A&S Teaching & Learning Community of Practice 2026-27: Hands-On and On-Air: Creative Approaches to Student Engagement

Promoting Active Learning, Collaboration, and Visualization: Manipulatives for Multivariable Calculus at Scale

Presenters:

Asif Zaman, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Mathematics

Arthur Qiu, PhD Candidate, Department of Mathematics

Yuzhe Liu, Teacher Candidate, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)

Courses that involve abstract or conceptually complex material often place strong demands on students’ ability to visualize and interpret ideas, yet standard resources frequently rely on static representations that can limit engagement. We will share our experience incorporating hands-on, manipulative-based activities into a proof-oriented multivariable calculus course with a large cohort. Low-cost, custom-built tools were developed and used in tutorials to support active learning, collaboration, and visualization. Our focus will be the design process and impact, including what worked, key challenges, and how feedback informed changes.  We will share reflections relevant to instructors across disciplines seeking interactive approaches in large classes.

More than Tequila: Podcasting as a Tool for Language, Culture, and Student Engagement 

Presenters: 

Juan Carlos Rocha Osornio, Associate Professor, Department of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies

Carter Ponce, Founder, VoV Media

How can we extend language and cultural learning beyond the classroom in ways that resonate with today's students? In this session, I will share the story behind "More than Tequila", a podcast created to explore Latino culture from a Canadian perspective through authentic conversations and stories. I will discuss the pedagogical motivations for the project, the role of podcasts as accessible tools for language acquisition and cultural learning, and how this medium has helped me connect with university students through meaningful, real-world content. The session will invite discussion on integrating digital media into language teaching.