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.
*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.
**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.
New Faculty Orientation: half-day hybrid event
Sessional Faculty Orientation: 2-hour online synchronous event
Navigating Teaching at McMaster – A Session for New Faculty: 2-hour online synchronous event
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 activities focus on enhancing student learning experiences through academic program reviews and new program development. These supports are grounded in a philosophical approach that values student-centeredness and evidence-informed decision-making.
Departments have access to support for the development and refinement of program learning outcomes, curriculum mapping, administration of site visits, coordination of the Student Curriculum Consultants program and guidance on the Quality Assurance and institutional curriculum approvals processes. Support can also be provided to programs as they implement areas of improvement or enhancement identified during the Quality Assurance process.
For the first time, the MacPherson Institute supported the conceptualization of tri-Faculty interdisciplinary professional graduate programs in Nuclear Leadership and Planetary Health. Part of this work involved collaboration with Institutional Research and Analysis (IRA) to initiate provisions for a pilot labour market analysis for new programs. In Fall 2024, the MacPherson Institute hosted an interactive Program Visioning Retreat with 33 participants from the DeGroote School of Business and Faculties of Science and Engineering with the goal of exchanging ideas, identifying McMaster’s strengths and opportunities, and drafting program concepts for the two new programs. In January 2025, two additional Program Planning retreats were hosted to refine program concepts and identify graduate attributes for each program. Moving forward, the MacPherson Institute has recommended that participating faculties identify program champions to help oversee the development of both programs. The MacPherson Institute will continue working with the program champions to develop draft Program Learning Outcomes and provide guidance on how to prepare the new program proposals.
The MacPherson Institute developed two toolkits to support the integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) into program- and course-level learning outcomes. Designed for faculty, academic administrators, and curriculum teams, these resources provide practical guidance for embedding EDIA values into curriculum design across all disciplines. By using these resources, programs and courses can better equip students with the critical skills and knowledge needed to navigate complex societal challenges and contribute to a more just and equitable world. The toolkits are available for those engaged in curriculum development and review, including through the Institutional Quality Assurance Process.
The MacPherson Institute co-hosted an EDIA in Teaching and Learning, and Research event in November 2024 in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion Office and the Office of the VP Research. Over 70 participants attended the event, which highlighted the innovative EDIA practices and celebrated educators who are advancing this work across teaching, learning and research at McMaster.
Based on work that was originally undertaken for the Planetary Health and Nuclear Leadership labour market analysis, the MacPherson Institute is piloting a new collaboration with Institutional Research and Analysis to provide a labour market analysis service for the conceptualization phase of all new programs. This service is being piloted with a small group of departments who have existing academic programs undergoing cyclical review.
To better support curriculum development, the MacPherson Institute has expanded opportunities for student involvement in the Student Curriculum Consultant Program across all phases of the Institutional Quality Assurance Process – including the development of Program Learning Outcomes, providing insights into the student experience during curriculum mapping, and gathering student feedback from peers to analyze and include in self-study documents. The program provided 13 Student Course Consultants with an opportunity to help shape and have an impact on the student experience at McMaster.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
Additionally, the MacPherson Institute has supported several key initiatives that connect with DLSF priorities and projects.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The MacPherson Institute provides pedagogical training on a variety of educational technology tools that are institutionally supported.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
The MacPherson Institute has been focused on enhancing supports for teaching stream faculty.
The MacPherson Institute continues to expand opportunities to support and encourage teaching-stream faculty in advancing their scholarship and dissemination efforts.
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.
In partnership with the President’s Office, the MacPherson Institute supports the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning.
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.
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.
In partnership with the McMaster University Library, the MacPherson Institute supports the Open Education Resources Grant program.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The MacPherson Institute helped support several panel discussions about generative AI in teaching and learning.
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.
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.
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.
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
“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
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
“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