The Teaching Community Conference is an opportunity to breathe further life into our  strategic commitment to innovative and connected teaching, research, and scholarship by sharing our experiences, challenges, and opportunities of advancing teaching and learning at UPEI.

Conference participants are invited to reflect on this theme and consider relevant questions such as:  

• What supports, skills, and critical capacities do faculty need to embrace the relational and connected nature of teaching?

• As we consider expanding the walls of our classrooms and broadening our partnerships, how do we ensure we aren’t simply supplementing traditional teaching practices but rather transforming what teaching itself means?

• How does a commitment to relational and connected teaching help build faculty capacity to recognize and respond to structural barriers students face?  

We are looking for proposals from the UPEI community that highlight current teaching and learning initiatives, share new ideas, and build collaborative strategies for a more inclusive accessible, and courageous university. Proposals from staff and faculty are welcome. There are four formats suggested for proposals:

• Traditional Oral Presentation: Presenters share a talk about a teaching and learning project or topic related to the theme, speaking for about 20 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes for questions.

• Lightning Talk: "Small Shifts, Significant Gains." Presenters share a teaching strategy or practice that they’ve found effective in supporting student learning, speaking for about ten minutes, followed by a short group discussion.

• Interactive Workshop: A hands-on session that encourages active participation and collaboration among attendees. The workshop could involve group activities, discussions, practical exercises, etc.

• Indigenous Sharing Circle: A facilitated, safe space for individuals to come together to discuss topics related to the theme, share their experiences, listen to each other, build relationships, offer support, and connect with each other.

• Facilitated Round table Discussion: A structured, collaborative conversation led by a facilitator to encourage open dialogue, balanced participation, and exploration of shared issues among participants. The session is guided by clear objectives and prompts, resulting in documented insights and agreed‑upon themes or recommendations.  

The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 23, 2026. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to TLC@upei.ca.