Teaching & Learning

A family legacy of teaching and coaching

Brett Bjorgan in front of a rack of weightsTeacher candidate Brett Bjorgan was inspired to follow his father's footsteps into teaching and coaching (KYLE SULLIVAN/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

While having your dad teach at your high school may sound like a nightmare to some, for Brett Bjorgan, it was an inspiration. 

“My dad is a secondary physical education teacher, and my high school experience was great having him there as a mentor and making sure I was doing the right thing and staying in line,” he says. 

Why great art teachers still get their hands dirty

Sanja Srdanov in front of a wall of student artSanja Srdanov is a secondary art teacher and associate teacher mentoring teacher candidates from the Faculty of Education (S. SRDANOV/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

No matter where secondary visual arts teacher Sanja Srdanov (BFA ’01, BEd ’02) is teaching, her focus is both student-centred and grounded in craft. 

A Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Windsor, Srdanov emphasizes the importance of being a practicing artist as a visual arts educator. 

Your teachers are on their own when it comes to AI — one UWindsor researcher wants to change that

Samita Sarkar in front of a grey background wearing heart shaped glassesPhD student and secondary English teacher Samita Sarkar is researching high school teachers' navigation of a changing AI landscape (PROVIDED BY S. SARKAR/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

When Samita Sarkar was a new teacher, a lot was happening in the world. ChatGPT was going viral online — and so was a global pandemic. 

As a secondary school English teacher, she found herself confronted with issues around artificial intelligence (AI) and student writing assessment with little to no policy guidance. 

“We had to make high-stakes decisions around academic integrity, assessment and what counts as ‘student writing’ with no institutional guidance or administrative support,” she says. 

The "Great Olympic Journey" of one Human Kinetics class

A group of people in front of a WADA signGraduate students visited the World Anti-Doping Agency as part of Dr. Scott Martyn's Olympics-focused graduate course (S. MARTYN/University of Windsor)

Guest submission by Dr. Scott Martyn

Having studied the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (Milano Cortina 2026) held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy this past semester, five University of Windsor graduate students from the Faculty of Human Kinetics received an Olympic-calibre experience of their own last month.

The group, led by UWindsor professor Dr. Scott Martyn, travelled to Toronto, Montreal and Lake Placid, New York, to experience the modern Olympic movement first-hand.

For teacher candidates, by teacher candidates: New e-book provides resources for inclusive teaching about gender and sexuality

Laptop with home page for Gender and Sexuality in Education ebook homepageGender and Sexuality in Education Resources is now available as a free online pressbook (CANVA/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

How can teachers ensure inclusion in gendered languages like French? What can they do to address technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence? What would an intersectional feminist approach to teaching the history of prohibition look like? 

These are among the questions that a new pressbook out of the Faculty of Education begins to answer with resources entirely created by teacher candidates. 

How one UWindsor student helped shape a town’s digital future

Third-year communication, media and film student Adrian YonanThird-year communication, media and film student Adrian Yonan gained valuable hands-on experience during his internship with the Town of Tecumseh. (ANGELA KHARBOUTLI/ University of Windsor)

By Lindsay Charlton 

From social media posts to public memos, how municipalities communicate with residents is a delicate art — one where every word and visual can shape how people engage with their government. 

It’s something third-year communication, media and film student Adrian Yonan learned firsthand during his internship with the Town of Tecumseh. 

From pediatric patient to professor: Rebecca Balasa on nursing, research and why Windsor felt like home

Rebecca Balasa stands outside in a green spaceThe Faculty of Nursing welcomes Professor Rebecca Balasa to the University of Windsor. Her experience in nursing and public health, along with her research on child health equity, brings valuable insight to our community. (SUBMITTED BY REBECCA BALASA/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For Dr. Rebecca Balasa, the path to nursing didn't start in a classroom.

Her own experiences as a pediatric patient introduced her to the role nurses play, not only in delivering treatment, but in providing comfort and connection.

“I was really inspired by my own healthcare team,” she said. “It was through my relationships with nurses and seeing everything they do that I decided to go into the profession.”

That sense of purpose continues to guide her as she joins the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing.

Argue, negotiate, represent: how mooting competitions shape Windsor Law students

students and judges pose in the courtroom after a moot competitionMark Jones and his co-counsel stand with moot judges and opposing counsel after completing the preliminary round of the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot. (SUBMITTED BY MARK JONES/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For students at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, mooting and negotiation competitions are more than academic exercises — they are integral to how students grow into confident, capable legal professionals.

Mooting, a simulated court hearing usually focused on appeals, challenges students to think critically, advocate persuasively and navigate complex legal and ethical issues under pressure.

Vivian Ntiri’s life and legacy inspires new Windsor Law Scholarship

Vivian Ntiri is pictured in a blue dressVivian Ntiri, Windsor Law (Dual JD ’17), is remembered for her determination and deep commitment to community. A memorial scholarship in her name will support future students who reflect her values and carry her legacy forward. (SUBMITTED BY EDDY TSHIASUMA-NKONGOLO/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

Vivian Ntiri was never defined by a single path.

She was a lawyer, a mentor, a devoted friend, family member, community builder and a woman whose curiosity and compassion shaped every interaction.

Now, through the Vivian Ntiri Memorial Scholarship, her community is ensuring that her legacy continues to open doors for future generations of students at Windsor Law.

Cut-Move-Click — SoCA students explore rhythm, colour and motion

students in a classroom watching stop-motion videos on a screenProfessor Catherine Heard plays a stop-motion animation created by one of her students during the final critique of her VSAR-1060 class. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

Colourful shapes bounced, collided and slipped across the screen as abstract forms moved in tight rhythms, set to beeps, boops and bursts of heavy metal drumming.

The screening marked the final project for students enrolled in VSAR-1060 Introduction to Elements of Art and Principles of Design.

The short films — each between 60 and 90 seconds — featured abstract, non-narrative animations made with paper, found objects and digital sound.