P.D. for Teaching
Professional Development for Teaching activities at McMaster support educators—including TAs, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, sessional instructors, faculty, and staff—as they work to strengthen their teaching and foster positive student learning experiences. The MacPherson Institute offers a wide range of programming tailored to educators at every career stage, from those new to teaching to those pursuing teaching awards. Our goal is to provide flexible, relevant development opportunities that reflect diverse disciplines and evolving teaching needs.
Key Statistics
500+ full-time faculty members reached from May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025*
*517 of 1023 total full-time faculty members engaged in meaningful pedagogical discussions or activities during this period (includes consultations, workshops, events, retreats, meetings, and IQAP support.) Please note: this number is an estimate based on current tracking capabilities.
482 Consultations, Meetings and Workshops were delivered to educators across all Faculties, Arts & Science and Campus Partners**
**Educators is intended to include, but not limited to, community partners, faculty, graduate students, librarians, postdoctoral fellows, sessional instructors, staff, teaching assistants, and undergraduate students who are involved in teaching in some capacity.
Information Box Group
42 Attendees
New Faculty Orientation: half-day hybrid event
76 Attendees
Sessional Faculty Orientation: 2-hour online synchronous event
15 Attendees
Navigating Teaching at McMaster – A Session for New Faculty: 2-hour online synchronous event
Accomplishments
Learning Catalogue Enhancements
Over the past year, the MacPherson Institute reviewed, revised and updated all existing modules of the Learning Catalogue. Three new modules— Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Fundamentals, and Teaching Contentious Topics were developed in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion Office. Additional new modules focused on Lesson Planning and Universal Design for Learning were also created as part of the Learning Catalogue expansion. Broader considerations of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility were also embedded across other central programs and initiatives facilitated by the MacPherson Institute.
Teaching Portfolio Guidebook
The MacPherson Institute continues to expand and refine its resources to better support the teaching and learning community in navigating emerging trends in higher education. Recent updates include a revised Teaching Portfolio Guidebook to help McMaster educators create and review teaching portfolios. The resource covers the portfolio process, policy requirements, as well as writing and feedback guidance.
Generative AI Contributions
The MacPherson Institute continues to support various requests related to the impact of generative AI on teaching and learning. Staff work closely with the Special Advisor to the Provost on Generative AI and independently consult with individuals and groups about the pedagogical implications of this technology. In the past year, the MacPherson Institute produced a new learning module for the Learning Catalogue titled “Introduction to Generative AI for Educators” and additional episodes of the AI Dialogues podcast.
Microcredentials
The MacPherson Institute continued to support faculty and staff in developing academic microcredentials by providing guidance on curriculum design and quality assurance. Staff actively contributed to the institutional microcredential strategy by serving on both the Microcredential Task Force and the Platform Working Group, both of which aim to take a coordinated and strategic approach to this emerging area of flexible learning.
Graduate Excellence Mentorship and Supervision Initiative
The MacPherson Institute continues to consult with and support the School of Graduate Studies on the Graduate Excellence, Mentorship, and Supervision (GEMS) initiative. The purpose of this work is to enhance access to resources related to graduate student supervision for both faculty and graduate students. Ongoing collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies ensures the MacPherson Institute can continue advancing resources and programming that foster effective, inclusive and supportive supervision practices for faulty and graduate students. Additionally, an online module for the Learning Catalogue, related to graduate supervision pedagogy, is in the conceptualization phase and is a priority area for future development.
Curriculum Development
Digital Pedagogy
Digital Pedagogy initiatives at McMaster support educators in enhancing their teaching through digital tools, media, and methods—aiming to create accessible, engaging learning experiences for all students. The MacPherson Institute offers training, guidance, and expertise in online, blended, and open learning design, as well as in the effective integration of educational technologies. Instructors can also seek advice on the pedagogical use of institutionally supported educational technology tools, Open Educational Resources (OER), and tech-enabled teaching and learning grants.
Key Metrics
MacVideo Usage (May 2024 – April 2025)
The MacPherson Institute provides training and support for MacVideo, McMaster’s video portal, which allows users to make videos and other media available online to anyone they choose.
Open Educational Resources Grant Program
The OER Grant program, supported by the Office of the Provost, McMaster Libraries, McMaster Students Union and the MacPherson Insititute, provides successful applicants with funding to create or adapt and customize OERs, enabling new pedagogical approaches and cost savings for students.
- 21 faculty, instructional assistants and staff received grants to support 11 projects to foster the creation of free online textbooks and other openly licensed digital education materials in 2024-2025.
- Continued funding for the Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant program has pushed the cumulative student savings beyond $1 million by replacing commercial textbooks and course materials with openly licensed materials authored, adapted, or adopted by McMaster instructors.
Universal Design for Learning Workshop Series
Over the past year, 83 educators participated in two workshop series focused on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility practices for course design and delivery. One workshop series was offered during Teaching and Learning Month (May 2024) and the other series was offered in connection to celebrations of the International Day of Persons with Disability (December 2024).
EdTech Stations & Studios
The MacPherson Institute continues to provide capacity building support for instructors interested in leveraging digital tools for course development and enhancement. The One Button Studio, Audio Studio and EdTech Stations are technology-enhanced spaces within the MacPherson Institute that provide educators access to experiment with developing learning modules, creating video and audio content and much more.
One Button Studio (Video Studio) Visits
Audio Studio Visits
EdTech Station Visits
Accomplishments
Digital Learning Strategic Framework
The MacPherson Institute continues to collaborate on the Digital Learning Strategic Framework (DLSF), which is situated under the Office of the Vice Provost – Teaching and Learning (OVPTL).
Dedicated DLSF Project Team
Several positions were appointed by the OVPTL in 2024–25 to coordinate, track and report on DLSF initiatives and to ensure alignment with McMaster’s broader institutional priorities, including the university’s Accessibility Roadmap and Generative AI Taskforce. Two members of the MacPherson Institute team were seconded to work on Digital Learning Strategic Framework initiatives.
- Joanne Kehoe, Lead Educational Developer – Digital Pedagogies from the MacPherson Institute, was appointed as the Manager, Digital Learning Strategic
- Lisa Dyce, Educational Developer at the MacPherson Institute, was appointed as an Educational Developer, Digital Learning Strategic Framework.
Additionally, the MacPherson Institute has supported several key initiatives that connect with DLSF priorities and projects.
Online Learning Course Development
The MacPherson Institute continues to support the Online Learning Fellows Program that is designed to assist educators with the creation of flexible and accessible online course development. In 2024-2025 a call for applications was circulated and the MacPherson Institute offered support for proposal reviews and delivered relevant programming to help fellows enhance their skills and expertise with online course considerations and design. Additionally, a new Online Course Design stream was added to the MacPherson Institute’s Students as Partners Program Call to pair faculty with students for co-creation and testing innovative digital course components.
Video Platform Review
The MacPherson Institute, in collaboration with University Technology Services and Campus Classroom Technologies, contributed to the Video Capture and Content Management System RFI/RFP process, supporting the development of a business case and vendor evaluation. The team assessed multiple platforms and outlined several options to meet McMaster’s video capture and content management needs. While we are waiting for a final decision to be communicated, this collaborative process advanced institutional conversations and clarified cost and feature comparisons. The MacPherson Institute continues to support the RFP process, ensuring alignment with accessibility requirements, feature integration, and ongoing support for teaching and learning needs.
Accessibility Fellowship Program
As part of the Accessible Teaching and Learning Roadmap STEER/R, the Accessibility Fellowship Program was designed to support and connect McMaster educators in contributing to accessibility work at the institution.
- Two Educational Developers from the MacPherson Institute were part of a cohort of McMaster faculty, instructors and staff that were awarded the Fellowship. As part of their Fellowship project, a number of impactful UDL narratives from McMaster student perspectives were collected. Interviews were completed with undergraduate and graduate students that identify as a student with a D/disability or a D/disabled student and some who do not identify as such but benefited from a UDL practice. At the request of the interviewees the stories were not published publicly or broadly.
- The MacPherson Institute delivered several workshops on UDL to provide training and support to fellowship participants.
STEER/R Project Support
The MacPherson Institute supported and co-facilitated the final few Journey Mapping Sessions in early Summer 2024. In response to the STEER/R final report and future recommendations, the MacPherson Institute has been working collaboratively with Kate Brown and Student Accessibility Services to develop a Faculty Support Model for an Accessible Course (Re)-Design pilot project. The first phase, focused on time-based accommodations in primarily large enrollment undergrad courses, is scheduled to launch in Summer 2025.
Learning Technology Systems
The MacPherson Institute supports, administers, and offers training for a range of learning technologies, including McMaster’s Learning Management System, Avenue to Learn. As instructors navigate hybrid teaching and integrate media into both in-person and online classrooms, these technologies play an increasingly vital role in shaping the student learning experience.
Key Metrics
The MacPherson Institute provides pedagogical training on a variety of educational technology tools that are institutionally supported.
Avenue to Learn Support
Avenue to Learn is McMaster’s Learning Management System and supports teaching and learning activities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education classes. The MacPherson Institute provides administrative, technical and training support for the platform (powered by D2L). Avenue provides a secure online space where instructors can share their content, learning resources, link to tools, administer assessments, conduct online discussions, distribute interim grades, collect assignment submissions, and serves as the online hub for their course.
Course Outline Library
The Course Outline Library provides a central repository of McMaster’s course outlines. The MacPherson Institute provides system support and administration as well as training and assistance in developing templates for individual faculties and programs.
Course Outlines Generated
Support Ticket Responses
Participants in 3 Virtual Training Sessions
Accomplishments
Hybrid and Flexible Classrooms
The MacPherson Institute participated in the development of an accessible hybrid classroom pilot project. As a result of this cross-functional work, McMaster will continue to plan for purpose-built classrooms that allow for flexibility when teaching to ensure that in-person locations can be adapted to hybrid, remote or in-person teaching modalities. One of the key learnings from participating in the pilot was that the technology is best served when choice and agency is given to students and faculty. The teaching and learning experience is enhanced when the modality suits the practice of the instructor and the needs of the students.
Avenue to Learn Enhancements
Over the past year, the Learning Technology Systems team has been preparing for a major Avenue to Learn upgrade scheduled for August 2025 that is intended to improve both functionality and user experience while maintaining familiarity with many core aspects of Avenue. The update will introduce a refreshed user interface, streamlined navigation, and new tools to better support teaching and learning. A cleaner interface and integration with the Course Outline Library will enhance course organization and allow easy access to course outlines. Additionally, the Learning Outcomes Tool will replace the Competencies tool, which will allow better alignment of course activities with learning goals.
McMaster’s current contract with D2L expires in October 2026. A contract renewal through an Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM) buying agreement is being developed in close collaboration with University Technology Services, Procurement, and the Vice-Provost – Teaching and Learning.
Scholarly Teaching
Scholarly Teaching activities advance teaching and learning by supporting, generating, and sharing research that informs educational practices and enhances student learning.
The MacPherson Institute’s research impact has grown over the past few years through the expansion of the Student Partners Program; strong support for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) via grants, workshops, communities of practice, conferences, and consultations; and the development of research programs focused on key themes such as equity, inclusion, and student-faculty partnership. The MacPherson Institute has also contributed to educational development internationally and built collaborative networks that strengthen both local and global teaching and learning research.
Student Partners Program
As one of the MacPherson Institute’s flagship programs and core funding opportunities, the Student Partners Program is an example of how collaboration and co-creation can become a transformational experience for both instructors and learners.
The Student Partners Program provides opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to collaborate on funded, teaching and learning projects. Projects can focus on teaching and learning research, course and curriculum design/re-design or review. This collaboration encourages in-depth engagement for students and inclusion of student perspectives in the process.
This past year the Student Partners Program expanded project calls for additional topic-specific streams including Institutional Quality Assurance Process, Open Educational Resources and Generative AI. As a result, the MacPherson Institute saw a 138% increase in the number of applications (52 in FY24 to 124 in FY25) and supported 177% more successful projects (31 in FY24 to 86 in FY25).
Total Student Partners Program Participation:
Student Participants from all 6 Faculties and Arts & Science Program
Faculty/Staff Participants from all 6 Faculties and Arts & Science Program
Total Student Partners Program Applications
Successful Student Partners Program Applications
Students as Partners Community Forum
This year, the MacPherson Institute hosted the Second Annual Students as Partners Community Forum, a one-day virtual event featuring panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking sessions. Over 70 participants from across Canada attended, including students, educators, and educational developers, to share experiences and insights on student-faculty partnerships. The event continues to strengthen the national Students as Partners network and further supports engagement and sustained momentum of building the practice of student partnership and collaboration across institutions.
Students as Partners Podcast
The MacPherson Institute launched a Student Partners Podcast pilot and produced nine episodes, featuring over 30 guests that included both faculty and student voices. As of May 2025, the podcast had received nearly 350 plays across Apple and Spotify platforms. This new knowledge mobilization platform has served as a useful resource to promote and inform individuals who are interested in learning about student-partner programming.
International Journal for Students as Partners
The International Journal for Students as Partners (IJSaP) is a journal about learning and teaching together in higher education. IJSaP explores new perspectives, practices, and policies related to students and staff working in partnership to enhance learning and teaching in higher education. Shared responsibility for teaching and learning is the underlying premise of students as partners, and IJSaP is produced using a student-staff partnership approach.
Journal Metrics
Manuscripts Published
Faculty Reviewers
Student Reviewers
Information Box Group
Downloads
Abstract Views
Journal Highlights
- 21% increase in the number of IJSaP manuscripts published
- 67% increase in the number of IJSaP abstracts viewed
- Continued growth in IJSaP participation from faculty and students
- 64% increase in participation from faculty reviewers
- 157% increase in participation from student reviewers
These increases are, in part, attributed to a focused effort to improve communication and operations of the editorial board for IJSaP. The Editorial Manager has worked closely with editorial teams to understand workflows and identify areas for possible improvement.
As part of these improvements, a major milestone was achieved with the indexing of IJSaP in the Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC), which is a comprehensive, full-text database of education research and information. This database is used by academics, researchers, educators, policymakers and the general public. This accomplishment has helped improve discoverability and exposure for IJSaP.
This past year, the IJSaP team also focused heavily on improving their presence on social media platforms like LinkedIn and BlueSky.
Looking ahead, a new “Editor’s Handbook” is in progress to help provide guidance on common challenges and to consolidate shared best practices. Additionally, the IJSaP editors presented a panel discussion at the Students as Partners Community Forum and plan to attend similar events in the future to further raise awareness about the publication and to share opportunities for students and faculty to contribute.
Accomplishments
Teaching Stream Faculty Supports
The MacPherson Institute has been focused on enhancing supports for teaching stream faculty.
- This past year, the Scholarly Teaching team launched a Microsoft Teams space to support teaching-stream faculty as a hub for resource sharing, peer networking and communication about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and teaching-focused opportunities
- Engagement was further strengthened with new opportunities for educators to connect at monthly Writing Days and through targeted email communications that highlight events, conferences, and journals related to teaching
- In collaboration with the McMaster University Library, the MacPherson Institute has also been creating and streamlining online resources connected to research on teaching and learning and to clarifying areas for partnership and support
The MacPherson Institute continues to expand opportunities to support and encourage teaching-stream faculty in advancing their scholarship and dissemination efforts.
Grant & Award Recipients
The MacPherson Institute celebrates excellence in teaching and learning through a range of awards and grant opportunities. These programs recognize outstanding contributions to teaching as a professional practice and, in some cases, provide financial support for educational research or the implementation of teaching and learning initiatives.
Expandable List
In partnership with the President’s Office, the MacPherson Institute supports the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning.
Award Winners 2024
- Bruce Wainman, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Sean Park, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Nikol Piskuric, Faculty of Science
The MacPherson Institute awards Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowships each year to faculty champions who act as leaders and mentors to advance improvement in teaching and learning and to enhance student learning experiences. The award for fellows is up to $15,000 over two years.
Fellows 2024
- Danielle Brewer-Deluce, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Lydia Chen, Faculty of Science
- Zhen He, Faculty of Social Science
- Krupa Patel, Faculty of Science
Fellows 2023
- Anthony Chibba, Faculty of Science
- Kristina Durham, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Janet Pritchard, Faculty of Science
- Nicole Wagner, DeGroote School of Business
The MacPherson Institute supports the Petro-Canada-McMaster Young Innovator Award each year. This award builds on the connection between research and teaching by engaging undergraduate students in research to enhance the learning environment and recognizes an innovative scholar within the first eight years of their research career.
Award Winner 2024
- Anita Acai, Faculty of Health Sciences
In partnership with the McMaster University Library, the MacPherson Institute supports the Open Education Resources Grant program.
Grant Recipients 2024-2025
- Mark Busser and Cindy Schooley, Careers and Experiential Education
- Kojo Damptey, McMaster Office of Community Engagement
- Jim Avik Ghoshdastidar, Rebecca Turner, and Linda Davis, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Jim Avik Ghoshdastidar, Rebecca Turner, and Anthony Chibba, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Amy Keuhl, Jonathan Sherbino, and Mark Lee, MERIT
- Yasmeen Mezil and Bruce Wainman, Pathology and Molecular Medicine
- Andrew Mitchell, School of the Arts
- Alice O’Carroll, Tara Zabella, and Bri Denicola, Science Career and Cooperative Education
- Elli Papangelakis, School of Earth, Environment & Society
- Sam Scott, Computing and Software
- Erica Speakman, Social Psychology
In partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost (Teaching and Learning), the MacPherson Institute contributes funding and support for the implementation of the Partnered in Teaching and Learning Strategy.
Conferences and Events
In order to cultivate an environment where learning deeply matters and teaching is valued and recognized by the collective McMaster community, the MacPherson Institute hosts a variety of conferences and events throughout the year. These gatherings provide opportunities for educators at McMaster and beyond to learn together, build cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional connections, and celebrate teaching as a vital professional practice.
Innovations in Education Conference
Each year the MacPherson Institute hosts the Innovations in Education Conference, an event that is open to McMaster and other post-secondary institutions, designed to explore current issues, trends and innovations in teaching and learning. In 2024, the conference saw the largest and most engaged audience to date, attracting over 265 participants—nearly half from outside the McMaster teaching and learning community. The two-day virtual conference focused on the theme of “Creating Belonging Through Inclusive and Accessible Learning Experiences,” which featured 51 dynamic sessions selected from over 70 submissions, including workshops, panels, research presentations, and two keynote speakers. All sessions were recorded and remain available on Zoom Events until December 2025, extending the reach and impact of the conference.
Information Box Group
Lightning Rounds
Workshops
Panel Discussions
Teaching and Learning Month
Each year the MacPherson Institute helps coordinate and promote teaching and learning activities in May to reach educators, faculty members, instructors and staff from across McMaster University. Teaching and Learning Month is an initiative to help inform educators about professional development programming opportunities and to celebrate teaching as a professional practice.
The month-long event series includes a mix of in-person, hybrid and virtual sessions with a single point of registration hosted by the MacPherson Institute and promoted across campus. In 2024, we saw the highest number of events submitted and the greatest engagement since launching the initiative in 2020. 19 campus partners contributed teaching and learning events with over 560 attendees engaging in sessions throughout the month.
Information Box Group
Total Events in May 2024
Events Offered by the MacPherson Institute
Events Offered by Campus Partners
Information Box Group
Attendees
Teaching and Learning Month Website Views
double check
MacPherson-Supported Partnered Events
To support McMaster faculties, departments and programs in bringing educators together to share ideas and experiences in teaching and learning, the MacPherson Institute collaborated to support several teaching and learning events with campus partners.
Generative AI: Instructor Panel Series
The MacPherson Institute helped support several panel discussions about generative AI in teaching and learning.
- In November 2024, 55 participants engaged in the Generative AI for Assessment and Evaluation session, which presented critical commentary on the potential impacts of generative AI, particularly on assessment and evaluation.
- In Mach 2025, in partnership with the Student Success Centre, 36 participants engaged in the Generative AI and Writing Pedagogies: Instructor Panel, which presented critical commentary on the potential impacts of generative AI on various aspects of teaching and writing.
Curation as a Teaching Strategy Workshop
In partnership with the McMaster University Library, the MacPherson Institute supported a workshop about the process of finding, evaluating, and contextualizing, freely-available, online learning materials to create rich learning experiences for students. 7 participants attended this workshop as part of Open Education Week 2025.
Visiting Scholars and Knowledge Exchanges
In 2024-2025 the MacPherson Institute received several requests from international institutions to connect and visit our office. Visitors from these institutions were interested to learn more about organizational structure, strategic approaches, professional development programs and student partnership.
University of Birmingham
Professor Michael Grove (University of Birmingham) visited McMaster University in October 2024 for four days, attending meetings with MacPherson Institute and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Topics included Generative AI, student feedback, educational research, and various teaching and learning professional development programming.
University of Kentucky: Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
A team led by Dr. Lou Hirsch (University of Kentucky) visited the MacPherson Institute in February 2025 to learn about our flagship programs in student partnerships, Educational Developer apprenticeships, quality assurance and curriculum development, and our key contact liaison model of service delivery.
“These sorts of exchange opportunities are the only real way to learn about other programs and get to see people doing good work in their own environment. I thought the meeting was perfect for us. The MacPherson Institute is highly organized and uniquely structured for great impact at McMaster. In addition to the strategic thinking embodied by all the program leads, everyone we met with was super nice and really, truly, deeply cared about their colleagues, peers, and students.”
– University of Kentucky Visitors
Visiting Scholars Impact
Hosting visiting scholars provided a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and share experiences. The MacPherson Institute learned more about how other institutions are structured and how their programming is delivered, while also sharing its own innovative and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning. These in-depth conversations also remind us of the universal challenges and shared aspirations that unite educators across the world while offering a chance to engage in rich dialogue with peers who bring fresh perspectives to our shared work.
“These conversations helped us reflect critically on our own practices and affirm the importance of creating space for reciprocal learning. Some of the key takeaways included the value of making student-staff partnerships visible, the importance of supporting educational leadership in teaching through programming opportunities, and the power of storytelling in advancing educational development.”
– MacPherson Institute Staff