Podagogies: A Learning and Teaching Podcast

In this episode of Podagogies, we speak with Dr. Rachel MacHenry, Assistant Professor of Fashion at TMU, about her innovative course that brings first-year students to the rooftop urban farm to grow, harvest, and dye with natural plants. Blending sustainability, decolonization, and hands-on learning, the course invites students to reimagine fashion as a practice rooted in land-based knowledge and ecological reciprocity. From indigo to madder root, and now flax for linen, McHenry shares how the rooftop garden is transforming design education—and what it means to grow textiles and student engagement side by side. Rachel MacHenry is an Assistant Professor of fashion sustainability, decolonization and design. She has over twenty years of international experience developing textiles and fashion projects in collaboration with artisan communities in Haiti, Nepal, India, and Pakistan, and has worked on projects for both the Government of Canada and UNESCO. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3fafkpaf

In this inaugural episode of DocTalks, we introduce a brand-new branch of Podagogies dedicated to exploring the world of medical education. Co-hosts Curtis Maloley and Chelsea Jones welcome the new DocTalks co-host, Dr. Heather McNeil, Interim Assistant Dean of Faculty Development at the TMU School of Medicine. To kick things off, we're joined by Dr. Teresa Chan, an educational leader, researcher, and the founding Dean of the School of Medicine. Together, we dive into the evolving role of medical educators, the importance of mentorship, and how technology—from podcasts to AI tutors—is transforming how future healthcare professionals are trained. Dr. Teresa M. Chan is the Founding Dean of the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine as well as TMU's Vice-President, Medical Affairs. Previously, she served as Associate Dean, Continuing Professional Development and an Associate Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. She was also a Clinician Scientist with McMaster Education, Research, Innovation and Theory (MERIT), and has been a practicing emergency physician with Hamilton Health Sciences since 2013. Follow DocTalks on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/doctalks-presented-by-podagogies/doctalks-episode-1 Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/8tr26wey

In this special episode of Podagogies, Chelsea Jones shares insights from her experience leading a massive first-year course with 1,100 students, discussing the challenges of AI, academic integrity, and student engagement. Joined by educational developer Dr. M Dougherty, Chelsea explores critical questions: How are students actually using AI? How do we foster trust in the classroom? And what does it mean to teach critical thinking in an era of large language models? From revising rubrics to rethinking the course syllabus, this episode offer an honest look at the evolving role of teaching in a rapidly changing educational landscape. Read the transcript https://bit.ly/4kfa71l

In this episode of Podagogies, Chelsea Jones and Curtis Maloley continue their deep dive into the realities of teaching a large first-year course with 1,100 students. This time, the focus is on accessibility. Chelsea shares insights from an accessibility audit conducted by Dr. Ann Gagné, Senior Educational Developer for Accessibility and Inclusion at Brock University's Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. From small but impactful changes—like adjusting classroom lighting—to big structural challenges, they unpack the complexities of making large courses accessible. Read the transcript https://tinyurl.com/39etav49

Join us for an insightful episode with Dr. Jennifer Poole, an Associate Professor of Social Work at Toronto Metropolitan University and a Teaching Fellow at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Dr. Poole shares her groundbreaking research on grief in educational settings, drawing from her extensive experience and personal journey. We explore her use of circle methodology to create spaces for storytelling and healing, and discuss practical strategies for educators to acknowledge and address grief in the classroom. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of grief literacy and its critical role in teaching and learning.

In this episode, we explore the integration of Indigenous perspectives into psychology education with guests, Dr. Becky Choma, a social and political psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, and graduate students Anik Obomsawin and Jaiden Herkimer. They discuss the purposeful process they undertook to begin developing a new course on Indigenous Peoples and Psychology, which is being designed to address the impacts of colonialism on psychological research, teaching, and practice. The conversation covers the importance of collaboration with Indigenous scholars, the challenges of decolonizing academic curricula, and the need for ongoing support and relationality in these efforts. The episode offers valuable insights into how psychology can evolve to better include Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ycydyumd

Join hosts Chelsea Jones and Curtis Maloley as they dive into the world of open education and digital technology with Dr. Bonnie Stewart, a keynote speaker at the 2024 TMU Learning and Teaching Conference and associate professor at the University of Windsor. In this episode, Dr. Stewart shares her insights on generative AI, reflecting on her initial skepticism and her current views shaped by decades of experience in educational technology. They discuss the Gartner Hype Cycle, the ethical implications of AI in education, and the potential for both transformative and problematic impacts. Dr. Stewart emphasizes the need for educators to engage with AI thoughtfully, balancing innovation with a critical understanding of its effects on students and teaching practices. This episode is a must-listen for educators navigating the complexities of AI in the classroom. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yckaxcsa

The climate crisis affects students and educators alike, and requires complex solutions that draw upon expertise that transcends disciplinary boundaries. In this episode, Dr. Matthew Hoffmann and Dr. Christine Bolus-Reichert discuss a course they co-teach at the University of Toronto on Climate Futures, which brings together students from the disciplines of Political Science and English to engage in an imaginative process that offers new ways to connect with politics and to respond to climate change at both practical and personal levels. Speaker Bios: Matthew Hoffmann is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough and co-director of the Environmental Governance Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He teaches classes on international relations, global governance, and environmental and sustainability politics. His research on decarbonization, climate change and environmental politics has been published in 4 books and over 50 journal articles and book chapters. He also regularly contributes to media outlets such as The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and The Conversation and is the chair of the board of directors for the environmental NGO, Green Economy Canada. Dr. Christine Bolus-Reichert is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Toronto. Christine Bolus-Reichert's research centers on Victorian and neo-Victorian literature, especially ballads and romances; literary architecture and literary landscapes; and fantasy and science fiction. She is the author of The Age of Eclecticism: Literature and Culture in Britain, 1815-1885 (The Ohio State University Press, 2009), which focused on two broad understandings of eclecticism in the period—one understood as an unreflective embrace of either conflicting beliefs or divergent historical styles, the other a mode of critical engagement that ultimately could lead to a rethinking of the contrast between creation and criticism and of the very idea of the original. Read the transcript: http://tinyurl.com/4nsypsu5

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Maureen Connolly about the value of dissonance in post-secondary learning and teaching. A 3M National Teaching Fellow, Dr. Connolly discusses how her pedagogy focuses on cycles of change: changing knowledge, changing methods of learning and teaching, and a learning environment that is designed to move students out of habitual behaviors and habits of thought. The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence is also a moment of dissonance for both educators and learners, and Dr. Connolly offers advice for thinking through how we might respond to the challenges that it occasions. Speaker Bio: Dr. Maureen Connolly is a renowned Canadian educator and 3M National Teaching Fellow. She is Professor of Physical Education and Kinesiology at Brock University, and Director of the Brock-Niagara Centre of Excellence in Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yt6zxymz

Ready or not, Artificial Intelligence is part of our classrooms, and we can only begin to predict its impact on learning and teaching in higher education. In this episode, we chat pedagogy, academic integrity, and AI anxiety with Dr. Lai-Tze Fan, Dr. Jan Frijters, and Allyson Miller. Guest Speaker Bios: Lai-Tze Fan's general research and teaching interests include interactive and digital storytelling, research-creation and critical making projects, systemic biases in technological design, media archaeology, the Anthropocene and sustainability, digital and “smart” culture, critical infrastructure studies, and the digital humanities. In academic governance, they focus on fostering spaces of knowledge exchange and advocacy, especially through community collaboration. They serve as: an Editor and the Director of Communications for electronic book review, one of the oldest academic journals on the Internet; Co-Editor of the digital review; Advisory Board Member of McMaster University's Centre for Networked Media and Performance (CNMAP); and member of the Steering Committee of MediArXiv: The Open Archive for Media, Film, & Communication Studies, among other positions. Dr. Jan C. Frijters is a developmental and educational psychologist who divides his academic appointment between Brock University's Department of Child and Youth Studies and Department of Applied Disability Studies. His research focuses on evaluating outcomes for reading interventions, along with more basic research into the genetic and brain dynamics involved in acquiring reading skill. His teaching focus is split between disabilities and quantitative methodology, including statistical applications in education and developmental psychology. Allyson Miller is an Academic Integrity Specialist in the Office of the Vice Provost, Academic. With over a decade of experience supporting faculty instruction and student success, her passion for academic integrity stems from her deep belief in the value of learning. Read the Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/c967pmde

In this episode, Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani discusses the role of Open Pedagogy in digital justice and digital education futures. From creating and assessing Open Educational Resources to navigating digital redlining, we critically cover a range of pedagogical practices meant to offer students more agency. Guest Speaker Bio: Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani is the Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, where he directs the Inclusive Education Research Lab and is an affiliated member of the Social Justice Research Institute. The architect of Canada's first zero textbook cost degree programs, his scholarship focuses on open educational practices, student-centered pedagogies, and ethical approaches to educational technology. Read the Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ycyuhnpc

In this episode, we speak to a teaching team behind "Connecting for Climate Change Action," a course that blends science with storytelling and student reflection to help students take action. Dr. Katrina Moser, Dr. Beth Hundey, Sara Mai Chitty and Serena Mendizabal relay student stories and tell us how they learned to do more than teach the science of climate change as they work together to expand the course's reach beyond Western University. Read the Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mrav3h4s

In recognition of Wellbeing Week at TMU, two professors discuss their research on how educators can be purposeful about fostering student wellbeing in the classroom. Dr. Krystal Nunes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biology who is studying how students can develop the skill of resilience and learn to appreciate the importance of failure in the sciences. Dr. Dave Colangelo is an Assistant Professor of Digital Creation and Communication in the School of Professional Communication. His work focuses on the connection between creative assessment strategies and mental health. Both CELT Learning and Teaching Grant recipients, Dr. Nunes and Dr. Colangelo reflect on their research into the impacts of assessment choices and facilitation practices on student mental health and wellbeing. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y38n5u64

In this episode, Brock University Acting Vice-Provost of Indigenous Engagement Dr. Robin Bourgeois explains what it means to bring “heart-centered” pedagogy to the classroom and beyond. From the position of a classroom “auntie” who invites students to make mistakes, Dr. Bourgeois reveals the magic of her heartful teaching and its wide, growing reach across universities and communities. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ezb5dt9j

Dr. Terri Peters is an Assistant Professor of Architectural Science at X University. Her research focuses on building design, sustainability, health and wellbeing. In this episode, we imagine the future of classroom learning spaces, the benefits of biophilic design, and what it means to invite students back to in-person learning after two years of remote teaching during a global pandemic. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yckzybuh

Dr. Eric Da Silva is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Chair of the Designated Decision Maker Council at Ryerson University (renaming in process), a group of faculty members who are trained to adjudicate suspicions of academic misconduct. In this episode, we discuss the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and remote teaching on the prevalence of academic misconduct, and discuss ways that educators can create more meaningful assessments and structure pedagogy in ways that encourage academic integrity and support student learning. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4whphvth

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Yukari Seko and Asmaa Malik about what they call a “solution-focused” approach to graduate supervision. Together with seven other graduate supervisors they have been exploring new supervisory strategies that meet the needs and academic development of today's graduate students. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/sdn83zhk

In this episode, we explore the concept of ungrading: What is it? How do we get started? What might it mean for students in higher education? After attending the Digital Pedagogy Lab in 2019, Dr. Ebru Ustundag began exploring ungrading in her classes. Over the past year and half she has used ungrading as a teaching strategy to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to deepen student learning and agency. Join us for a discussion of why disrupting traditional grading practices in higher education might benefit both students and instructors. Dr. Ebru Ustundag is an Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies at Brock University, and a recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Teaching Excellence Award. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/62eu6jmy

In this episode we discuss the theme of distress in our pedagogy and how we handle and address distress with our students in an era of social crisis. Joining us is Dr. Tobin LeBlanc Haley, a Mad critical political economist and critical disability studies scholar who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at X University, and Dr. Fady Shanouda who is an Assistant Professor at The Pauline Jewett Institute of Women's and Gender Studies at Carleton University. A full transcript is available: https://tinyurl.com/49r7z2cn

As a non-Indigenous educator, and someone who's committed to developing an anti-colonial curriculum, Dr. Shiri Pasternak received a teaching grant to explore possibilities for centering Indigenous analysis, experience, history and epistemology in her classroom, and to do so in ways that take responsibility and build relationships with Indigenous peoples. This past year, she also surveyed her students about their learning experiences, and in this episode we delve into some of what she has learned throughout this process. Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/jfprfncw

Jesse Stommel teaches courses in pedagogy, film and new media, and is the Executive Director of Hybrid Pedagogy at the Journal of Critical Digital Pedagogy. Sean Michael Morris is a Senior Instructor of Learning Design and Technology in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado and Director, and Director of the Digital Pedagogy Lab, an experiential development place for global digital pedagogy communities. Together they co-founded the Digital Pedagogy Lab and co-authored the book "An Urgency of Teachers: the Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy." In this episode, we look back at a year of emergency remote teaching during a pandemic, and discuss its implications for the work of critical digital pedagogy moving forward. A transcript of the episode is available here: tinyurl.com/yheb2tul

Dr. Louis-Etienne Dubois is an Assistant Professor of Creative Industries, and Director of the Future of Entertainment Lab at Ryerson University. In transitioning his courses to an emergency remote environment, Louis decided to take a Slow Teaching approach that he describes as being "low tech and high human," and that focuses on time well spent. You can also read a transcript of the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cou5uA7g6LT_d8sRuH5NrwECy2dMpHOJtsSlaZtBlDk/edit?usp=sharing

Dr. Damien Lee is an Assistant Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence in the Department of Sociology at Ryerson University. In this episode we discuss Dr. Lee's unique approach to asynchronous discussions in remote teaching. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3mycfCj

Podcasts can be an effective tool for delivering course content and assessing student learning as post-secondary educators prepare to transition to fully remote teaching in the fall. Our guests share their own personal strategies for integrating podcasts in a range of disciplines from Communications to Nursing, and we discuss the impact of podcasts on student learning and engagement. Lots of great advice in this episode, including at least one crucial tip that Chelsea and Curtis still need to practice.

In this episode, we discuss the process of writing a teaching philosophy with Dr. Annette Bailey who is Associate Director of the Collaborative Degree Program in Nursing at Ryerson University. A recipient of numerous teaching awards and honours, Dr. Bailey shares her own teaching philosophy, and discusses how she builds intellectual partnerships with both graduate and undergraduate students to co-create knowledge. We also discuss how she empowers students to take control of their own learning and how she organizes debates in her classes as a way to encourage students to solve complex problems.

What does a relevant 21st century graduate education look like? As the purpose, meaning and scope of graduate education evolves to meet the challenges of an ever-changing social and technological landscape, we speak with two leaders in the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University: Dr. Jennifer Mactavish, Vice Provost and Dean, and Dr. Samantha Wehbi, Associate Dean, Student Affairs. From Graduate courses, comprehensive exams, and dissertations to transdisciplinary research and the importance of building a thriving graduate community on campus, we discuss how graduate education needs to transform to meet the needs of the future.

Dr. David Cramb is Dean of the Faculty of Science at Ryerson University, and a passionate advocate for reimagining science education at the post-secondary level. In this episode, we discuss how to shift the culture of science pedagogy in a direction that encourages students to embrace failure, to own the process of learning, and to learn science by doing science. From competency-based assessments to problem-based learning and getting undergraduates more involved in research experiences, to overcoming the tyranny of content in STEM and informing our teaching practice with evidence-based approaches, David Cramb offers a wealth of insight on the future of learning and teaching in the sciences.

This year’s OCUFA teaching award winner Frankie Stewart is known for her advocacy, mentorship, and her leading role in teaching students how to find their own voice and get buy-in for their ideas. She teaches hundreds mechanical engineering students each year—many in a movie theatre in downtown Toronto. Her tricks for reaching individual students in large classes? Structure, group work, and a steady supply of light switches, picture frames, and other knick knacks to take apart. Transcript available here: https://goo.gl/9hNj7g

In this episode, Dr. Anita Jack-Davies discusses culture clashes in the classroom and what it means to open difficult conversations about race, relationships, and (safely) bringing your identity into the classroom. From “other mothering” to filling in policy gaps, Dr. Jack-Davies discusses ways to support underrepresented students in our classrooms. Transcript available here: https://goo.gl/skFQ3X

After two years in the making, Paul Chafe and Aaron Tucker launched a team-built open access textbook this fall called "Write Here, Right Now: An Interactive Introduction to Academic Writing and Research." The interactive book serves an introductory writing course that seats over 1,000 students each year - and you can use it, too. In this episode, Chafe and Tucker explain why they opted to build a single, multimedia tool and how it became imperative to their team-based pedagogy. You can access the book through eCampus Ontario here: https://www.ecampusontario.ca/open_funding/write-right-now-interactive-introduction-academic-writing-research/ Transcript available here: https://goo.gl/omVJmk

What happens when you ask students to build a structure that will stop a hamster from falling into a bucket of boiling water? In the fourth episode of Podagogies, Vincent Hui leads us through a "super" experiential learning moment in his classroom. The award-winning instructor explains why he approaches teaching in a relational way, even if you're teaching classes not everyone likes to teach. Send us your feedback, questions and comments at podagogies@ryerson.ca. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://goo.gl/7wiak6

Can we really decolonize classrooms? In this episode, Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek cautions against jumping into "decolonization" too quickly. She describes her research on Indigenous learners and teachers' classroom experiences and strategizes around teaching difficult knowledge. Cote-Meek is the author of Colonized Classrooms: Racism, Trauma, and Resistance in Postsecondary Education and was the 2018 keynote speaker at Ryerson’s Learning and Teaching Conference. Send your thoughts to podagogies@ryerson.ca or comment below. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://goo.gl/JNeeBw

Dr. Eliza Chandler is an Assistant Professor in the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University. She is also the founding artistic director of Tangled Art Gallery, Canada's first art gallery dedicated to showcasing disability art and advancing accessible curatorial practices. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://goo.gl/eVnU4M

Welcome to the first episode of Podagogies. In this episode, we discuss the format and aims of the podcast, and unpack how educators might use land acknowledgements in their teaching. Please send us your feedback, questions and comments at podagogies@ryerson.ca A transcript of this episode is available here: https://goo.gl/W62K5D