GenAI Sessions and Workshops
Explore: August’s Tune into Teaching GenAI sessions, Fall GenAI Workshop Series, or past webinars below.
Getting Started with Generative AI Tools at U of T
Every second Tuesday from August 27th to December 7th, 2pm-3pm
Join us for an interactive virtual drop-in session designed for U of T instructors and staff. We will provide an overview of the University’s approved generative AI tools with hands-on demonstrations. You can expect:
- A comparison of the various approved generative AI tools at the University of Toronto.
- A walkthrough of the secure login process for accessing U of T–approved generative AI tools.
- Live demonstrations of key features across various generative AI platforms.
- Open Q&A to address your questions, concerns, or ideas.
Drop in anytime between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM—stay for a few minutes or the full session!
August: Tune into Teaching Series
CTSI’s Tune into Teaching series is for instructors preparing to teach in the upcoming academic year. These sessions are open to all new and returning faculty and librarians.
Critically Engaging with AI Literacy in Teaching and Learning
August 25, 1:30pm-3pm (online)
We will unpack key concepts and skills necessary for AI literacy and consider how it relates to traditional information literacy principles. Through a range of practical examples, participants will explore strategies to promote critical thinking and ethical use of AI tools with their students and consider how to incorporate AI literacy into their own learning activities and assessments. Participants will also have opportunities to engage in small group discussions to share experiences and collaboratively explore implementation strategies with colleagues from across disciplines.
This webinar is ideal for those in the U of T teaching and learning community across all disciplines who are interested in enhancing their own AI literacy skills and integrating AI literacy thoughtfully into their teaching practices.
Top Things to Know about Teaching and Generative AI at U of T
August 26, 1pm-2pm (online)
Generative AI is reshaping teaching and learning, but navigating this landscape at U of T doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This focused one-hour online session gives you exactly what you need to get started: which AI tools are officially supported, University guidelines, and practical strategies for setting clear expectations with your students.
You’ll walk away with concrete examples of AI-integrated assessments, ready-to-use conversation starters for discussing AI with your students, and a clear understanding of the resources available to support your teaching. Whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting, this session provides the institutional knowledge and practical tools to help you make informed decisions about generative AI in your courses.
Generative AI Sandbox: Exploring Course Uses for Instructors
August 27, 1pm-3pm (in-person)
Join us for a hands-on workshop exploring how instructors can make use of Generative AI tools available within the University of Toronto environment to support teaching and learning. This workshop is intended for those who are intrigued by AI but may feel cautious about trying it out in your course. We will demonstrate and practice with AI tools available to instructors and students for use in course work for this fall 2024 semester. Learn to navigate AI platforms while protecting your and your student’s personal data, as we generate examples and explore use cases to support your course learning objectives.
“Can I use this content in this tool?”: Navigating the Nuances of Copyright and Generative AI
August 28, 2pm-3pm (online)
This workshop will introduce instructors to questions that arise when integrating approved and non-approved GenAI tools into teaching, using the metaphor of the “Walled Garden” to frame U of T’s protected digital environment. From there, the workshop will segue into a more focused discussion on copyright, using case studies to guide the conversation
By participating in the workshop, instructors will gain a better understanding of the copyright and licensing concerns that govern the use of GenAI tools, as well as the library eResources that are available to support GenAI use.
Upcoming GenAI Sessions and Workshops
Visit CTSI Events for more U of T teaching and learning events. If you have an event you would like to promote on this calendar, please complete this online form.
Fall Series: Adapting Teaching & Assessment with GenAI in Mind
This three-part series is designed to help instructors navigate the evolving landscape of generative AI (GenAI) in university teaching and learning. Grounded in the University of Toronto AI Task Force’s principles and informed by current research, the series emphasizes human-centred and integrity-driven approaches.
Each session builds on the last, supporting instructors in adapting their practices to foster meaningful learning, uphold academic integrity, and develop AI literacy.
Part 1: What’s Next with GenAI?: Practical Considerations for Teaching and Learning
September 18, 1pm – 2 pm (online)
This session introduces participants to the key findings and recommendations of the University of Toronto AI Task Force Report’s Teaching and Learning Working Group, highlighting the structural changes emerging across teaching and learning due to generative AI. This report provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how AI is reshaping educational practices and offers evidence-based guidance for U of T’s institutional response.
Participants will explore current student practices with GenAI, examining both the opportunities it presents for personalized learning and the challenges it raises regarding academic integrity, effortful learning, and course competency development. The session will help instructors reflect on how these changes affect their teaching and will provide practical guidance for aligning course goals and classroom practices with GenAI’s evolving role. Participants will also explore how to build AI literacy into their curriculum so that students can use AI tools thoughtfully and responsibly.
Part 2: Adapting Assessments with Generative AI in Mind
October 21, 11am – 12:30pm (online)
In the second part of the series, participants will reflect on how assessment practices can evolve to provide meaningful checkpoints on student learning in the age of GenAI. Through hands-on activities, instructors will consider how to adapt existing assignments, ensuring that feedback and evaluation are intentionally aligned with both explicit and implicit learning outcomes and clear success criteria.
Additionally, the session will explore approaches for upholding academic integrity, including designing assessments that foster independent thought, require authentic demonstration of learning, and measure human-centred skills. Participants will discuss the importance of transparency in communicating expectations and norms for AI use, and will consider both responsible integration of AI tools into assessments and strategies to address risks related to unauthorized use. By the end of the session, instructors will be better equipped to support authentic and equitable assessments in their own teaching contexts.
Part 3: Developing AI-Literacy Activities for Meaningful Learning
November 20, 12pm – 1:30 pm
The final session focuses on equipping students with the AI literacy skills needed to engage with AI technologies critically, ethically, and effectively. Participants will discuss actionable, incremental ways to develop and integrate discipline-specific AI literacy activities into courses, while ensuring effective connections to assessments and broader course goals.
The workshop will address how to help students become both informed evaluators and responsible users of these technologies, guiding them to critically evaluate AI-generated content and understand the ethical and social implications of AI systems. By integrating AI literacy activities throughout the curriculum – whether students are actively using AI tools, analyzing AI outputs, or examining AI’s broader societal impact – instructors can create meaningful and equitable learning experiences that foster students’ future readiness in both professional and personal lives.
Past CTSI GenAI Workshops
Expand each accordion panel below to review past webinar content. Visit the Past CTSI Workshop Recordings page for more materials from the CTSI archives.
From Panic to Possibility: Rethinking and Redesigning Assignments in the Wake of Generative AI
As an instructor, it is hard to read about the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning in higher education and not wonder how we are going to respond, especially when we are told that many of our students are already using it. This workshop will help move you from panic mode to problem-solving: in consultation with workshop leaders and faculty peers, you will get a chance to rethink and redesign one of your assignments with a focus on learning objectives, possibilities, and constraints in our new context.
View recording (December 11,2023)
Download Slides (December 11 2023)
Approaching Academic Integrity in the Age of Generative AI
August 28, 1pm-3pm (online)
As part of CTSI’s Tune into Teaching Series, this collaborative workshop invites educators to reflect on their perspectives, questions, and approaches to academic integrity in the age of generative AI. First, we will discuss university guidelines on using detection tools, the procedure for addressing concerns of students’ unauthorized use of generative AI, and strategies to prohibit and prevent its use. Second, we will critically examine frameworks for incorporating generative AI into assessments, collaboratively exploring how instructors can design evaluations that foster knowledge and skill development, enhance AI literacy, and promote ethical decision-making. Third, we will discuss the disciplinary implications and challenges of integrating generative AI into assessments while promoting academic integrity.
Designing for Powerful Learning in the Age of GenAI Part 1: Rethinking Learning Outcomes in the Age of Generative AI
November 7, 10am-12pm (online)
The rapid advancement of generative AI is poised to fundamentally transform the landscape of education and the future of work. As AI systems demonstrate increasing capabilities in knowledge synthesis, creative problem-solving, and efficient task completion, university instructors may wish to consider critically examining and adapting their course outcomes to better prepare students for a world where human-AI collaboration is becoming increasingly prevalent.
In this forward-thinking workshop, we will explore the potentially profound implications of generative AI on the evolution of human expertise, and how this may impact educational priorities. Through interactive discussions and thought-provoking exercises, instructors will be challenged to envision the future of their respective disciplines and professions in light of these technological advancements. We will collectively reimagine course-level learning outcomes, emphasizing the knowledge and skills that will empower students to thrive in an AI-connected world. By embedding AI literacy into course design, students will be encouraged to use generative AI tools responsibly, in the classroom and beyond.
Designing for Powerful Learning in the Age of GenAI Part 3: Designing Meaningful Learning Activities with Generative AI
January 16, 10am-12pm
As the third and final installment of this series, this workshop will explore how generative AI tools may be leveraged to offer new avenues for fostering meaningful learning and engagement. Inspired by James Lang’s “small teaching” approach, participants will examine actionable, incremental ways to create and modify learning activities, with the goal of cultivating critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. Participants will consider how and when to incorporate generative AI into learning activities, so that AI literacy skill-building is introduced slowly and progressively, in alignment with comfort levels and learning goals. In addition, the session will explore ways to speak with students about generative AI capabilities, limitations, and risks, so that they have a clear understanding of what responsible AI use looks like in practice.
Throughout the workshop, participants will engage in hands-on exercises and explore disciplinary examples of integrating generative AI into classroom interactions. Instructors will consider the extent to which generative AI use in learning activities may support course-level learning outcomes, leading students to foster meaningful connections between the course content and their own lives.
View recording #1 (January 16, 2025)
View recording #2 (January 16, 2025)
View session slides
Creative and Critical Thinking with Generative AI
January 30, 1pm-2:30pm
Generative AI tools have the potential to be used as metacognitive partners, promoting deeper levels of divergent thinking, reflection, and analysis. In this online workshop, we will explore the implications of generative artificial intelligence on creative and critical thinking. The aim is to provide an overview of creative and critical thinking models that could be applied in your teaching and learning practice while exploring and critically evaluating how generative AI could enhance, extend, empower or hinder student creative and critical thinking.
Critically Engaging with AI Literacy in Teaching and Learning
March 26, 1pm-2:30pm
As AI tools become increasingly prevalent in teaching and learning, it is crucial for educators to understand how to guide students in critically assessing and responsibly using these technologies. Join us for an engaging and insightful webinar focusing on the importance of developing AI literacy in a learning community, for both instructors and students.
This webinar is ideal for those in the U of T teaching and learning community across all disciplines who are interested in enhancing their own AI literacy skills and integrating AI literacy thoughtfully into their teaching practices.
Past GenAI Works in Progress Series
This CTSI/DLI series fosters open institutional conversation about generative AI in teaching and learning, creating space for experimentation, sharing, and problem-solving. These one-hour presentations allow presenters to share current questions, ideas, and works in progress with peers. Since we’re all still navigating GenAI, these sessions focus on exploring questions and challenges rather than showcasing definitive answers or best practices.
GenAI Works in Progress: Promoting Students’ GenAI Literacy through GenAI-Incorporated Assignments in Education Courses
October 23, 1pm-2pm (online)
This session aims to introduce how to design assignments that incorporate generative AI (GenAI) to promote students’ GenAI literacy—specifically, the effective, appropriate, and critical use of GenAI for teaching and learning. The session will share authentic example assignments from four courses within the education and language-teaching programs at UTM, where students critically engaged with GenAI technologies and developed and evaluated GenAI-incorporated tasks. Participants will explore best practices for integrating GenAI into their own curricula while gaining practical skills in using readily available GenAI technologies.
GenAI Works in Progress: Using Generative AI for Creative and Inclusive Assessments
November 21, 2:30pm-3:30pm
In this cross-disciplinary panel, CTSI and 3 instructors from across the U of T teaching and learning community explore the integration of a variety of generative AI tools in the design and delivery of creative assessments. Drawing on their experiences and reflections, join us in a discussion that centres equity, diversity, and inclusion, and draws insights on how these advanced technologies can enhance pedagogical practices and foster welcoming learning environments.
GenAI Works in Progress: Embracing Experimentation with Generative AI in Teaching and Learning
February 5, 2pm-3pm
Join us for an engaging and interdisciplinary panel discussion focused on the theme of experimentation and fostering supportive environments for learning. Working with new, challenging material can invoke anxiety in students, hindering their ability to engage critically with material. As educators, we often face the dual challenge of embracing innovative technologies while managing the anxiety that accompanies their adoption in the learning process. This workshop aims to shift the narrative from anxiety to curiosity, encouraging students to foster a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation.
GenAI Works in Progress: Redefining Engagement - GenAI-Enabled Assessments in Higher Education
March 5, 2pm-3pm
An insightful panel discussion that delves into the innovative use of Generative AI (GenAI) tools that showcase how these technologies can enhance student engagement, foster collaboration, and redefine traditional notions of learning and critical thinking.
Hear from instructors from Economics, Immunology and Molecular Genetics who have experimented with the integration of GenAI in the design of assignments, to support skill development and to enhance collaborative group work.
GenAI Works in Progress: Generative AI in Action - Scaffolded Approaches in Health Sciences and STEM
April 1, 1pm-2pm
Join us for an engaging panel discussion as part of our “Generative AI Works in Progress” series, showcasing innovative applications of generative AI in teaching and learning. This session will feature three U of T instructors from the Health Sciences and STEM disciplines who have successfully integrated generative AI into their curricula using scaffolded approaches.
GenAI Works In Progress: Anatomy Unplugged - The Development and Impact of Our Chatbot for Supporting Active Learning
April 29, 1pm-2pm
This session will take a behind the scenes look at the development of an anatomy course chatbot for occupational therapy students, focusing on how the AI tool has shaped the development of an educational research project. Using a podcast format, we will share the pearls and pitfalls of the undertaking and implementing a custom chatbot, highlighting its impact on student engagement and access to achieving course learning outcomes. In our discussion, participants will discover how to navigate this new technology, even with limited experience. The goal the session is to pique participant interest and enthusiasm in using chatbots to support active student learning.