NEW! The Centre for Teaching Excellence, the Centre for Extended Learning, and the Teaching Innovation Incubator have been merged into a single, integrated business unit effective January 2026, and a new website will be created over the coming months. In the meantime, please continue to use existing contact information and access services as usual. For more information, please see the article in the Daily Bulletin.
Welcome to the home of the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII). The goal of the TII is to support experimentation with bold teaching and learning ideas by bringing together talent, expertise, and - where appropriate - technology to serve as a hub, catalyst, and launch pad for the development of transformative teaching ideas at Waterloo. It provides the opportunity and necessary support to develop, “test drive,” and evaluate ideas that have potential to be part of the next generation of teaching and learning at Waterloo.
Since 2022, the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) has been supporting bold teaching and learning ideas. With cross-functional, cross-faculty teams pursuing innovative ideas, its six original "beta" projects—designed to shape the Incubator’s long-term future—have either graduated from the Incubator or are reaching their final stages. Since 2025, the Incubator has also welcomed new projects (three in 2025 and three in 2026).
Current Projects
2026 Cohort of Teaching Innovation Incubator Projects
Digital-Twin Teaching Platform for Mass-Customized Learning at Waterloo
The Family Simulation Training (FaST) Project for Health Service and Performance Students
News
TII Team at the 16th Annual UWTL Conference
Last Thursday, the Teaching Innovation Incubator team presented at the 16th Annual University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning (UWTL) Conference. Our workshop introduced participants to our pedagogical innovation taxonomy and encouraged participants to work through case examples to understand and analyze the nuances involved in pedagogical innovations. Our co-op students also lent a helping hand to conference organizers, assisting with logistics to ensure the event ran smoothly.
During the afternoon workshop, the co-ops stepped into a facilitator role as they joined Kyle and Sarah in presenting a workshop: Using Pedagogical Innovations To Navigate Times Of Uncertainty And Disruption In Teaching And Learning. Here the team got the chance to share the innovation taxonomy the TII uses in evaluating its projects with other UW members and foster discussion around what makes an idea truly innovative.
The team also had the privilege of having a booth during the reception, to share the exciting work being done at the TII and showcase some of the neat educational technologies that our EdTech Sandbox has to offer.
It was a great time of knowledge sharing and discussion, and a big thanks to Centre for Teaching Excellence for having us!
Surveying Students in the SLC: Interdisciplinary Learning at Waterloo
On Thursday April 3rd, the TII's undergraduate research coordinators will be engaging undergraduate students in the Student Life Centre about course registration to gain insight into their course enrolment processes. Keep an eye out for the Interdisciplinary booth!
Attend the Webinar: Interactive Content in LEARN: Creator+ and the Instructor Experience
On April 14, 2025, from 10am-11am EDT, the Teaching Innovation Incubator will be hosting a webinar for interested users to learn more about Creator+ and lessons learned from Waterloo instructors who employed it in a real class setting. Click on the session title for more details. Registration is required.