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Teaching & Learning

Our Approach

At McMaster, we advance human and societal well-being through innovative and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning.

We build on the university’s pioneering roots in problem-based learning (PBL), blending inclusive, experiential, inquiry-driven and research-informed practices that respond to today’s complex global challenges and in-demand careers.

From classroom innovations to institution-wide initiatives, we’re cultivating a culture that values reflection, takes risks and embraces new possibilities — whether through digital transformation, community engagement or interdisciplinary learning.

This spirit of curiosity and continuous improvement advances our commitment to equity, accessibility, belonging, and global engagement, ensuring that McMaster’s teaching and learning remain adaptable, future-ready and student-focused.

Discover how our teaching-stream faculty members are transforming the student experience through innovative pedagogy and leadership.

 

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Teaching & Learning Strategy Learn More

The implementation of the Strategy will impact how students learn, how instructors teach, and how staff support teaching and learning activities.

History of Teaching Innovation at McMaster Learn More

Discover how McMaster’s pioneering approaches to education have influenced teaching and learning from 1887 to today.

Awards and Grants Learn More

Our instructors have received national, international and university recognition for their work in the classroom and beyond. They have consistently innovated teaching and learning at McMaster and beyond, with the support of internal and external grants.

McMaster's Strategic Plan 2021-2024 Learn More

The second priority in McMaster’s Strategic Plan is Teaching & Learning. This priority focuses on supporting innovation, elevating teaching as a professional discipline, and equipping our students with the skills needed to make transformative impacts.

Our Core Units and Special Projects

Office of Community Engagement Learn More

The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) at McMaster University builds and supports reciprocal, community‑led partnerships that connect teaching, learning, research, and service with local communities for mutual benefit and public good.

Arts & Science Program Learn More

The Arts and Science Program is a distinctive, interdisciplinary undergraduate program that combines arts and sciences through inquiry‑based learning to foster critical thinking, social awareness, and adaptable skills, preparing students for a variety of future endeavors.

The INSPIRE Office of Flexible Learning Learn more

The INSPIRE Office of Flexible Learning fosters imaginative, kind, and flexible teaching and learning through interdisciplinary, experiential and experimental spaces and courses that expand how, when, and why students learn.

McMaster Continuing Education Learn More

McMaster Continuing Education (MCE) delivers flexible, online and blended programs that support lifelong learning, skill development, and career advancement for adult learners and professionals.

MacPherson Institute Learn More

The MacPherson Institute at McMaster University is the university’s teaching and learning centre. They cultivate a university culture where teaching is valued and learning deeply matters by supporting educators through professional development, curriculum design, educational technology, and teaching and learning scholarship.

VPTL Special Projects

Teaching and Learning News

Meet Lisa Richter, 2026-27 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence

Meet Lisa Richter, 2026-27 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence

Poetry has been at the centre of Lisa Richter’s life for as long as she can remember. She began writing poems in her early teens and continued through high school and university, seeking out workshops, courses, readings and literary communities wherever she could find them. “I’ve made a life, rather than a living, out of […]

Meet Lisa Richter, 2026-27 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence: Read More
Have planetarium, will travel

Have planetarium, will travel

In the dog days of summer, a professor and two students packed up McMaster’s portable planetarium and drove seven hours to Mattagami First Nation in northern Ontario. They had a star show to put on.   The visit came about through a connection between Robert Cockcroft, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, […]

Have planetarium, will travel: Read More
Welcome to an exciting new term: A message from President Susan Tighe 

Welcome to an exciting new term: A message from President Susan Tighe 

Dear members of the McMaster community, It always amazes me how quickly the time passes between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next, and I am confident I am not alone. It feels like we have just finished Spring Convocation when suddenly Welcome Week is on the doorstep. While the […]

Welcome to an exciting new term: A message from President Susan Tighe : Read More