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Course registration is in progress and, in less than one month, 91�������� educators will welcome new and returning students into their courses. 

Across campus, educators are preparing for the start of term by refining course content, rethinking assessment approaches, and designing engaging learning experiences to spark curiosity for students across disciplines.

Along with this annual ritual comes Teaching Days, a two-day event at the where emerging and established educators discover research-informed teaching practices that create innovative and impactful student learning opportunities. 

“Teaching Days is a chance for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, academic staff and student-facing support staff to get inspired, build connections, embrace scholarly and emerging practices, and walk into the semester feeling confident in their teaching,” says , PhD, executive director of the Taylor Institute.

With more than 150 attendees, the event’s 15 interactive sessions offer opportunities to network, exchange ideas and develop plans for the fall term.

In a brief interview, two Teaching Days presenters share their experiences and wisdom about how to prepare for a new academic year. , BA'93, BEd'93, MSc'95, PhD'98, is the associate dean, Supervision and Mentoring in the ; and , PhD'15, is an associate professor (teaching) with the . 

Kincaid’s session was developed in collaboration with co-faculty lead Dr. Craig Ginn, PhD, associate professor (teaching) with the Faculty of Arts, and student presenters Holly Anghel, Isabella Frey, Priya Migneault, Mitchell McGinnis, Aurora McDougall, Rhian Sanderson, Samayra Slade, Camelia Ursu, Jordanna Young and Teagan Young from the faculties of Arts and .

What rituals do you go through to prepare for a new academic year?
Jacobsen: At the beginning of every academic year, I invest time reflecting on what I've learned from graduate students, supervisors and colleagues over the previous year. I critically reflect on my educational leadership and teaching goals and roles, review student and peer feedback and look for opportunities to improve the design of learning experiences for supervisors and students. As a learner, I also make time to reconnect with the sense of curiosity and possibility that comes with each new academic year! There are always new opportunities to build meaningful connections across campus, foster a sense of community and belonging and learn alongside colleagues and students as we grow together.

What’s one thing you’re excited to try with students?
Jacobsen: I'm excited to continue exploring how generative AI can support learning, creativity and scholarly work while helping graduate students and supervisors advance the critical thinking, ethical judgment and self-regulated learning skills that are essential in a rapidly changing digital world. The most interesting questions are no longer about whether we use AI, but how we can use it thoughtfully and intentionally to enhance learning and human potential.

Have you attended Teaching Days or the Emerging Educator Symposium before? What’s one piece of wisdom you took away from that experience?
Jacobsen: Effective graduate supervision is ultimately about creating strong relationships and communities. Supervisors are stronger together when they collaborate on creating excellence in supervision and mentoring. Whether you are mentoring graduate students or collaborating with academic colleagues, growing their practices as supervisors, people learn best when they feel respected, challenged, supported and trusted. Some of the most meaningful learning happens not because any of us have all the answers, but because we work together to create the conditions for learning to occur and support each other as we build our collective expertise.

In your opinion, why is an event like Teaching Days valuable for both emerging and established educators?
Kincaid: Teaching Days is a relational way to connect with other educators and a great space to learn from one another. It gives us an opportunity to exchange ideas and to find inspiration from one another’s teaching practices. It is also a good space to discuss challenging topics and how we are approaching them in the classroom. Teaching is something that we all share so I find it helpful to hear different perspectives that help us reflect on our practice.

In our session Student Engagement Beyond the Classroom, the student presenters will provide instructors with some ideas about what students most appreciated in their undergraduate learning experiences. The students are an interdisciplinary group from both Arts and Science, with International Indigenous Studies as their minor or major, so we hope the session will be valuable to a broad group of educators, staff, and administrators. The students will also talk about how they have connected with Indigenous communities and organizations throughout their learning and research journeys. They will share some teaching materials that they have been developing as part of the Animal Kinship Project, partially funded by undergraduate summer studentships, and projects with the Indigenous-Led: Buffalo Beyond Borders organization that is supported by a Mitacs grant. Student perspectives are valuable and help inform teaching for both emerging and established faculty.

What is one aspect of this event that you would encourage attendees to focus on?
Kincaid: One focal point for attendees is listening to student stories and learning how experiential learning in the classroom, connected to undergraduate research, has impacted their future goals. Attendees might also take away some teaching ideas to use in their own courses.