Learn

CGMS Workshops

Workshops can be booked by individual units, student groups, etc., or you can RSVP to join a standing workshop offered by CGMS through the School of Graduate Studies. Please visit the CGMS Events Calendar to see when our student and faculty workshops are being offered. To book a workshop for your group, or to request a spot at a standing CGMS workshop, please contact us via email at cgms@utoronto.ca.

Faculty Workshops

Facilitated by Aziza Kajan, Director, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision.

Managing boundaries and expectations is integral to a successful graduate supervisory relationship. Knowing how, and when, to communicate what we expect from someone can help mitigate future misunderstandings. Establishing professional, academic, and personal boundaries and expectations helps the supervisory relationship feel more predictable, trustworthy, and consistent.

This workshop will be comprised of case studies and reflective group discussions; we gently request you attend with an openness to engage in group dialogue. We will also spend time highlighting interpersonal approaches and skills to help you establish boundaries and expectations within the supervisory relationship.

This workshop will be offered virtually on Friday March 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM: REGISTER HERE

Facilitated by Prof John Peever, Professor, Cell & Systems Biology andVice-Dean, Students, School of Graduate Studies, Prof Rene Harrison, Professor, Biological Sciences, and Vice-Dean Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, UTSC, Prof Pamela Klassen, Professor & Chair, Department for the Study of Religion, Dr Michal Kasprzak, Assistant Director, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation/Teaching Assistants’ Training Program, and Aziza Kajan, Director, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision.

This workshop is designed for pre-tenure faculty members and others who are new to a supervisory role at the University of Toronto. In this interactive session, you will learn: 

  • Key milestones and policies you need to know as a graduate supervisor 
  • Best practices in selecting and recruiting students, and matching research interests 
  • How to co-create student-centered academic plans and professional experiences 
  • How to document student progress and tips on providing effective feedback 
  • How U of T can support your development and success as a supervisor 

This workshop will offer practical advice, grounded in discussion of realistic case studies of supervisory practice at the University of Toronto, and includes perspectives from peer faculty recognized for their outstanding graduate supervision. 

This workshop will be offered in the Fall 2025 term. Please check this website in late-August for more information on timing and registration.

Facilitated by Dr. Pearl Levey​, Accommodations Specialist for Practicums/Placements/Laboratories​, Accessibility Services​, Sezgi Ozel​, Team Lead, Graduate and Professional Programs​, Accessibility Services​, Aziza Kajan, Director, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision​, and Lauren Pais, Case-Coordinator, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision​.

This workshop is designed to support graduate supervisors and graduate unit administrative faculty to understand the responsibilities for accessibility, accommodations and supporting students with disabilities in graduate research programs. In this session, you will gain insight into the accommodation process from start to finish including:

  • The impact of our own biases and misunderstandings around disabilities and accommodations
  • The philosophy of accommodating in graduate school
  • The legal expectations, and roles, for accommodating
  • What accommodations can look like in the context of graduate supervision
  • Strategies for supportive communication regarding disability within the supervisory relationship

This workshop will be facilitated by experts from the University of Toronto Accessibility Services Office who will offer practical advice and answer your questions on best practices in accommodation.

This workshop will be offered in the Fall 2025 term. Please check this website in late-August for more information on timing and registration.

Thesis writing feedback is one of the most significant points of contact between a doctoral student and their supervisor. Doctoral writers rely on various types of feedback throughout the writing process to produce high quality scholarly work. Supervisors, however, often find the feedback cycle to be laborious, inefficient, and frustrating. In this workshop, we will discuss how to build strong feedback practices, focusing on three key aspects of supervisory writing feedback: What is said; How it is said; and When it is said. Drawing on evidence-based insights from the scholarly literature as well as practical experience working with doctoral writers, this workshop will provide supervisors a foundation for feedback processes that are more manageable and effective. 

Facilitators: 

Dr Rachael Cayley, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Graduate Centre for Academic Communication and Director of the Centre for Graduate Professional Development in the School of Graduate Studies. 

Dr Fiona Coll, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute for Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Graduate Centre for Academic Communication in the School of Graduate Studies.  

Dr Daniel Aureliano Newman, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of English and Director of Graduate Writing Support, Faculty of Arts & Science. 

This workshop is intended for faculty who have graduate student supervision responsibilities, including status-only faculty.

This workshop may be offered in the Fall 2025 term. Please check this website in late-August for more information on timing and registration.

Student Workshops

Facilitated by Aziza Kajan, Director, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision and Lauren Pais, Case Coordinator, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision.

The SGS Supervision Guidelines is a document that will help you as a graduate student understand best practices in graduate supervision. Join us for this overview of the Supervision Guidelines including an overview of the roles and responsibilities of students, supervisors, and committee members. We will reflect on different supervisory styles, provide a summary of the SGS regulations for making satisfactory progress and maintaining good academic standing, and discuss steps for what to do if you need academic accommodations. Participants will be provided with scenarios for discussion and problem-solving.

This workshop will be offered virtually on Tuesday February 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: REGISTER HERE

Facilitated by Aziza Kajan, Director, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision, Lauren Pais, Case Coordinator, Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision.

Is there something you would like to say to a supervisor or colleague, and you are struggling to find a way to say it? Do you find it challenging to have an uncomfortable conversation? In this workshop, we will discuss what is meant by a courageous conversation, and where these conversations fit in the supervisory relationship. This workshop will be comprised of case studies and reflective group discussions; we gently request you attend with an openness to engage in group dialogue. We will also spend time highlighting interpersonal approaches and skills to help you have these conversations.

This workshop will be offered virtually on Thursday February 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: REGISTER HERE

Past Events

CGMS Introductions

Fall 2024

CGMS participated in a number of graduate student orientations and faculty meetings in 2024 and into 2025. We enjoyed meeting you!

Please feel welcome to invite us to attend a future faculty/staff meeting, student orientation/group meeting, etc., to provide a 10-15 minute introduction of the CGMS service. For further details and scheduling a visit, contact us at cgms@utoronto.ca.

Past Workshops

Best Practices and Recommendations for Developing and Maintaining a Successful Supervisory Relationship: Student Workshop
October 1, 2024, 3:00pm – 5:00pm

How to Succeed as a Graduate Supervisor: Faculty Workshop
October 16, 2024, 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Having Courageous Conversations: Student Workshop
October 22, 2024, 10:00am – 12:00pm

How to Give More Effective Writing Feedback to Graduate Students: Faculty Workshop
November 7, 2024, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Communicating Boundaries and Expectations in the Supervisory Relationship: Faculty Workshop
November 20, 2024, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Accessibility, Accommodations, and Graduate Supervision: Faculty Workshop
November 27, 2024, 11:00am – 1:00pm

Managing Interpersonal Challenges in the Supervisory Relationship: Faculty Workshop
February 6, 2024, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Managing Interpersonal Challenges in the Supervisory Relationship: Student Workshop
January 30, 2024, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Understanding Conflict: Faculty Workshop
November 24, 2023, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Understanding Conflict: Student Workshop
November 16, 2023, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Having Difficult Conversations: Faculty Workshop
October 17, 2023, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Having Difficult Conversations: Student Workshop
October 12, 2023, 3:30pm – 5:00pm