Sessions and Workshops
Winter 2026 GenAI Workshops
Full-length sessions exploring pedagogical approaches to GenAI integration. These workshops provide practical frameworks and strategies for thoughtfully navigating generative AI in your teaching context.
Also explore: For shorter, informal conversations with U of T instructors and staff sharing their GenAI experiences, visit our GenAI Dialogue Sessions tab. For our monthly reading group discussions, check out the GenAI Reading Group tab.
Ongoing Drop-In Sessions: Getting Started with GenAI Tools at U of T
Every second Tuesday from January 6th to June 23rd, 2:00-3:00 pm
Join us for an interactive virtual drop-in designed for U of T instructors and staff. We’ll provide an overview of the University’s approved generative AI tools with hands-on demonstrations, including a comparison of available platforms, secure login walkthroughs, and live feature demonstrations.
Drop in anytime between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM – stay for a few minutes or the full session!
U of T’s AI Virtual Tutor Initiative: Supporting Students’ Constructive Use of AI
Thursday, January 15, 12:10-1:00 pm
As generative AI tools like ChatGPT become ubiquitous, you have an opportunity to shape how AI supports learning in your courses. Through U of T’s Cogniti platform, you can create AI virtual tutors grounded in your course content and aligned with your pedagogical approach, with built-in safeguards to protect student wellbeing and learning outcomes.
In this session, you will discover how Cogniti enables you to:
- Deploy course-specific AI tutors directly in Quercus that reflect your syllabus, learning objectives, and content
- Guide students toward productive learning conversations rather than answer-seeking
- Monitor how students are engaging with AI support in your course
- Provide on-demand learning assistance tailored to your teaching approach
This initiative gives you control over AI’s role in your teaching rather than leaving students to navigate commercial tools on their own. Whether you’re curious about AI’s potential, concerned about its risks, or ready to experiment with new approaches to student support, we’ll explore how Cogniti can work within your teaching context.
Making Learning Visible in the GenAI Era
Thursday, March 19, 11:10 am-12:00 pm
With AI tools now widely available to students, traditional assignment designs that focus only on final products may miss opportunities to understand and support student learning. Grounded in the University of Toronto AI Task Force’s principles, this session takes a pedagogy-driven approach to assessment design that documents student thinking and development.
In this session, you will explore ways to:
- Design scaffolded assignments where students document their workflows and decision-making
- Create checkpoint strategies that reveal how students are thinking, not just what they produce
- Build in space for metacognitive reflection that helps students develop critical judgment about AI use
- Shift from product-oriented approaches to assessment designs that prioritize transparency and the learning process while remaining sustainable and manageable
This session provides practical frameworks for designing assignments where evidence of learning emerges naturally through the process. Whether you are integrating AI as a learning tool or designing assignments where AI is intentionally limited, we will explore how process-based approaches support authentic engagement and help students develop essential judgment about when and how to use AI effectively. We will also reflect on the challenges this approach presents, particularly around increased workload for both instructors and students, and discuss strategies for implementing process-based assessment in sustainable ways.
Building Trust Through Transparent AI Communication
Tuesday, April 21, 12:10-1:00 pm
As AI tools become part of everyday practices, clear communication about responsible AI use in your course becomes an important consideration. Grounded in the University of Toronto AI Task Force’s principles, this session takes a pedagogy-driven approach to articulating AI expectations that build trust and transparency between instructors and students.
In this session, you will explore how to:
- Develop syllabus statements and assignment instructions that clearly communicate when, why, and how AI can (or cannot) be used
- Align AI policies with your learning objectives while acknowledging the realities students face
- Navigate common questions and challenging conversations about AI use in your classroom
- Create frameworks for ongoing dialogue rather than one-time policy statements
This session provides practical strategies for communicating AI expectations in ways that support student learning. Whether you are developing your AI communication approach or refining existing strategies, we will explore how transparent communication about GenAI serves both pedagogical goals and student development, helping learners build critical judgment about appropriate resource use.
GenAI Dialogue Series
Informal 30-minute online sessions where U of T instructors and staff share how they are navigating generative AI in their teaching and learning contexts. These sessions are part of the CTSI GenAI in Teaching and Learning Commons, a Microsoft Teams community for sharing insights and discussing GenAI in education.
Each dialogue features a colleague sharing their experience (10-15 minutes), followed by open discussion on what’s working, what’s uncertain, and what we’re considering next. Building on discussions from the GenAI Reading Group, the series values iterative, “work in progress” approaches – whether integrating AI into teaching or designing assessments that limit its use.
How to Participate: Attend individual sessions using the registration links below – no Teams membership required. To join the broader CTSI GenAI in Teaching and Learning Commons community, Open Microsoft Teams → “Join or create a team” → “Join a team with a code” → Enter code: 5uztctq
GenAI Dialogue with Michelle Arnot: Teaching Experiences with the Cogniti Virtual Tutor (Friday, January 23, 11:30-12:00 pm)
Friday, January 23, 11:30 am-12:00 pm
Presenter: Michelle Arnot, Professor, Teaching Stream and Associate Chair, Undergraduate Education, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Professor Michelle Arnot will share her experiences implementing the Cogniti Virtual Tutor, as part of U of T’s AI Virtual Tutor Initiative, in two courses: Introduction to Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetic Principles (PCL201H) and Pharmacodynamic Principles (PCL302H). She will present practical insights on integrating Cogniti in her courses, including unexpected benefits and challenges, followed by open discussion.
GenAI Dialogue with Safieh Moghaddam: Building Critical AI Literacy Across Course Sizes (Thursday, February 12, 1:30-2:00 pm)
Thursday, February 12, 1:30-2:00 pm
Presenter: Safieh Moghaddam, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Language Studies, UTSC
Professor Safieh Moghaddam will share her approaches to developing students’ critical AI literacy, and how she has adapted these strategies across course formats, from smaller seminars to large lectures. She will walk through practical considerations for scaling interactive AI literacy work, and will also discuss approaches to strategically limiting AI use in certain contexts to preserve learning goals.
GenAI Dialogue with Rahul Bhat: GenAI and Supporting Student Learning (Friday, March 6, 11:30-12:00 pm)
Friday, March 6, 11:30 am-12:00 pm
Presenter: Rahul Bhat, Team Lead and Learning Strategist, Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS)
Rahul Bhat will share how the Centre for Learning Strategy Support (CLSS) is taking a learning-science grounded approach to questions about AI and student learning. He will walk through resources and supports offered to U of T students on using generative AI responsibly, and will offer considerations on how AI tool use can lead to both skilling and de-skilling.
GenAI Reading Group
Connect with U of T faculty and staff exploring generative AI’s impact on teaching and learning through our monthly GenAI Reading Group. These sessions provide an opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussions about current research and perspectives on AI in higher education.
This reading group is part of the broader CTSI GenAI in Teaching and Learning Commons, a Microsoft Teams online community where you can share insights, access resources, and discuss current approaches and challenges related to generative AI in education.
Our reading group continues with its seventh session on Thursday, January 29 2026, 11:00 am–12:00 pm ET (online). Reading to be announced.
How To Participate
- Option 1: Register for individual sessions on EVE as a non-channel member, or
- Option 2: Join the Teams channel (Open Microsoft Teams → “Join or create a team” → “Join a team with a code” → Enter code: 5uztctq), then sign up directly in the channel
2025 Reading Topics
- June: “Talk is Cheap: Why Structural Assessment Changes are Needed For a Time of GenAI” (Corbin, Dawson, & Liu, 2025)
- July: “Cut the Bullshit: Why GenAI Systems are Neither Collaborators nor Tutors” (Flenady & Sparrow, 2025)
- August: “The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI” (Oakley et al., 2025)
- September: “The Wicked Problem of AI and Assessment” (Corbin et al., 2025)
- October: “Decremental Research in the GenAI era: Rethinking What Learning Means When Machines Do the Work” (Panadero & Broadbent, 2026)
- December: “How University Students Work on Assessment Tasks with Generative Artificial Intelligence: Matters of Judgement” (Walton et al., 2025)
Past GenAI Workshops
These previous sessions provide insights into assessment design, AI literacy development, and practical strategies for integrating generative AI into teaching practice.
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
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
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
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 (January 16, 2025)
Creative and Critical Thinking with Generative AI
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
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
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
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.
View recording (November 21, 2024)
View session slides (November 21, 2024)
GenAI Works in Progress: Embracing Experimentation with Generative AI in Teaching and Learning
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
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.
View recording (March 5, 2025)
View sessions slides (March 5, 2025)
GenAI Works in Progress: Generative AI in Action - Scaffolded Approaches in Health Sciences and STEM
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.
View recording (April 1, 2025)
View session slides (April 1, 2025)
GenAI Works In Progress: Anatomy Unplugged - The Development and Impact of Our Chatbot for Supporting Active Learning
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.