CTEI Yorkville University & Toronto Film School

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – March 2026 Meeting
2026-03-23 14:30 - 15:30 (America/Toronto)
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – March 2026 Meeting
Date: Monday, March 23rd, 2026
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past four years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Winter 2026, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

The Good Place S02E05 “The Trolley Problem” (TV show) – January 26th

Irfan in University (dir. Rıdvan Çevik) (short film) – February 23rd

Vaathi (dir. Venky Atluri) (film) – March 23rd

Stoner by John Williams (novel) – April 27th

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Winter 2026:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

Ann Gagné on Accessible Language Use for Educators
2026-03-23 13:00 - 14:00
Ann Gagné on Accessible Language Use for Educators
Date: Monday, March 23rd, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
SoTL Speaker Session Description:
Each area and discipline has language and terminology understood by practitioners and professionals in that field. There is an assumption in our language use that everyone knows what we mean when we use words, and that assumption can be exclusionary to English as additional language learners (EAL), students with accessibility supports, and international students. This session will explore how to approach language use in an accessible manner in course design, assignment design, and teaching facilitation, through reference to plain language writing, accessibility tools, and readability. It will provide tangible strategies and support knowledge translation in your field to different audiences.
SoTL Speaker’s Bio:
Dr. Ann Gagné (she/her) is Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion at Brock University. She has worked in higher education for over 22 years. Her work focuses on the need for accessible pedagogies through awareness of disabled lived experiences. She has facilitated workshops and keynotes on accessible pedagogy, accessible event design, accessible social media, and trauma-aware UDL. In March 2023 she started her own podcast Accessagogy, which talks about accessibility and pedagogy in short (under 15 minute) episodes.

Journal Club – March 2026 Meeting
2026-03-11 13:00 - 14:00
Journal Club – March 2026 Meeting
Date: Wednesday, March 11th, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
“Journal Club” CTEI Communities Description:
Join the CTEI for monthly get-togethers where members will gather to share and discuss ideas on teaching, learning, and education more broadly. Discussions will be guided by selected journal articles balancing theory and practice.
For March 2026’s Meeting, we are reading and discussing: Stacey C. Wilson-Forsberg, Phyllis Power, Valerie Kilgour, and Sara Darling’s “From Class Assignment to Friendship: Enhancing the Intercultural Competence of Domestic and International Students through Experiential Learning” (2018), CIE, https://doi.org/10.5206/cie-eci.v47i1.9322.
Meetings are on the second Wednesday of each month at 10-11AM PT / 1-2PM ET / 2-3PM AT.
Check out our CTEI Communities page for more details and to register!

Michal Kasprzak and Samantha Chang on Universal Design for Learning for Evidence-Informed Curricular Change
2026-03-03 12:00 - 13:00
Michal Kasprzak and Samantha Chang on Universal Design for Learning for Evidence-Informed Curricular Change
Date: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AT) / 12:00-1:00pm (ET) / 9:00-10:00am (PT)
Registration link
SoTL Speaker Session Description:
This session explores how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can serve as an evidence-informed framework for curricular change in higher education. Drawing on teaching-and-learning research and practitioner examples, participants will examine how the three UDL approaches can foster equity, flexibility, and learner-centred design. The session will include guided discussion to connect UDL approaches to participants’ own curricular contexts and SoTL investigations.
By the end of this 60-minute session, participants will be able to:

Describe the three approaches to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and their relevance to evidence-informed curricular change in higher education.
Identify opportunities to integrate UDL approaches into curricular design and delivery to enhance accessibility, flexibility, and learner engagement.
Articulate actionable strategies for curricular change that respond to diverse learner needs and disciplinary contexts.

SoTL Speakers’ Bios:
Michal Kasprzak (he/him) has over 20 years of experience in Higher Education, working as an educational developer, instructional designer and teacher. Currently, he is Assistant Director at the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation for the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program at the University of Toronto (U of T). He works closely with graduate students and faculty exploring a range of teaching-related issues such as teaching presence in online learning, the intersection of UDL and decolonization, leadership in educational development, students as partners, and accessibility.
Samantha Chang (she/her) is an art historian by day, a classical musician by night, and an educator always. She is an Educational Developer, Teaching, Learning & Technology at the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation and a Course Instructor at the Department of Art History, University of Toronto (U of T). Samantha’s teaching practice integrates critical and inclusive pedagogies, accessible design, and the Universal Design for Learning framework. She is the recipient of the U of T Course Instructor Teaching Excellence Award (2021), the Arts & Science Superior Teaching Award (2024), and the Universities Art Association of Canada Teaching Excellence Award (2025).

SoTL Scholars’ Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – February Meeting
2026-02-24 11:00 - 12:00
SoTL Scholars’ Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – January Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:00pm (AT) / 11:00-12:00pm (ET) / 8:00-9:00am (PT)
SoTL Scholars’ Community of Practice Description:
As part of their first year in the SoTL Scholars (2-Year Fellowships) program, our SoTL Scholars meet monthly in a community of practice with The Centre to come together regularly as they work on their SoTL projects – not just to share their work and support each other, but to build SoTL capacities, cross-institutional relationships, and contribute to and advance our culture of teaching excellence and innovation through the scholarship of teaching and learning.
SoTL Scholars meet on the final Tuesday of each month at 12-1PM AT / 11-12PM ET / 8-9AM PT
Check out our SoTL Scholars (2-Year Fellowships) landing page for more details about the program.

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – February 2026 Meeting
2026-02-23 14:30 - 15:30
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – February 2026 Meeting
Date: Monday, February 23rd, 2026
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past four years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Winter 2026, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

The Good Place S02E05 “The Trolley Problem” (TV show) – January 26th

Irfan in University (dir. Rıdvan Çevik) (short film) – February 23rd

Vaathi (dir. Venky Atluri) (film) – March 23rd

Stoner by John Williams (novel) – April 27th

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Winter 2026:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

Journal Club – February 2026 Meeting
2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:00
Journal Club – February 2026 Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
“Journal Club” CTEI Communities Description:
Join the CTEI for monthly get-togethers where members will gather to share and discuss ideas on teaching, learning, and education more broadly. Discussions will be guided by selected journal articles balancing theory and practice.
For February 2026’s Meeting, we are listening to and discussing: Tea for Teaching‘s UDL 3.0 (2025).
Meetings are on the second Wednesday of each month at 10-11AM PT / 1-2PM ET / 2-3PM AT.
Check out our CTEI Communities page for more details and to register!

Introduction to Universal Design for Learning Across Diverse Teaching Contexts and Modalities
2026-02-10 12:00 - 13:30
Introduction to Universal Design for Learning Across Diverse Teaching Contexts and Modalities
Date: Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:30pm (AT) / 12:00-1:30pm (ET) / 9:00-13:00am (PT)
Registration link
Workshop Description:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a meaningful framework for bringing accessibility into our teaching. Whether you are new to UDL or already integrating it into your courses, this workshop will introduce core concepts, as well as offer examples and discussion about what both foundational and scaffolded UDL principles can look like in practice. We’ll explore how our UDL approaches can continue to evolve; reflect on our positionality, consider moments of access friction; dive into how UDL might be applied both asynchronously and synchronously; as well as work towards challenging ableist assumptions that shape teaching and learning.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option Two
2026-02-04 13:00 - 14:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option Two
Date: Wednesday, February 4th, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:30pm (AT) / 1:00-2:30pm (ET) / 10:00-11:30am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 5 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option One
2026-02-02 12:00 - 13:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option One
Date: Monday, February 2nd, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:30pm (AT) / 12:00-1:30pm (ET) / 9:00-10:30am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 5 minutes.

SoTL Scholars' Community of Practice (Winter 2026) - January Meeting
2026-01-27 11:00 - 12:00
SoTL Scholars’ Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – January Meeting
Date: Tuesday, January 27th, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:00pm (AT) / 11:00-12:00pm (ET) / 8:00-9:00am (PT)
SoTL Scholars’ Community of Practice Description:
As part of their first year in the SoTL Scholars (2-Year Fellowships) program, our SoTL Scholars meet monthly in a community of practice with The Centre to come together regularly as they work on their SoTL projects – not just to share their work and support each other, but to build SoTL capacities, cross-institutional relationships, and contribute to and advance our culture of teaching excellence and innovation through the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Meetings are on the final Tuesday of each month at 12-1PM AT / 11-12PM ET / 8-9AM PT
Check out our SoTL Scholars (2-Year Fellowships) landing page for more details about the program.

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – January 2026 Meeting
2026-01-26 14:30 - 15:30
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Winter 2026) – January 2026 Meeting
Date: Monday, January 26th, 2026
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past four years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Winter 2026, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

The Good Place S02E05 “The Trolley Problem” (TV show) – January 26th

Irfan in University (dir. Rıdvan Çevik) (short film) – February 23rd

Vaathi (dir. Venky Atluri) (film) – March 23rd

Stoner by John Williams (novel) – April 27th

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Winter 2026:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option Two
2026-01-21 13:00 - 14:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option Two
Date: Wednesday, January 21th, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:30pm (AT) / 1:00-2:30pm (ET) / 10:00-11:30am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 5 minutes.

Building Better Lessons: Frameworks for Intentional Plans
2026-01-20 12:00 - 13:30
Building Better Lessons: Frameworks for Intentional Plans
Date: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:30pm (AT) / 12:00-1:30pm (ET) / 9:00-10:30am (PT)
Registration link
Workshop Description:
In this workshop, we will explore two models for lesson planning. Whether you are teaching online or on-site, these models can offer you a framework to plan lectures, tutorials, seminars, discussions, labs, experiential learning, and everything in between. Time will be spent discussing aligning lesson plans with learning outcomes, designing learning activities, and considering time management (both for you and your students!).

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option One
2026-01-19 12:00 - 13:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option One
Date: Monday, January 19th, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:30pm (AT) / 12:00-1:30pm (ET) / 9:00-10:30am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 5 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option Two
2026-01-07 13:00 - 14:00
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option Two
Date: Wednesday, January 7th, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option One
2026-01-05 12:00 - 13:00
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option One
Date: Monday, January 5th, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AT) / 12:00-1:00pm (ET) / 9:00-10:00am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – December 2025 Meeting
2025-12-15 14:30 - 15:30
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – December 2025 Meeting
Date: Monday, December 15th, 2025
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past three years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Fall 2025, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

Community S05E02 “Introduction to Teaching” (TV show) – September 22

“The Unknowable Pleasures” by Susie Yang (short story) – October 27

Legally Blonde (dir. Robert Luketic) (film) – November 24

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (novel) – December 15

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Summer 2025:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – November 2025 Meeting
2025-11-24 14:30 - 15:30
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – November 2025 Meeting
Date: Monday, November 24th, 2025
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past three years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Fall 2025, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

Community S05E02 “Introduction to Teaching” (TV show) – September 22

“The Unknowable Pleasures” by Susie Yang (short story) – October 27

Legally Blonde (dir. Robert Luketic) (film) – November 24

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (novel) – December 15

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Summer 2025:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

What is a Teaching Philosophy?
2025-11-24 12:00 - 13:00
What is a Teaching Philosophy?
Date: Monday, November 24th, 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AT) / 12:00-1:00pm (ET) / 9:00-10:00am (PT)
Registration link
Workshop Description:
In this session, we will give a brief introduction to teaching philosophies – the unique and personal statements that articulate your beliefs and values in teaching and learning.
This introduction is paired with activities to help you explore your beliefs and values so that you can identify what you may wish to include in your own teaching philosophy statement.
This is a timely opportunity to reflect in anticipation of the 2026 Yorkville University President’s Awards for Teaching Excellence or the 2026 Toronto Film School President’s Awards for Teaching Excellence early next year.

Sarah Silverman on An Introduction to Neurodiversity for Educators: History and Applications to Our Teaching
2025-11-17 13:00 - 14:00
Sarah Silverman on An Introduction to Neurodiversity for Educators: History and Applications to Our Teaching
Date: Monday, November 17th, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
SoTL Speaker Session Description:
Neurodiversity, or the naturally occurring variation in human cognition, is becoming a popular topic in higher education and adjacent fields as more of our students identify as “neurodivergent” and neurodiversity gains recognition as an important component of inclusive teaching efforts. But what is neurodiversity, and what is the history and political importance of this concept? This workshop will introduce educators to the basic terminology of the Neurodiversity paradigm (including the terms “neurodivergent” and “neurotypical”) as well as the history of Neurodiversity as a disability rights movement with roots in the Autism rights movement. This participatory workshop will offer attendees opportunities to reflect on their own experiences with neurodiversity in and out of the classroom and to consider what neurodiversity-informed teaching looks like in their own fields.
SoTL Speaker’s Bio:
Sarah Silverman, PhD is an independent faculty developer and instructor of Disability Studies. As an autistic educator, she has a personal stake in Neurodiversity as well as extensive college teaching and faculty development experience. Her interests include accessible and feminist pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and disability-informed critiques of educational technology. Her writings appear in To Improve the Academy, the Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, the blog Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, and on her newsletter Beyond the Scope. Her book An Introduction to Neurodiversity for Educators is forthcoming from the University of Oklahoma Press.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option Two
2025-11-05 15:00 - 16:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option Two
Date: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025
Time: 4:00-5:30pm (AT) / 3:00-4:30pm (ET) / 12:00-1:30pm (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

Journal Club – November 2025 Meeting
2025-11-05 13:00 - 14:00
Journal Club – November 2025 Meeting
Date: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Sign up to join!
“Journal Club” CTEI Communities Description:
Join the CTEI for monthly get-togethers where members will gather to share and discuss ideas on teaching, learning, and education more broadly. Discussions will be guided by selected journal articles balancing theory and practice.
For November 2025’s Meeting, we are reading and discussing: Michalinos Zembylas’s article “‘Pedagogy of Discomfort’ and Its Ethical Implications: The Tensions of Ethical Violence in Social Justice Education.” (Ethics in Education, 10(2), 1-12, 2015, DOI:10.1080/17449642.2015.1039274)
Meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month at 10-11AM PT / 1-2PM ET / 2-3PM AT.
Check out our CTEI Communities page for more details and to register!

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option One
2025-11-03 13:00 - 14:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Five – Option One
Date: Monday, November 3rd, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:30pm (AT) / 1:00-2:30pm (ET) / 10:00-11:30am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – October 2025 Meeting
2025-10-27 14:30 - 15:30
Fictional Classrooms: National Community of Practice (Fall 2025) – October 2025 Meeting
Date: Monday, October 27th, 2025
Time: 3:30-4:30pm (AT) / 2:30-3:30pm (ET) / 11:30am-12:30pm (PT)
Sign up to join! (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)

Fictional Classrooms National Community of Practice Description:
Over the past three years, our very own Matthew Dunleavy (CTEI Senior Educational Developer, Faculty Excellence and Development) and his colleague, Robin Sutherland-Harris (York University), have facilitated the Fictional Classrooms community. The current iteration brings together educational/curriculum/faculty/instructional developers and instructors from across Canada and the US to explore and reflect on narratives of education in films, television, short stories, and novels. These works may speak to us as learners, educators, developers, researchers, artists, and/or simply as humans.
For Fall 2025, the Fictional Classrooms community will be discussing:

Community S05E02 “Introduction to Teaching” (TV show) – September 22

“The Unknowable Pleasures” by Susie Yang (short story) – October 27

Legally Blonde (dir. Robert Luketic) (film) – November 24

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (novel) – December 15

You can read about all these selections (and previous selections) in our what to read/watch list.
To join the Fictional Classrooms Community for Summer 2025:
Please sign up as follows:

Visit https://groups.google.com/search?q=FictionalClassroomsED (you may be prompted to log in to your Google account)
On the right-hand side, click the small “Join” icon (next to the star) and ask to join group.
Matthew and Robin will approve your request within 2 working days, and you will then have access to the group, including their shared Google Folder and Calendar.

Note from Matthew and Robin: We approach the Fictional Classrooms program with a “read-what-you-can” mentality. We understand that we can get busy and may not finish readings each month, but we encourage you to attend each session regardless of how much you have been able to engage with the text or film so we can still have fruitful conversations and build community.

Elyana Matos and Juan Carlos López on We Matter: Together We Can Resist Imposterization
2025-10-24 13:00 - 14:00
Elyana Matos and Juan Carlos López on We Matter: Together We Can Resist Imposterization
Date: Friday, October 24th, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
SoTL Speaker Session Description:
In this session, we will be framing our experiences navigating academic spaces by articulating how the intersectionalities of our identities have shaped our academic careers as migrant scholars. We will argue that instead of placing the onus on academics belonging to equity deserving groups for ‘feeling’ as imposters, many of the common practices in academia are the root cause of these feelings. Rather than having imposter syndrome, these academics are being made imposters…have been imposterized. We will then describe how these feelings may also be experienced by learners with marginalized identities as they navigate university and, later, professional life.
We will discuss how to dismantle the barriers that keep marginalized people from fully participating in academic spaces. We advocate for recognizing such barriers by sharing our experiences – among ourselves as well as with others – and naming them for what they are. We propose the creation of focused groups and communities of practice, as well as inviting allies in the process of empowering marginalized learners and scholars and fostering their rightful sense of more than belonging, actually really mattering in academic spaces.
SoTL Speakers’ Bios:
Elyana Matos (Acadia University, Wolfville, Canada) is an experienced adult educator with over 15 years specializing in teaching Spanish and English as additional languages in different settings. Over the years, Elyana has worked in non-academic spaces assisting minoritized populations in gaining new language and job readiness skills, and in academic spaces as a language instructor. Elyana is driven by a commitment to creating equitable and inclusive learning environments, where all learners feel empowered to succeed. To spark engagement in the learning process, Elyana recognizes, sustains, and values learners’ unique interests and identities. Using active learning techniques, she creates opportunities for students to connect what they are learning with their personal interests, to encourage student autonomy. Elyana believes that teaching is a political act, and that the language classroom is an ideal space for students to develop intercultural competencies, and to gain understanding of the relationships between language and power.
Juan Carlos López (Maple League of Universities, Wolfville, Canada) is a soil microbial ecologist who has worked and trained in Europe, and North and South America. Over the years, working in collaboration with students and colleagues, Juan Carlos has addressed aspects of education that deal with pedagogy, inclusion and student success. In 2023, Juan Carlos became the inaugural Director of the Virtual Maple League Teaching and Learning Centre developing new programming and continuing with existing initiatives to showcase pedagogical practices and strategies, always infused with social justice practices in higher education. Juan Carlos has worked in advancing EDIAR principles in the way our academic systems function and was appointed as the inaugural Associate Dean of Equity Diversity and Inclusion for the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science at Acadia University in 2024.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option Two
2025-10-21 14:00 - 15:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option Two
Date: Tuesday, October 21st, 2025
Time: 3:00-4:30pm (AT) / 2:00-3:30pm (ET) / 11:00-12:30pm (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option One
2025-10-20 15:00 - 16:30
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week Three – Option One
Date: Monday, October 20th, 2025
Time: 4:00-5:30pm (AT) / 3:00-4:30pm (ET) / 12:00-1:30pm (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option Two
2025-10-08 13:00 - 14:00
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option Two
Date: Wednesday, October 8th, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00pm (AT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET) / 10:00-11:00am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.

CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option One
2025-10-07 12:00 - 13:00
CTEI Ready-to-Teach – Week One – Option One
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AT) / 12:00-1:00pm (ET) / 9:00-10:00am (PT)
Registration link
Session Description:
Join the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Innovation to kick off the Ready-to-Teach program as you begin your time with Yorkville University and Toronto Film School.
The session will utilize active learning strategies which may include small breakout rooms and the use of other digital engagement tools.
Remember: You only need to sign up for one synchronous session in each of the scheduled synchronous weeks (Week 1, 3, and 5 of the CTEI Ready-to-Teach program).
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach the Centre at ctei@yorkvilleu.ca.
The virtual doors will be closed to late attendees after 15 minutes.
