Podagogies: A Learning and Teaching Podcast

In this special edition of Podagogies, Chelsea and Curtis sit down with faculty, contract lecturers, and staff attending Toronto Metropolitan University’s 2025 Learning and Teaching Conference. The conference has been a tradition every May at TMU for over thirty years. From considering the impacts of GenAI, to imagining more collaborative, caring, and inclusive learning spaces, members of TMU’s teaching community share their thoughts and insights from this year’s event. Many thanks to James Loney and Rachel Tekabo from TMU Libraries’ Digital Media Experience (DME) Lab for providing equipment and support for this recording. Photo credits: Nick Duarte and Robyn Joffe Featuring: Dr. Kateryna Metersky, Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing Louis Marrone, Contract Lecturer, Creative Industries Sherry Yuan Hunter, Program Director, Community Services, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education Lori Beckstead, Associate Professor, Media Production Allyson Miller, Director, Academic Integrity Office Dr. Wendy Freeman, Associate Professor, Professional Communication Dr. Glaucia Melo dos Santos, Assistant Professor, Computer Science Dr. Catherine Jenkins, Contract Lecturer, Professional Communication Brian Norton, Program Manager, Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services Dr. Allison Petrozziello, Assistant Professor, Politics and Public Administration Kamilah Clayton, Contract Lecturer, School of Social Work Karen Arthurton, Contract Lecturer, School of Social Work Read the transcript: https://tinyurl.com/579ez77m

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. M Dougherty (they/them) is an Educational Developer with an academic background in history and religious studies. Their interests include online and blended pedagogies, decolonial pedagogies, and universal design. Originally from the United States, they immigrated to Toronto with their partner in 2017 and have stayed ever since. They have taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Chang School, University of Toronto – Mississauga, Queen’s University, and Emmanuel College of Victoria University. They are a member of Congregation Darchei Noam in Toronto, and their hobbies include baking and board games. 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. Dr. Ann Gagné (she/her) has over 12 years’ experience in instructional design, curriculum, and educational development. As Senior Educational Developer, Accessibility & Inclusion, Ann supports accessible pedagogical considerations in course, assessment, and learning activity design, as well as resource selection. She works to foster educational communities and spaces where disabled learners’, faculty, and staff lived experience is acknowledged and supported. Read the transcript https://tinyurl.com/39etav49