Call for Proposals

Black banner with white and colorful text announcing ‘evolvED.’ The word ‘evolvED’ features a gradient of GBC brand colors with two orange arrows pointing right. Below, the tagline reads: ‘Intentionally Evolving Together: Challenges, Inspiration, & Possibilities.’ The event date, ‘Friday, June 6, 2025,’ is in white. On the left, the Learning Teaching Exchange logo with a stylized ‘X’ in GBC colors, and on the right, a circular abstract design with three curved shapes in blue, green, and purple.

Call for Proposals – evolvED 2025
Intentionally Evolving Together: Challenges, Inspiration, and Possibilities

Our GBC (George Brown College) year-end conference, sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Exchange (TLX), is an annual event focused on teaching and learning. It is a chance to highlight and celebrate all of the teaching innovation and excellence that is happening across GBC. This one-day conference, taking place Friday, June 6th, 2025,at our Limberlost Campus and online, will include a keynote presentation by Dr. Elizabeth "Dori” Tunstall, concurrent sessions led by GBC faculty, lunch, a SoTL photo showcase, and a reception at the end of the day. In-person participants will have an opportunity to join online sessions. Likewise, some of the in-person elements will be livestreamed online.

This year's theme is Intentionally Evolving Together: Challenges, Inspiration, and Possibilities.

Higher education is in a state of disruption and is being shaped by emerging technologies, shifting student needs, and evolving societal expectations. In this dynamic landscape, we are called not just to adapt, but to evolve—intentionally and together.

This year’s conference theme, Intentionally Evolving Together: Challenges, Inspiration, and Possibilities, invites us to reflect on key questions: What challenges us to grow as educators, students, and institutions? Where is our inspiration in times of change? What new possibilities emerge when we approach evolution with intention?

We recognize the challenges and possibilities. From generative artificial intelligence to the mental health crisis and from fostering inclusion to reimagining student engagement, this conference will explore the tensions, triumphs, and innovative ideas that are shaping our teaching practices and the future of post-secondary education. We invite you to submit a proposal and contribute to our conversations as a teaching and learning community. All GBC employees are welcome to submit proposals.

Conference Streams & Ideas for Topics:

Challenges. What roadblocks have you encountered in your teaching or institutional work? What shifts in student needs, technology, or institutional structures have challenged the way you approach education? How are you navigating the complexities of AI, academic integrity, accessibility, or student engagement? What conversations do we need to have to ensure continual evolution?

Inspiration. What stories of resilience, innovation, or success have emerged from your practice? How have students inspired you to think in new ways? What new strategies to teaching, assessment, or collaboration are transforming your teaching practice? How can we reframe challenges as opportunities for growth?

Possibilities. What is possible for the future of post-secondary education if we embrace evolution intentionally? How are emerging technologies, interdisciplinary partnerships, and inclusive teaching models opening doors to new ways of learning? How do we build educational experiences that prepare students for an ever-changing world?

This conference is a space for us to come together and discuss and reflect on the past, engage with the present, and explore the future. Through shared insights, challenges, and ideas, we can evolve the future of teaching and learning. Intentionally. Together.

Session Formats:

  • Sessions can be formatted as a 20-minute or 50-minute interactive presentation, lab, demonstration, workshop, panel presentation or pecha kucha. Proposals may be designed for in-person, online, or hybrid delivery. Please indicate your preferred format and any technological needs in your submission.
  • 20-minute Spotlight talks: Short, focused presentations where speakers highlight a key idea, project, or a challenge and solution or a session where presenters demonstrate a tool, strategy, or research finding.
  • 50-minute interactive workshops: Ideal for hands-on learning, skill-building, or case studies where participants actively engage. The goal is for participants to leave with practical skills, new perspectives, or tangible takeaways they can apply in their work.
  • SoTL Photo Showcase: Those interested in presenting at the SoTL photo showcase (in-person only) are invited to submit a high-resolution photo that represents a SoTL project—whether in development, underway, or recently completed. Each submission should be accompanied by a 250-word abstract describing the project and its current stage. For projects in development or in progress, the abstract may outline the topic, proposed methods, preliminary findings (if applicable), and anticipated impact, while completed projects may provide a more comprehensive overview. We welcome a diverse range of SoTL projects at any stage. The showcase will feature a gallery walkthrough where participants can view the photos and abstracts, followed by a facilitated sharing session to encourage discussion and reflection. Anyone attending the EvolvED conference is welcome to attend the showcase, even if they are not presenting. Please submit the 250 word abstract in the “Session Description” section of the Microsoft Form. Please submit your high-resolution photo to Anita Acai (Anita.Acai@georgebrown.ca).

Session Details:

  • A moderator will be available to support the online sessions to help participants with technical difficulties, access needs, and to monitor the chat for questions and contributions.
  • If the facilitator agrees, any recorded sessions will also be made available on our conference website after the event.
  • Please indicate any specific requests regarding room type or technology needs.
  • There will be an opportunity for folks attending in-person to join online sessions. Some of the in-person elements will also be livestreamed online.
  • Please ensure presentation materials are accessible. If you need support,please email tlx@georgebrown.ca. Please note that if your submitted materials are not accessible, we will be asking you to attend a session to bring them into compliance.

Important Dates:

  • Session Proposal submission deadline: Monday, March 31st, 2025.
  • Successful applicants will be notified by Friday, April 4th, 2025.
  • Session slides must be submitted for accessibility review by Friday, May 16th, 2025. If materials are not accessible, you will be asked to attend a session to align materials with accessibility standards.
  • Conference date: Friday, June 6th, 2025 (on campus and online via Zoom).

Submit Proposals

Land acknowledgement

George Brown College is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.


Learn more about our land acknowledgment