Winterfest 2026

About

The CTL is excited to announce this year's Winterfest 2026 teaching and learning festival theme, From classroom to online: Designing meaningful learning experiences. Don't miss your chance to learn about strategies designed to engage students online, provide effective feedback, convert your course from in person to online, tech tool demos and more. Two highlights include an opening panel discussion with faculty on lessons learned from COVID on February 5, moderated by Rachel Berger, Vice-Provost in Innovation Teaching and Learning, and a poster session at 4^th Space which will showcase intentionally designed online courses across disciplines on February 19. 

Winterfest will take place Thursday, February 5 to Friday, February 27, 2026.

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026
Time: 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: Hyflex (The 4th Space in-person and HyFlex on Zoom)

Description

During the pandemic, faculty rapidly adopted new strategies in response to emergency remote teaching. While much has changed since then, many of the approaches developed during that period continue to shape effective teaching and learning today across modalities.

In this opening Winterfest panel, faculty come together to reflect on the online strategies that have had the greatest impact on student learning and experience and the lessons learned as we move toward more intentional online course design. 

Through concrete examples and practical insights, faculty panelists will share how they approached assessment, engagement, accessibility, and course organization during periods of remote teaching, and how these lessons continue to inform their teaching today. 

Whether you teach primarily in person, online, or blended you’ll leave with adaptable ideas to enhance student learning experiences in your own courses. 

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Identify key online and blended teaching practices that positively impact student learning and engagement across modalities.

• Reflect on which strategies adopted during remote teaching remain relevant for intentional online or blended course design today. 

• Apply at least one concrete idea from the panel to strengthen clarity, engagement, or accessibility in their own teaching context.

   

Moderator

• Rachel Berger, Vice-Provost, Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Panelists 

• Ann-Louise Davidson, PhD, Director, Innovation Lab, Strategic Advisor, Innovation, Faculty of Arts and Science Professor, Education
• Patrick Delaney, Teaching Professor, Accountancy
• Dr. Catherine Calogeropoulos, PhD, Part-time Faculty, Biology and Geography, Planning and Environment
• Teresa Hernandez Gonzalez, PhD, Teaching Professor, Education

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: HyFlex (H-629 in-person and online Zoom)

Description

This hands-on workshop is designed to support faculty members interested in converting one or more in-person course elements for online delivery. Participants will examine key course components—lectures, activities, assessments, and interactions—to identify which transition smoothly online and which require intentional adaptation.

Through guided prompts, practical examples, and structured peer exchange, participants will explore and identify priority areas for redesign, key pedagogical and logistical questions, and realistic next steps tailored to their course context. 

This session is well suited for instructors at any stage of exploration—from early curiosity to active planning—and does not require prior experience with online course design.

Learning outcomes: 

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify which elements of an in-person course are online-ready and which require adaptation 

• Make pedagogically sound modality-appropriate decisions regarding where and how to adapt course components for online delivery

Develop a preliminary plan for adapting one or more course components for online course delivery

Speaker

• Sumin Song, Assistant Professor, Supply Chain and Business Technology Management
• Eric Hatch, Lead Learning Experience Designer, eConcordia

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Time: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: In-person Hall studio (H-405)

Description

Concordia’s supported lecture capture tools - YuJa, Teams, and Zoom - help instructors record and share course content for student study and review. In addition to these tools, the CTL, IITS, and eConcordia also offer large capacity lightboard technology in dedicated studio spaces on both campuses. A lightboard is a glass writing surface illuminated by LED lighting that allows handwritten content to appear clearly and vividly on video as it is recorded. In this session, participants will tour the Hall building’s self-service lightboard studio as well as view demonstrations of both the Loyola and eConcordia studio spaces. Participants will also explore how lightboards can be used to create visually engaging lessons and tutorials featuring dynamic handwritten notes, numeric expressions, notations, derivatives, illustrations and more, while learning how to operate the equipment and request support services as needed.

Learning outcomes: 

By the end do this session participants will be able to:

• Describe what lightboard technology is and broadly explain how it functions
• Articulate key pedagogical reasons for using a lightboard in teaching and learning
• Differentiate between the available lightboard project types by comparing their key features and use cases  
• Identify the lightboard studio locations on both campuses and navigate the booking process for each

Speaker

• John Bentley, Senior Instructional Developer, Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Johnny O'Neil, Technical Supervisor, IITS
• David Sauvé, Lead Video Editor and Manager, Video Team, eConcordia

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (EST)
Location: HyFlex (H-629 in-person and online Zoom)

Description

Concordia has been adding to a growing list of institutionally supported technologies that can be used for classroom teaching as well as remote teaching online. During this workshop we will explore some of the main tools available to faculty and examine some of the ways they can be used to enhance and improve learning. The workshop is intended to help familiarise faculty with a growing collection of tools and guidelines while demystifying the modalities and strategies that go along with using them. YuJa, Moodle, Teams, Zoom, Office 365, Lightboard, Copilot (AI), Turnitin are some of the main tools we will examine. But we will also explore their application using different modalities such as blended, and online learning. Please note that this workshop will involve group work and active learning as we spend time reflecting on course planning by examining connections and practicing design.    

Learning outcomes: 

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify a basic list of institutionally supported educational technologies available to instructors at Concordia.

• Defend the benefits of using one or more of the educational technologies by providing a list of reasons that support the use of the tool and impact on student engagement and learning.

• Design a short learning activity or assessment that uses one or more of the tools identified.   

Related goals/objectives: Nurture an open and collaborative community of educators that values teaching and learning.

Speaker

• John Bentley, Senior Instructional Developer, Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Ana Maria Isac, Educational Technologist, Centre for Teaching and Learning

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: HyFlex (H-629 in-person and online Zoom)

Description

This workshop explores how key pedagogical considerations shift across different teaching modalities: in-person, blended, HyFlex, and fully online. Participants will learn how to leverage core Moodle tools intentionally to address these shifts and enhance the student experience.

Through practical examples and short reflective activities, the session will highlight how modality influences both pedagogical and logistical decisions in Moodle. We will examine how design choices and intentional use of core Moodle features can significantly impact clarity, course structure, student engagement and interaction. The workshop emphasizes actionable strategies and transferable principles that instructors can apply when adapting an existing Moodle course or designing a new one for a different modality. 

Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Analyze how key pedagogical considerations (structure, interaction, cognitive load, and alignment) vary across in-person, blended, HyFlex, and online modalities.  

• Identify Moodle tools that best support different pedagogical purposes depending on the teaching modality. 

• Evaluate Moodle course design choices in relation to modality-specific student needs and learning experiences.  

• Apply practical, modality-informed adjustments to improve clarity, consistency, and alignment in their Moodle courses.

Speaker

• Ana Maria Isac, Educational Technologist, Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Anna Sokolovskaya, Manager (interim) Teaching & Learning Ecosystem,
  IITS

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: 4th Space

Description

This interactive poster-style showcase highlights how Concordia faculty and staff have approached the transition from in-person to online teaching. Through brief case studies, course examples, and support models, presenters will share practical strategies, design decisions, challenges encountered, and lessons learned.

Participants are invited to circulate, ask questions, and engage in informal conversations with colleagues about what it takes to design meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable online learning experiences. Posters may feature course redesigns, assessment approaches, student engagement strategies, use of educational technologies, accessibility and inclusion practices, and institutional supports available to faculty.

This session emphasizes learning from one another and recognizing the collective expertise across the Concordia community.

Learning outcomes: 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify concrete examples of how Concordia courses have been adapted for online delivery

• Describe practical strategies for supporting student engagement, assessment, and learning in online environments

• Recognize common challenges in moving courses online and approaches used to address them 

• Identify institutional resources, services, and supports available for online course design and delivery

• Reflect on ideas and practices that could be adapted to their own teaching context

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST)
Format: HyFlex (H-629 and in-person Zoom. In-person participants should bring a laptop or tablet)

Description

In this workshop, Professor McDonnell will share seven evidence-based principles* for providing meaningful and effective feedback in the online environment to support student learning and foster a collaborative and generative learning space. Using examples from her own teaching practice, she will highlight practical strategies and tools for providing feedback, such as video and audio tools, single-point rubrics, peer and self-assessment, scaffolded assessments, and reflective practice. 

*Reference: McDonnell, M. (2024). Meaningful feedback in the online learning environment. In L. Hill & P. Seitz (Eds.), Assessment of online learners: Foundations and applications for teacher education. Routledge.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:   

• Explain the role of meaningful feedback in assessment design to support student learning 

• Describe principles and strategies for providing meaningful feedback in online learning environments 

• Identify Moodle tools that can support feedback practices (e.g., rubrics, marking guides, Workshop module)

• Choose one feedback strategy/tool they would like to implement based on their course objectives and assessment plan 

Speaker

• Maggie McDonnell, PhD, Coordinator, Composition & Professional Writing, Department of English

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026
Time: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. (EST)
Format: HyFlex (H-629 in-person and online Zoom)

Description

This interactive workshop spotlights simple, practical shifts that spark energy and interaction in your classroom. With a focus on quick wins and easy techniques, this session is designed for faculty members looking to implement small, impactful changes that lead to significant improvements in student participation and learning outcomes, whether teaching in-person, blended, or online.

Learning outcomes:

• By the end do this session participants will be able to  

• Identify effective strategies for boosting student-instructor, student-student, and student-content interactions across various learning modalities.

Collaborate with peers to explore concrete techniques for actively engaging students.

Speaker

• Csaba Nikolenyi, Professor, Political Science
• Michael Colatruglio, Learning Experience Designer, eConcordia

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Location: H-629 in-person

Description

This two-hour, hands-on workshop invites instructors to bring an existing assignment and make targeted improvements to enhance clarity, authenticity, and academic integrity. This session will focus on designing assignments that connect learning to meaningful discipline practices and future applications.  

Through guided prompts, concrete examples, and facilitated support, participants will leave with a revised assignment effective for in-person, blended, and online delivery.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: 

• Adapt an existing assignment to better show how students think, make the task more meaningful, and encourage honest, original work.

• Identify design features that help an assignment work well across course modalities.

Who should attend

Faculty, instructional staff, and teaching assistants who are navigating assessment design across teaching modalities and in the presence of generative AI, and who are looking for practical, immediately applicable strategies. 

Speakers

• Margo Echenberg, PhD, Educational Developer, Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Ying Li, Curriculum Developer, Office of the Provost and Vice-President
• Dalia Radwan, Curriculum Developer, Office of the Provost and Vice-President