January Newsletter

Help Us Redesign Our Newsletter: We're refreshing our newsletter and want to hear from you! Please take a couple of minutes to provide your feedback so we can make the newsletter more useful and relevant to our teaching and learning community.

Top Stories This Month

Looking Ahead to the New Year

Happy New Year, and welcome to the winter 2026 term! I hope you’ve all enjoyed a refreshing and well-deserved break.

The new term brings with it a chance to reflect on a productive fall. Our team at Teaching and Learning Services has been working diligently to champion student success and skill development, offer pedagogical professional development opportunities, improve on-campus and virtual learning spaces, and support university-wide events. The latest numbers highlight the essential work that TLS provides.

Recent events have only reinforced the need as a university to pursue community connections and partnerships at home and abroad. By connecting with colleagues outside of Carleton, we create opportunities for innovative and collaborative efforts to address complex global challenges. Initiatives such as the South Africa-Canada Universities Network (SACUN), for which Carleton is the anchor institution, and the MoU signing on Nov. 20 are just a few steps we’ve taken towards enhancing our international partnerships. I look forward to working with you all to expand on initiatives that help animate our global and community-engaged learning aspirations, be it through bringing partners together to share insights and strengthen our impact, to establish joint or dual degree pathways, or to create global classrooms. If you have ideas or partnerships you’d like to explore, please reach out to me directly.

Artificial intelligence continues to be at the forefront of discussions in higher education. When considered through the lens of literacy, AI opens the door to new possibilities that can foster innovation, enhance teaching and deepen learning, but it is not without its risks and challenges. We need to be prepared to approach AI literacy with a critical lens, while at the same time progressing with intent toward the future. With that in mind, we have developed a draft framework that provides guidance on the use of AI at Carleton, helping to ensure our community is equipped to engage with AI effectively, responsibly and ethically. We invite you to take some time to review the framework and provide your feedback by Jan. 31. 

As you make your way through the first few weeks of the term, remember that we are here to help you explore opportunities and address challenges in your courses, AI-related or otherwise. Whether you need guidance on assessment strategies or educational technology, would like to experiment with immersive learning environments or incorporate experiential learning into your courses, we're ready to assist. Please reach out for support. 

On behalf of all of us in the Office of the Vice-Provost, I wish you and your students all the best for the winter term! 

David J. Hornsby 
Vice-Provost (Academic and Global Learning) 

Reminder: Support for the New Term

If you're teaching a course this winter, remember that we have a variety of support available to help, including: 

• Classroom orientations: Familiarize yourself with the classroom you will be teaching in by booking an orientation. Our website also lists every general pool classroom by building and provides information on the technology available, along with a 360-degree image of the space.
• Classroom support: Our Learning Spaces team provides urgent, just-in-time support for classroom technologies in the general pool. If your class is in session and you require immediate assistance, call extension 3815 from the classroom phone, or 613-520-3815 from your mobile phone.
• One-on-one consultations: If you want to discuss any facet of your course, please complete our course consultation request form. We can provide pedagogical and educational technology support, from helping you develop a course communication plan to providing guidance on selecting and using educational technology tools.

• Course support drop-in hours: Stop by the Future Learning Lab on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon with your questions and get real-time help from our TLS team members. No registration required.

• Enhanced educational technology support: In addition to connecting via our support portal, we also offer telephone support. Call 613-520-2344 during business hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.).

TLS by the Numbers: Fall 2025

From creating experiential and immersive learning opportunities to promoting relationship-rich education, Teaching and Learning Services champions initiatives that help produce graduates who are engaged citizens ready to tackle global challenges. As we kick off the winter term, we’re taking one last look back at fall 2025 to celebrate some of our biggest accomplishments. Check out our TLS by the Numbers infographic for the highlights.

Real-World Learning Takes Flight: Responding to the Call for Experiential Learning

How can you give 100 students the intense, real-time experience of managing an aircraft’s complex systems without ever leaving the ground?

In his fourth-year aerospace engineering course, Prof. Derek Gransden faced the challenge of translating complex systems design theory into a practical, real-world context for a large class. He needed a way to introduce core concepts to his students, such as cockpit situational awareness, crew and resource management, and avionics.

Gransden found the solution through the Experiential Learning Hub‘s custom sim rig flight simulator. Read more. 

Need Help Submitting Final Grades?

If you're still working on getting your fall grades submitted, check out our Release Grades in Brightspace resource to help you finalize your grades in the LMS. Then, you can use our Submit Your Final Grades to E-Grades resource to help walk you through the steps of getting the grades out of the LMS into the E-Grades system in Carleton Central. 

Winter Prep Checklist

Take advantage of the increased motivation and willingness to engage at the beginning of the term, especially in a new year. Don't hope for engagement from your learners—plan for it! Here are a few resources to help you start the term strong:

• Copy or import your winter course shell(s): If you're doing this for the first time, don't be afraid to reach out for help!
• Update due dates, release conditions and availability settings
• Review your syllabus for clarity, accessibility and AI guidance
• Set up your gradebook before the term begins
• Explore tools like H5P, Pressbooks and FeedbackFruits to refresh activities
• Book a consultation or drop-in if you'd like support planning ahead

Help ensure a smooth first day of class by testing your educational technology:

• Review your classroom and request a classroom orientation ahead of the first day of class
• Sign in to Wooclap on the classroom computer and via PowerPoint (if using it)
• Launch a test Zoom meeting to verify functionality
• Try Kaltura Capture for recording lectures

Be sure to check out all our supported educational technology. If you'd like help with integrating these tools into your teaching and learning toolkit, reach out for support. 

Share Your Feedback on the Draft AI Framework Before Jan. 31

Carleton is seeking input on its draft AI Framework. The framework provides guidance on the use of AI at Carleton, ensuring academics, staff and students are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to engage with AI tools effectively, responsibly and ethically. All members of the Carleton community are encouraged to review the framework and provide feedback by Jan. 31.

The winter term is here, and so are the challenges: heavier workloads, new course launches and changing student needs. Don’t let the term's pressures slow you down. Thoughtful, inclusive and experiential course design can give you space to focus on teaching, not just managing tasks. By fine-tuning learning outcomes, aligning course components and leveraging the full suite of TLS-supported course design tools, you can streamline your workflow while maintaining high-quality instruction. 

We're ready to help you design courses that work smarter, not harder. Take full advantage of TLS support to:

• Refine or redesign rubrics for clarity and efficiency
• Integrate peer review to enhance learning and lighten your grading load
• Optimize course logistics, assessments and constructive alignment
• Explore inclusive, experiential and engaging teaching strategies

Submit a request via the TLS Support Portal and we'll work with you to help make your winter term more sustainable, impactful and stress-free.

As we head into a new term, here are five easy-to-implement tips that can help ensure your documents, presentations, webpages and text-input areas in Brightspace are accessible:

1. Headings: Organize content with proper heading levels (H1, H2, H3, etc.). Make sure to use headings in the correct order and do not skip heading levels.
2. Hyperlinks: Use descriptive hyperlink text that clearly indicates where the link leads. Make sure only hyperlinks are underlined.
3. Colour: Ensure that text and visuals have a high colour contrast (there are contrast checking tools that can help). Don’t rely on colour alone to convey information.
4. Alt-text: Add short, accurate descriptions for content-supporting images. Mark non-essential images as decorative.
5. Multiple formats: Whenever possible, share content in multiple formats (i.e., a Word document, PowerPoint file and PDF). 

For more in-depth information, explore eCampusOntario’s Accessibility Toolkit.

More News

• Nominate a Teaching Assistant for a 2025-26 Outstanding TA Award: If you've been working with a great teaching assistant, consider acknowledging their hard work by nominating them for an Outstanding TA Award. Teaching and Learning Services offers up to five university-wide awards per year. Winners will receive a certificate of recognition and $250.

• Save the Date for InspirED 2026: Teaching and Learning Services' InspirED symposium is happening on Tuesday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our theme this year is relationship-rich education — the power of learning through meaningful connections. Together, we’ll explore innovative ways of building relationships in an inspiring keynote, lively panel discussions, impressive project showcases, and interactive workshops and demos to help you put ideas into action. 

• STLHE Conference Call for Presentation Proposals: The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) has put out a call for proposals for its upcoming annual conference, which will be hosted by McMaster University and Mohawk College in June 2026. The deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 16. Teaching and Learning Services is here to help workshop presentation ideas or provide feedback on proposals before submission. Contact us to set up an appointment.

Upcoming Events and Workshops

• FeedbackFruits: Peer Review, Jan. 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Don't forget we host drop-in sessions every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Future Learning Lab (room 483) from 10 a.m. to noon to help you with your course needs. Bring your laptop and any teaching-related questions you have.

Missed an event? Watch recorded sessions on our Mediaspace channel.

Teaching and Learning Services
[email protected], 613-520-2344
410 Dunton Tower
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6

Need help? Request a one-on-one consultation.