Teach.Learn.Share

In the finale of this three-part episode, the conversation steps back to ask a fundamental question: what is a university degree for in an AI-shaped world? The framework of “stuff, skills, and soul” is introduced to help answer this question and explore how universities can prepare students for an uncertain future of work. While content and technical skills remain essential, the discussion emphasi...

In part two of this three-part episode, the conversation turns to the hard questions gen AI raises for teaching and assessment. Moving beyond promise and possibility, the guests examine practical and structural challenges facing universities, including privacy, ethics, access, and uneven adoption. They highlight a deeper pedagogical concern: increasingly “frictionless” AI tools may undermine the p...

In part one of this three-part episode, senior academic leaders from McGill University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Toronto reflect on generative AI as a transformative opportunity for teaching and learning in higher education. The conversation moves beyond seeing gen AI solely as a disruption or tool as we explore its potential to fundamentally reshape assessment, co...

Can open conversations about AI help students reflect on their learning? In this episode, Prof. Nikki Lobczowski shares how she models transparent use of generative AI, while encouraging her students to think critically about how their own use of AI tools might support their learning (or not). The conversation addresses common concerns—including AI literacy, assessment, and time constraints—and em...

Can gen AI help students become better scientists? Dr. Jasmin Chahal thinks so—if students learn to question the output first. In this episode, Jasmin shares how she integrated gen AI into a microbiology lab course through a low-stakes, reflective assignment. Hear how her students learned to question AI-generated references, evaluate reliability, and develop critical thinking skills essential for...

What happens when students are asked to assess the work of gen AI? McGill instructor William Archambault explores how shifting from traditional test questions to gen AI-based critique tasks helps students develop their analytical skills. William discusses the motivation behind this redesign, the challenges of scaling it in large classes, and why teaching critical evaluation of gen AI output is bec...

McGill students share what makes coming to class worthwhile—from inspiring professors to creative assignments to the feeling of community. This episode explores five themes of engagement, offering authentic, unscripted insights into how students connect with learning in meaningful ways.   View the transcript.  

The Fall term is underway, and gen AI is seemingly everywhere now. In this episode, we explore how to navigate gen AI in higher ed with three key moves: Intentional design, clear communication, and radical transparency. Whether you’re designing gen AI in or out of your course, this conversation will help you make informed, confident choices.   View the transcript.

Want to learn about how to engage students using an online teaching tool with a dynamic visual component? Tune in to hear how Prof. Mette Bendixen uses Mural to encourage her students to connect with the course material, engage in peer-to-peer learning, and share how they are faring in a large classroom setting.  View the transcript.  

How can sustainability transform not only what we teach but also how we go about our teaching? In this episode, Prof. Mylène Riva and PhD student Laurianne Debanné share their journey—including challenges and triumphs—redesigning a Health Geography course to incorporate sustainability principles. Along the way, they learned principles of sustainable course design, the importance of transdisciplina...

Join us for a conversation with Management Prof. Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin as we delve into sustainable approaches to course design, focusing on social sustainability, workload management, and efficiency. Discover practical strategies for evergreening your course content, and ensuring it remains relevant and engaging for students.    View the transcript.

How can sustainability be integrated into a Hispanic literature course to offer students a modern twist on classic texts? Prof. Cristina Carnemolla and PhD student Daniel Salas describe how they designed a course to engage students with historical texts and contemporary issues through diverse formats like recipes and conduct books, making these texts relevant to today’s students in novel ways.  Vi...

How can sustainability be seamlessly integrated into an engineering course? Prof. Daniele Malomo and PhD student Anna Wang discuss their redesign of a concrete structures course. They share pedagogically sound strategies for embedding sustainability into the curriculum, engaging students with real-world examples, and fostering ethical design practices.  View the transcript .  

How can we transform our world through education? To change everything, we need everyone. Prof. Blane Harvey and PhD candidate Stephanie Leite describe the critical role of a holistic approach to sustainability education. Discover insights from McGill’s Sustainability Education Fellows program and learn how innovative course design has the potential to make a lasting impact.  View the transcript .

Have students’ perceptions of engagement changed after the Covid-19 pandemic? Is it harder to focus on lectures in the “attention economy” with overwhelming amounts of information designed to engage us to click and scroll? Are students engaging with learning in ways that are more autonomous—such as watching recorded lectures? In this episode, we speak with Kai Gutteridge and Lavínia Travassos to l...

Interested in learning about different ways to implement two-stage exams? In this episode, McGill instructors Lawrence Chen, Alice Cherestes, Laura Pavelka, and David Titley-Peloquin join Jasmine and Margo for an exchange about how they use two-stage exams to assess their students’ learning. Listen in to hear them compare their practices and offer recommendations for instructors who are thinking a...

In our inaugural season , we spoke to members of the McGill community about how to leverage learning-focused assessment practices with the aim of improving student well-being. Among our guests was Kira Smith, who spoke to her research on post-secondary instructors’ engagement in supporting student mental health by means of their assessment strategies. In this episode, Kira returns to help Jasmine...

Many undergraduate students may go on to be policy-makers. Why not have them practice the skill of translating complex concepts and issues into a “pitch” that shows students’ engagement with the course content? This idea became Dr. Tari Ajadi’s three-minute micro lecture assessment, a strategy that he first tried when asked to prepare one himself for a conference. As they engage with a format that...

In her introductory computer science class, Dr. Giulia Alberini asks her approximately 600 students whether they want to be “code crafters” or “problem solvers.” The first group will write two midterms and a final coding project. Instead of the final project, “problem solvers” prepare a technical interview that simulates an authentic real-world experience. This choice allows students to work to th...

Low or no-stakes assessment tasks give students the opportunity to focus their practice on what they aim to learn and allow them to try their hand at failing. When what they’re learning means recognizing implicit biases in themselves and others, it’s key that students have multiple opportunities to practice developing this skill. In this episode, Dr. Alissa Levine describes her multi-pronged appro...

Quizzes are a tried-and-true way to prepare students for higher-stakes exams, but do they allow you to assess the progress of students’ learning? To ensure her students’ learning is on track, which in this case means thinking critically about the immune system, Dr. Jasmin Chahal has her students design concept maps, draw cartoon diagrams, and write problem-solving exam questions. In this episode,...

In this episode, we learn about a two-staged mid-term exam where students do a collaborative version of the exam before trying their hand at an individual exam. For Dr. Laura Pavelka, having students work collaboratively and ask questions in an introductory science course were key in helping students understand how science works, so she designed those elements into her assessment strategy. Easing...

Welcome back to Teach. Learn. Share’s exciting new miniseries! Join us over the next five episodes as we delve into creative, concrete, and transferable assessment strategies centered around assessment for learning. In each episode, we sit down with instructors from various Faculties at McGill University to explore a new strategy, discussing its design and implementation. Listen in as instructors...

Do the assessment choices instructors make support students’ learning and their well-being? To close our five-part miniseries, we wanted to hear an instructor’s perspective. In this episode, we’ve invited Dr. Andrea Creech, Professor of Music Pedagogy at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University, to join the conversation. Andrea shares insights into how assessment forms an integral part of h...

Getting assessment right—being fair, consistent, equitable, and conscientious of students’ and instructors’ well-being—leads to healthier learning environments in university settings but is a difficult balance to strike. In this episode, we talk to two graduate students who share their experiences with the assessment and well-being connection in their contexts. We also discuss fairness and reliabi...