Nyx Kucharski (UW Debate Club executive, CUSID President). Opposing the motion is Dr. James Skidmore of Arts, paired with a student debater, Ted Ren (former UW Debate Club President, CUSID Treasurer). The evening will consist of a formal debate, followed by a Q&A session, both moderated by undergraduate Science Senator Jordan Bauman." 

The debate takes place on Thursday, July 31, starting at 6:30 p.m. in MC 2065.

"Refreshments will be provided, and conversations post-debate are encouraged! Consider attending this event to grapple with an issue that will define the future of education."

Register your interest in attending.

"Check out the newest edition of CEE What's New, a cross-campus newsletter for staff and faculty from Co-operative and Experiential Education: Change in recruitment cycles fall 2025 and more," says a note from Co-operative and Experiential Education. "Please subscribe and encourage your campus contacts to subscribe to CEE What's New."

Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in the Atlassian blog series entitled Atlassian Best Practice of the Week: "Don't Let Your Jira Workflows Become a Maze"