Faculty of Education News Bulletin

Top Stories

Dean’s message: welcome to the 2025-26 academic year – Welcome to the 2025-26 academic year! At York’s Faculty of Education, you are joining one of the largest and most innovative education faculties in the world–a vibrant community of learners, leaders, and changemakers. Read more

Congratulations to Molade Osibudo and Rachel Silver who were promoted from Associate Professor to full tenure

New Faces in the Faculty – A warm welcome to our new colleagues!

• Faculty: Zuhra Abawi
• Secondee: Asha Nagpal
• Course Directors: Elena Chou, Joseph Grdisa, Virginia Grimaldi, Nadia Khalili, Mariam El-Ma’Asarany

NEW Education-branded poster on display at the main entrance to Winter’s College – Our new Education-branded poster is now on display at the main entrance for all to see. Stop by, take a look, and reflect on the Faculty’s mission and the values that shape our community

Markham Campus welcomes BEd students – York University’s Markham campus welcomed students in the Consecutive Bachelor of Education program Primary/Junior division for the 2025-2026 academic year. Education's marcom’s team in partnership with Haystack Media created a brand NEW promotional video. Special thanks to our awesome ED students who participated in the video. Watch video

York Massey fellow to study youth, digital technology and identity – How can young people learn from their experiences and reshape who they are in a digital world that never forgets? That question will guide York University education scholar Mario Di Paolantonio’s research as a York Massey Fellow at the University of Toronto for the 2025-26 academic year. Read more

Associate Professor Qiang Zha gave a virtual lecture via Zoom titled Global Competance Education for a Just and Sustainable World: From Schools to Universities to faculty and graduate students with the bilingualism Research Lab at Western Sydney University

A documentary titled Resistencia Por El Agua created by Associate Professor Cristina Delgado Vintimilla under her SSHRC-NFRF, will be presented as part of the Justicia Amblental Festival de Cine in Ecuador

A Love Letter to Fellow Dreamers is a monthly, open-access newsletter co-founded by Assistant Professor Stephanie Fearon and Terry-Ann Groves, that celebrates the creativity, scholarship and dreams of Black mamas, women and girls across Canada. Each issue brings together new publications, interviews, reflections, and art, highlighting the voices and leadership of Black Canadian women in scholarly and creative spaces. This work is connected to professor Fearon’s research which examines the leadership and contributions of Black women, mothers, and girls in Canadian educational settings

Assistant Professor and current Graduate Program in Education Director Natalia Balyasnikova participated in a roundtable to celebrate the launch of Randia’s Quiet Theatre: Performing Care and Activism with a Romani Elder ,(Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston,McGill-Queen’s University Press, May 2025)

Education students showcase creativity in “Transitional Traces” art exhibition - Faculty of Education visual artists, Bennett De Medeiros and Dienna Howe and BFA visual artist Grayson King, showcased their work in Transitional Traces, an art exhibition held at the Special Projects Gallery in the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Centre earlier this September. Read more

New Year, New Leaders: Get to know the 2025-26 Faculty of Education Student Association (FESA) Council - The Faculty of Education Student Association (FESA) has undergone a major transformation to better serve the needs of its constituency. Over the past year, FESA has implemented new systems, restructured its operations, and launched fresh initiatives to ensure that every education student feels supported and represented. Read more

Discover the Education Resource Centre (ERC): A Hidden Gem for Education Students - Did you know that the Faculty of Education has its very own Education Resource Centre (ERC)? Tucked away in Winters College 023, the ERC is a dedicated hub designed to support Education students on their journey to becoming future educators and changemakers. Watch video

Awards & Recognitions

Celebrating Excellence in Research and Teaching – The Faculty is proud to hounor two exceptional faculty members (Lisa Farley and Natalia Balyasnikova) whose contributions to research and graduate education continue to shape our community in profound ways. Read more

Associate Professor Rachel Silver is one of the recipients of the 2025 Seed Grants in Critical Social Science Perspectives in Global Health Research. Read the announcement

Associate Professor Rachel Silver is the recipient of an IG Grant in the amount of $266,953 for her project Refugee Education Governance and Alternative Futures in Kenya 

Congratulations to Associate Professor Kurt Thumlert who was part of a research team nominated for a 2025 MIDI Innovator Award. The team was nominated in the Hardware Prototypes/Non-Commercioal Products category for their Shetu open-source software MIDI 2.0 research demonstrator. Learn more

Minister’s Award of Excellence honours York U Innovators – Congratulations to Faculty of Education PhD candidate Anna Pearson on being recognized with a 2024 Minister’s Award of Excellence from Ontario’s Ministry of College and Universities. The annual awards celebrate the work of faculty and staff at publicly assisted colleges and universities who are making a difference in students’ lives, in their communities and in the province. This year, there were more than 170 nominations and only six recipients selected, including professors, researchers and post-secondary leaders. Read more

Research Office

Selected Research Funding Opportunities

• Minor Research and Development Grants: November 15, 2025. Please use the following updated link to apply for a Minor Research and Development grant: APPLICATION FOR MINOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT GRANT Revised 2022

External

• SSHRC Indigenous Capacity and Leadership in Research Connection Grants: September 23, 2025
• IDRC Connecting Indigenous Research Leadership in Canada and the Global South: September 23, 2025 Insight Grants: October 1, 2025
• Indigenous Science and the Impacts of Plastic Pollution: October 16, 2025
• Indigenous Innovation and Leadership in Research Network Grants: EOI October 21, 2025
• Artificial intelligence humanities sandpit: October 30, 2025
• SSHRC Connection Grants: November 1, 2025
• CIFAR Global Scholars Program: November 5, 2025
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grants: November 17, 2025
• SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grants: The Arts Transformed: December 2, 2025
• SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants: December 15, 2025
• France-Canada Research Fund (FCRF) New Research Collaboration Program: December 16, 2025
• SSHRC Insight Development Grant: February 2, 2026
• SSHRC Partnership Grant – Stage 1: February 10, 2026

Internal

• SSHRC Explore Grant: October 31, 2025
• SSHRC Exchange – KMb Grant: October 31, 2025
• Minor Research and Development Grants: November 15, 2025
• Global Research Excellence (GRE) Seed Fund: Stream A - Rolling. Proposals will be accepted till the end of April 2026 or funds are expended/committed (whichever comes first). Stream B - January 5, 2026

Please contact the OADR (research@edu.yorku.ca) if you have questions or would like support in preparing a submission for any of the grants and awards below.

Upcoming SSHRC Webinars

Graduate Programs Office

Course Director and recent PhD graduate Louise Azzarello has published her dissertation as a book titled Interrogating Neoliberalism and Cruel Optimism in Education: The Radical Potency of Despair. Read more

Michelle Letourneau, a student in the MEd Urban Indigenous Education cohort, created a short video showcasing the beadwork piece that formed part of her research. Watch the video (the sound can be turned off as the audio was not added intentionally)

Congratulations to Dr. Karen O’Meara on the successful defense of her PhD dissertation, The Impact of Arts-Based Mentoring Relationships on the Development of Student Agency and Creative Work in the Drama Classroom. Framed by Indigenous values of relationality and reciprocity and driven by a commitment to decolonizing research practices, Karen’s dissertation explores the transformative power of arts-based mentorship within elementary and secondary drama classrooms, particularly during critical educational transitions. Using a qualitative approach that blends narrative inquiry, drama-focused participatory action research, and ethnodrama grounded in devised theatre and metaphorical reflection, this research culminated in student-authored and post-research ethnodrama scripts. Appreciation to her supervisor, Dr. Chloë Brushwood Rose, along with the examining committee members, for their guidance

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Office

Innovating Classroom Technology - The DHH team worked closely with Dan Becker and Helen Brennagh throughout the summer to improve our workflow with Zoom and Panopto files and how they are integrated with eClass into our classroom learning. This important work provides our part-time students with timely access to lectures, while efficiently managing the captioning of our video recordings and note-taking for students with accommodations. We are excited to report near-full automation between recording Zoom lectures, uploading to Panopto with integrated captioning, and sharing to eClass for student viewing and interaction. Many thanks to Helen and Dan for their support with this initiative

2025-2026 Enrollment and Orientation - This year the DHH program welcomes 49 new and returning students from all regions of Ontario and several provinces throughout Canada. The program is offered online synchronously for full-time students and asynchronously for part-time students. Classes began on August 18 with a full week of DEST 3770 Deaf Studies—Introduction for all first-year students, both full and part time. All incoming students are required to participate synchronously online for this intro course and orientation, where they get to know the program, faculty and staff, and their fellow classmates

A major focus of this week is to orient the students to the online learning environment and help them become comfortable using applications such as eClass, Panopto, Coggle, Mentimeter, OneDrive, Padlet, and Zoom. Students are also introduced to accessibility strategies, such as video-captioning assignments, that are a key component of both the program and their future practice as teachers of the deaf.

Upcoming Events:

• Students have three practicum observation dates coming up mid-way through September and October where they will be visiting the Intensive Support Programs (ISP) in the TDSB. Students outside of the GTA will be visiting similar programs in their communities
• The DHH Program will be hosting an Information Night in late October/early November as part of our annual student recruitment activities. This event will take place over Zoom and allow prospective applicants the opportunity to meet our faculty, learn about the program, and ask any questions they may have

Professional Learning Office

Faculty Callout: Empower your students with the Math Resource Hub! Are your students looking for extra support in their preparations for the MPT?

Now open!

The Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT) Resource Hub is open for free to York U B.Ed Year 2 students! Developed by Professional Learning, this self-directed resource hub:

• Allows candidates to access and navigate resources based on their individual needs
• Provides curated learning resources that correlate with math concepts and math pedagogy
• Allows candidates to assess their knowledge and understanding and create a personal learning pathway
• Provides up-to-date information about the test as released by MoE/OCT/EQAO

Please have your students contact raiseyouraq@edu.yorku.ca for more information.

Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora

York’s Y2 Innovators program builds confidence, community for Black students – In 2022, Black high school students from the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) were invited by York University’s Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora to the Keele Campus to take part in “A Day at York”. The event was designed to help middle and high school students imagine themselves in a post-secondary environment and explore academic and career possibilities. Read more

We’re excited to share the very first issue of The Pulse, The Jean Augustine Chair newsletter. This launch marks an important step in how we share the work we’re doing across education, community, and research in the areas of education, employment, housing, health and social justice, and how we stay connected with you. Inside, you’ll find highlights of the past year, including programs we’ve run with students, community conversations we’ve hosted, and the research we’ve been growing. It’s been a season of learning, building, and imagining new possibilities.
Read issue

Resources for Faculty

Transform Your Faculty Profile with Discover York Academics: Create Your Profile Today! - Discover York Academics, an innovative electronic curriculum vitae (CV) tool aimed at highlighting the exceptional work of faculty. This searchable database allows faculty to showcase and store their research, publications, scholarly and creative works, as well as related teaching and professional activities, all in one centralized profile. Please consider creating yours this fall and/or updating your profile annually or on an on-going basis. Learn more

Email Signatures - For consistency across the Faculty and to support York University’s success in rankings, please click here  for instructions on how to update/brand your email signature

IT Corner

Welcome to the fall semester. Inspired by recent discussions at the Faculty Launch we’re highlighting key developments and resources related to artificial intelligence (AI) at York. Topics include institutional policies on AI use for students, faculty, and staff, as well as information about York’s proprietary AI tools—AURA and Copilot.

AI Use for Students
AI use in academic settings is governed by individual instructors. According to York University's Academic Conduct Policy and Procedure, the use of AI tools (e.g., text, image, code, or video-generating AI) without proper citation or documentation may be considered academic misconduct. If an instructor prohibits AI use on any part of an assessment, using those tools may constitute a breach of academic integrity. Students are responsible for adhering to their instructors’ guidelines and are encouraged to seek clarification when uncertain about appropriate AI use. In general, undocumented or unreferenced use of generative AI may be considered misconduct. More information is available on the Student Guidelines for Generative AI page

AI Use for Faculty
While York University does not mandate AI use for faculty, it encourages the development of AI literacy and the adaptation of assessment strategies to reflect AI’s evolving role in education. Faculty members have full discretion to incorporate or restrict generative AI in their teaching. Resources are available to support responsible integration of AI, including AI 101 and the AI for Faculty page. Academic integrity remains a central consideration, and York’s Academic Integrity and AI Technology page offers guidance on ethical and appropriate use

AI Use for Staff
Staff use of AI in administrative or operational activities needs to be approved by management. York’s Principles and Guidelines for Generative AI emphasize ethical use, transparency, accountability, and data protection.

YU AURA Platform
New for Fall 2025, York University has launched YU AURA (Automated University Response Assistant), an in-house AI platform that enables users to build custom AI agents without coding experience. AURA can be integrated into eClass and supports course design, research, and administrative tasks. Instructors who wish to use AURA must submit an AURA Request Form

Copilot at York
Copilot, available through Microsoft 365, is a secure AI tool designed to enhance productivity, creativity, and efficiency in academic and administrative contexts. It offers features such as email drafting, content summarization, predictive browsing, and data analysis. York University ensures Enterprise Data Protection when users log in with their Passport York ID. Data processed during Copilot sessions is not saved, shared, or used to train AI models. IT administrators cannot monitor or audit user activity within Copilot. Users are advised to follow York’s Microsoft 365 Data Guidelines to ensure compliance and security. More information is available on the Copilot Information Page

The bottom line?
Just like everywhere else, AI has arrived at York. While its use remains optional, developing critical AI literacy is easy to recommend. With the speed at which AI is accelerating, it will be challenging to keep up with all of the advancements but hopefully newsletters like this can help provide information with how the University sees it so everyone can make informed decisions

New Publications

Professor Emeritus Paul Axelrod and Professor and Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora  Carl James are amongst the co-authors of a forthcoming book titled The Story of a Generation. The book is the culmination of a study, headed by Paul Anisef, professor emeritus from the department of Sociology, and presents the longest-running Canadian generational study of its kind, tracking nearly 50 years in the lives of a high school cohort from 1973

Associate Professor Qiang Zha

• Co-authored a new article titled Reinventing the teaching-research nexus to foster university education in the twenty-first century in Compare: A journal of Comparative and International Education
  
• Co-authored a book chapter (with doctoral student Ya Xuan Wang) titled University Policies on Employee Remote/Hybrid Work: Would Converging Policies Entail Any Sustainable Change in Institutional Operations? in The Emerald Handbook on International Higher Education: Navigating Workforce and Leadership Changes in a Digital Age

Associate Professor Molade Osibodu and colleagues have published a new article titled A Lesson in Critical Financial Literacy in Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12

Associate Professor Cristina Delgado Vintiilla has co-authored a new book titled Pedagogies of Proximity: The making of an Itinerant School published by U of T press

PhD student Prilly Bicknell-Hersco has a new publication, a chapter titled Pro-Black Pedagogy in early Years Education: A personal Narrative of Black Motherhood in Disrupting anti-Black racism in early childhood settings: A pedagogy of promise

Course Director Louise Azzarello has published a new book titled Interrogating Neoliberalism and Cruel Optimism in Education: The Radical Potency of Despair 

Course Director Elena Rakitskaya has co-authored an article titled The Truth about Lies and Lies about the Truth in a special issue of Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry

In The Media

Please note: Some media stories mentioning York University are behind paywalls. To ensure accuracy and accessibility for our community, we only include articles we can fully access and verify. 

‘One of the Most Egregious Interventions in University Autonomy We’ve Ever Seen’
Professor and Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora Carl James was quoted in The Local Sept. 11

Meet the TDSB principal who welcomes cops back in schools
Carl James, professor and Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University, was quoted in TorontoToday.ca July 4

Canada can lead efforts to reform foreign aid that neither cuts nor continues the status quo, Associate Professor Rachel Silver co-authored an article in the Globe and Mail, May 14

Grants to drive innovation in education and interdisciplinary research
Associate Professor Gail Prasad was mentioned in University of Ottawa Aug. 14

Bringing Together Diverse Stakeholders to Reimagine Higher Education
Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at York University, was quoted in United Nations Impact Report

Students an important focus at big UN sustainability event
Katrin Kohl, co-chair of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at York University, was quoted in University World News July 27

Faculty of Education Student Association (FESA)

FESA’s Professional Development Conference: SHIFT 2025 - FESA will be hosting their annual professional development Conference on Nov 15, 2025. This year’s theme is SHIFT, a call to reimaging and shifting how we think about education. A call to presenters has gone out and we encourage any profs interested to apply by Sunday October 5^th. We are also seeking sponsors and vendors for this event, if anyone is interested please see more details on our website

Movie Night - FESA will be hosting a movie night for Education Students after the Fall Reading Week. More details to come soon

Office Hours - The FESA office is now open and office hours can be found on the FESA website. Come by and chat with us, ask questions and buy FESA merchandise

For more details please follow FESA on:

• Instagram (@FESAYorkU)
• Facebook (@FESAYork)
• LinkedIn (@FESAYorkU)
• Website www.fesayorku.com

Alumni News

Alumnus Sheila Harms has authored a book that calls for a more compassionate approach to psychiatric education and practice. Learn more

York Education Alumni Network (YUEAN) – Exciting Year Ahead! - The York University Education Alumni Network (YUEAN) has a full slate of initiatives this year. The new Mentorship Program, a partnership between The Faculty of Education Student Association (FESA) and YUEAN, is off to a strong start, with an orientation for mentors and mentees coming in October. Later that month, YUEAN will host a panel event bringing together alumni, students, and experts to share insights and experiences. Finally, YUEAN is thrilled to announce the launch of its very own podcast! Interested in getting involved or being a guest? Contact Jason, Chair of YUEAN, through the alumni office email at alumni@yorku.ca

Jane-Finch roots inspire York alumni to bridge community and campus - For decades, the Jane-Finch neighbourhood has been in media headlines that focus on crime and poverty. But York University alumni are helping rewrite that narrative through education, mentorship and community investment. Two graduates, Talisha Ramsaroop  (former ACE student) and Krystle Skeete, who are former residents of the Jane-Finch community, are leading efforts to empower youth and strengthen ties between York and the surrounding community. Learn more

News from the York Community

Watch the Fall 2025 President’s Town Hall – Students, faculty, instructors, course directors and staff at York University were invited to a virtual town hall on Sept. 18. The full town hall video is now available to the York U community

York announces interim provost and interim vice-president equity, people and culture - Dr. Laina Bay-Cheng will assume the role of interim provost and vice-president academic on Jan. 1, 2026 continuing to Dec. 31, 2027 to allow the search for York’s next president to  proceed. Read announcement

Message from Jacky Duong (Director, Strategic Communications, VPS Communications & Marketing) re new policies for students - This September, two new policies were introduced that impacts students

• YU-card / Exam ID policy – Effective September 2025, the YU-card will be the only acceptable piece of ID for tests and exams
  • Contact: Mary Dytyniak (VPS Communications)

Policy on Academic Considerations for Missed Course Work - Only applicable for UG, excluding JD. New policy meant to bring temporary academic relief for students who might miss course work, assessments, because of unavoidable situation

• Comms Plan
• Approved Content – Faculties, you are asked to recycle newsletter features in October
• Approved Content [FR]
• Contact: Jacky Au Duong (VPS Communications)

Call for Nominations for FGS Teaching Awards 2025–26
Deadline: November 15
The FGS Teaching Award is bestowed annually on a member of FGS who has displayed substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at York. The nominator may be any member of FGS, including regular or adjunct faculty, graduate students or staff. 
Learn more

University statement on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - Ten years after the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s final report, York University community members are invited to reflect on progress, missteps and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation. Read statement

Faculties of the Future report available to York community - The final report on the Faculties of the Future is now available to the York University community to read and engage with summary recommendations emerging from the consultations. Learn more

Anderson Coward
Communications & Marketing Specialist

Adam Riley
Web Designer & Developer

Devonte Ellis
Communications & Marketing Assistant
Summer Student

Barb Rodezno
Director - Strategic Communications, Marketing & Outreach