Workshops

While GCAC’s workshops are designed with graduate students in mind, all members of the University of Toronto community are welcome to attend as many workshops as they wish. We offer two types of workshops: live online or in-person (synchronous) workshops and pre-recorded, on-demand (asynchronous) workshops. Registration for both types of workshops is required.

Synchronous workshops begin 10 minutes after the listed start time to give students travelling across campus a chance to get situated. They are not recorded.

Please click the title of each workshop to read the workshop description and registration details. Once you register, you will receive details on how to join each synchronous or asynchronous workshop you have chosen. If you are are not able to register online, please contact sgs.gcacreg@utoronto.ca to be registered manually.

GCAC’s weekly Listserv messages provide an easy way to keep track of what upcoming synchronous workshops we are offering each week.

Click here to jump to asynchronous workshops

Winter 2025 Workshops

Click each workshop’s title to register.

Chronological workshop calendar

Mon Mar 10: Conducting Interviews in Social Science Research

Interviews are the foundation of a lot of qualitative research methodology. This workshop will discuss strategies on how to conduct interviews for one’s own research, consider when to use structured, semi-structured, and un-structured interviews, and reflect on ethical considerations that go beyond getting approval from the Research Ethics Board.

Specifically, we will be focusing on how to draft the actual questions a researcher asks a research participant. What kinds of interview questions prompt dialogue and reflection? How best to avoid questions that elicit one-word answers? This workshop will explore ways of writing interview questions which reflect one’s research questions – and that produce meaningful interviews for everyone involved.

Please note: This workshop is not about preparing students to give interviews as job applicants. It is a workshop about conducting interviews as the researcher (interviewer) and not about being interviewed.

Wed Mar 12: Improving Your Slide Design

Presenting academic research can be challenging, but well-designed slides can help your audience follow dense information and grasp complex subject matter. This workshop will discuss principles for creating clear, accessible, and creative slides that help to illustrate your research.

Mon Mar 17: Preparing for Archival Research

Archival visits can be rewarding part of field research, but advanced planning is crucial for making the most of a trip. This workshop introduces students to general principles that apply to archival research in different disciplines. The workshop will discuss corresponding with archive staff, determining rules and expectations in advance, finding materials in unusual databases, and best practices for photographing, scanning, and saving materials.

Wed Mar 19: Designing and Presenting an Effective Poster Presentation

Early opportunities for graduate students to present their research come in the form of poster presentations at conferences, research days or other academic events. Presenting a poster can allow you to gain feedback on your research and initiate networking opportunities. In this workshop, we will discuss strategies for enhancing your ability to design a well-organized, informative and attractive poster. We will also consider common approaches to engage visitors and connect with individuals with shared interests.

Mon Mar 24: Preparing for Your Dissertation Defense

This workshop, aimed at doctoral candidates facing a defense within the next year, will guide students through the process of preparing for your dissertation defense. We will cover disciplinary differences in the defense, questions to ask your supervisor and department administrators, the defense presentation, and preparing for the question period.

Wed Mar 26: Formulating a Compelling Teaching Philosophy

The statement of teaching philosophy is a fundamental element of the teaching portfolio, which is required for applying to academic jobs. This workshop allows graduate students who have already had opportunities to teach to reflect on their teaching practice and market their unique outlook to potential employers. We will explore techniques to interrogate, identify and describe your approach to instruction and assessment. Beyond this, we will discuss how to support a teaching philosophy with evidence, even if your teaching experience is limited.

Asynchronous Workshops

WORKSHOPS ON-DEMAND (Pre-Recorded Videos)

Click the title of each on-demand workshop to be taken directly to its registration page, where descriptions are also available.

ADVANCED GRAMMAR
Identifying Verb Tenses by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Choosing Verb Tenses by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Using Reporting Verbs by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Identifying & Combining Clauses and Sentences by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Using Infinitives by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Using Gerunds by Dr. Adeiza Isiaka
Definite and Indefinite Articles – The Basic Rules by Dr. Katie Fry
Using Articles with Generalizations by Dr. Katie Fry
Using Articles with Countable and Uncountable Nouns by Dr. Katie Fry
Using Quantifiers by Dr. Katie Fry
Using a Corpus to Check Grammar by Dr. Katie Fry

USING CORPORA TO IMPROVE YOUR ACADEMIC WRITING
Part One: Introduction to Using Corpora to Improve Your Academic Writing by Dr. Katie Fry
Part Two: Consulting the Contemporary Corpus American English (COCA) to Improve Your Academic Writing by Dr. Katie Fry
Part Three: Building Your Own Corpus to Improve Your Academic Writing by Dr. Katie Fry

CULTIVATING GRADUATE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Preparing to Write a Grant Proposal by Dr. Jane Freeman
Writing Effective Literature Reviews by Dr. Jane Freeman
Developing Effective Note-Taking Strategies by Dr. Jane Freeman and Jeff Newman
Quoting and Paraphrasing: Working with Sources in the Social Sciences and Humanities by Dr. Peter Grav
Designing Graphics for Publication by Dr. Vaughn Mangal
Community Engagement: How to Effectively Communicate Research to the Public by Dr. Giulia Rossi
Writing a Personal Statement for PhD Applications by Stephanie Redekop
Giving Feedback on Student Writing (for TAs) by Stephanie Redekop
Building Community in the Online Environment by Dr. Cristina D’Amico

IMPROVING YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS
Preparing your Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Presentation by Dr. Cristina D’Amico
Strategies for Organizing Your Oral Presentation by Dr. Cristina D’Amico
Connecting with your Audience Online by Dr. Cristina D’Amico
Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations by Dr. Cristina D’Amico
Four PowerPoint Techniques for Academic Presentations by Dr. Matt Jones
Focus and Listening in Online Meetings by Dr. Matt Jones

IMPROVING ACADEMIC READING, WRITING AND SPEAKING IN ENGLISH
Making Requests Appropriately by Clare Nippard
Disagreeing Respectfully by Clare Nippard
Writing Emails with Your Audience in Mind by Clare Nippard
Building Your Academic Vocabulary by Lina Balsamo
Academic Idioms Part 1 by Lina Balsamo
Academic Idioms Part 2 by Lina Balsamo
Improving Your Graduate-Level Reading Skills by Dr. Katie Fry

IMPROVING ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING IN THE SCIENCES
Creating and Designing Poster Presentations for Scientific Conferences by Dr. Vaughn Mangal
Creating Effective Figures by Dr. Peter Sabatini
Writing CIHR Proposals by Dr. Peter Sabatini
Citation and Working with Sources in the Physical and Life Sciences by Dr. Peter Grav
Science Dissemination by Will Staples

WRITING IMRD (INTRODUCTION – METHODS – RESULTS – DISCUSSION) RESEARCH ARTICLES (for students in Divisions 2, 3 and 4)
Writing Titles and Abstracts by Dr. Peter Grav
The “I” in IMRD: Writing Effective Research Article Introductions by Dr. Peter Grav
The “M” in IMRD: Crafting Your Methods Section by Dr. Peter Grav
The “RD” in IMRD: Strategies for Successful Results and Discussion Sections by Dr. Peter Grav