Teaching and Pedagogy Support

Academic integrity is a commitment to five core values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility in all academic endeavours – teaching, learning and scholarship.   Although academic integrity is crucial to the academy, allegations of academic misconduct are often influenced by broader societal influences and can be skewed by (or susceptible to) implicit biases and systemic inequities that disproportionately impact individuals from marginalized communities.  For this reason, it is important that students and faculty are not only properly equipped to uphold these values, but our policies, procedures, and practices are also safeguarded from biases.  

At Waterloo, the Office of Academic Integrity is responsible for promoting the importance of upholding academic integrity – in collaboration with various roles and offices on campus.  It also helps address the unique challenges and opportunities posed by generative Artificial Intelligence.  

For more information, contact Amanda McKenzie, Director, Office of Academic Integrity 

The University continues to promote an agile, technology-enabled ecosystem that supports high-quality content for instruction and learning.  However, digital and online learning environments are also vulnerable to systemic biases, making it essential to cultivate spaces that prioritize inclusion and accessibility for all learners.  

The Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) can support you in the design, development, and delivery of your online credit and non-credit courses.  It provides support for the development and revision of online courses as well as tailored support for instructors working with online learning materials.  Its services include, but are not limited to, instructional design, digital accessibility, copyright compliance, educational technologies, and online assessments and activities. 

For more information, contact CEL.  

The University of Waterloo takes a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to teaching assessment, recognizing the value of diverse perspectives and methods in evaluating teaching effectiveness. This approach is designed to support instructors in their professional growth and enhance the overall quality of teaching for student development and learning. 

The Teaching Assessment Processes (TAP) office is dedicated to advancing equitable and transparent approaches to teaching assessment, with their work focusing on developing fair and inclusive teaching assessment methods that recognize the diverse strengths and contributions of faculty. It collaborates with academic leaders, faculty, and campus partners to implement evidence-based assessment practices that support student learning and foster inclusive, meaningful conversations. With the goal of creating a supportive and responsive environment where all faculty feel valued, equipped, and encouraged to succeed, the TAP office recognizes the varied experiences and challenges faced by marginalized groups and strive to create assessment processes that empower faculty members from all backgrounds.  

For more information, please contact Sonya Buffone, Director, Teaching Assessment Processes, and/or Kathy Becker, Specialist, Teaching Assessment Processes.  

Waterloo champions teaching excellence through a culture of curiosity, innovation, and continual growth. It is dedicated to empowering educators to inspire meaningful, student-centered learning experiences.  Equity and anti-racism are essential components of teaching excellence, ensuring that educational spaces are inclusive, fair, and supportive for all learners.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) collaborates with instructors, students, academic departments, and academic support units to promote an institutional culture that values effective teaching and meaningful learning. In addition to specializations in topics like blended learning, integrative learning, and educational technologies, its Indigenous Knowledges team works with colleagues across campus to enrich curriculum and pedagogy through the inclusion of Indigenous Research methodologies and practice. View CTE’s supports for new faculty, register for workshops, peruse its online resources, and learn more about events like the Teaching and Learning Conference.  

For more information, please contact Trevor Holmes, Associate Director, CTE. 

At the University of Waterloo, writing and communication are more than academic skills—they're powerful tools for connection, expression, and impact. The University fosters a culture where ideas are shared clearly and confidently across disciplines.   It is especially important to encourage scholars to express their identities through their writing, enriching academic discourse and ensuring that marginalized voices are recognized rather than erased.

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) offers comprehensive support to faculty and postdoctoral scholars across disciplines, helping them strengthen their writing and communication at all stages of the process. Through one-on-one appointments, workshops, writing groups, and thesis and presentation programs, the WCC fosters a supportive environment grounded in principles of equity, inclusion, and anti-racist pedagogy. It recognizes the connection between writing and identity, values multilingualism, and advocates for linguistic justice in academic communication.

Services and resources provided by the WCC include, individual support, online workshops through LEARN, quick online references, and writing groups (including a weekly IBPOC writing café for postdocs, an in-person writing café for faculty, and volunteer-hosted writing groups for both graduate students and faculty).  Additionally, as an institutional member of the National Centre for Faculty Development and Diversity, the WCC provides access to workshops and resources to help navigate academic life. Faculty are also encouraged to help students engage with WCC services by incorporating workshops and resources into their courses, ultimately supporting stronger academic communication across the university.

For more information, contact Nadine Fladd, Manager, Grad and Postdoc Programs.  

Teaching innovation is driven by curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to meaningful learning.   Across disciplines, educators and learners work together to explore new ideas, approaches, and technologies that shape the future of education.  When an equity lens is applied to new ideas, educational practices are reimagined to advance fairness, inclusivity, and representation.  

The Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) at the University of Waterloo serves as a dynamic hub for developing and testing innovative teaching and learning ideas. Launched in 2022, TII supports cross-functional, cross-faculty teams by providing access to technology, expertise, funding, and collaborative opportunities, empowering faculty, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and students to explore new pedagogical approaches and technologies that enhance the learning experience across disciplines. Current projects include adapting student-led courses to promote self-directed learning, integrating sustainability into the curriculum, improving accessibility, evaluating new learning management tools, developing interdisciplinary courses, and exploring the use of AI in education. 

Each fall, the Incubator hosts an open call for new project submissions, continuing to foster a culture of experimentation and collaboration in teaching innovation at Waterloo. Projects within the TII receive funding, dedicated project, research, and communications coordination support, and help identifying campus partners to accomplish the goals of each project. Faculty, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and students are all encouraged to apply. 

For more information, contact Kyle Scholz, Interim Managing Director.