While many people are averse to disruption, Adam Finkelstein understands its potential as a catalyst for progress.
The Associate Director of Learning Environments at Teaching and Learning Services (TLS), Finkelstein has been on the front lines of some of McGill’s boldest pedagogical changes, including developing the first MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and the University’s first active– learning classrooms.
He also played a key role in the most technologically challenging period of the University’s history: transitioning thousands of courses to an online format at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A year before COVID, we were looking at ways to improve courses taught in large classrooms like Leacock 132. When the option of teaching online was brought up, most people balked,” Finkelstein said.
“Of course, a year later, we were completely online. Not only did people adapt, many saw advantages to being online. Instructors who taught large classes could have students in breakout rooms, they were interacting with them face to face.”
“The pandemic was extremely disruptive, but it forced us to adapt,” he said. “People who once were uncomfortable using a mouse were suddenly running Zoom meetings. Today, our faculty is much more tech savvy.”
Peer recognition
“The work we do at TLS is crucial, but it’s mostly behind the scenes,” Finkelstein said in an interview conducted, appropriately enough, on Teams.
Behind the scenes, but not off the radar.
Finkelstein was recently named the 2024 Community Leadership Award Recipient by EDUCAUSE, a U.S.-based non–profit organization that advances the strategic use of technology and data in higher education.
In the citation, Finkelstein was praised “for advancing higher education through collaborative initiatives and innovative projects that enhance teaching and learning; for leading the design of cutting-edge learning environments at McGill University; for contributing to EDUCAUSE with dedication, expertise, and a commitment to the global academic community.”
“To be recognized by EDUCAUSE is an honour, but especially the community award,” he said. “I love helping people at McGill, but I also enjoy going to different universities to share ideas and work with faculty and senior leaders. There is no competition. They are my peers and colleagues.”
Core mandate: To improve teaching and learning
Finkelstein first came to McGill in 2000, at a time when educational technology was the domain of the IT department.
“At the time, WebCT was being used on a limited basis at the University. I was hired to help expand it across McGill,” said Finkelstein. “That kind of set the tone for my career here. Ever since then, I’ve been helping integrate educational technology so that it benefits everybody.”
Today, he oversees two teams dedicated to designing and supporting digital learning spaces, both physical and digital. This dual focus, he said, is crucial because the principles of effective learning environments apply to both.
“Adam has spent his career at McGill advocating for improving teaching and learning, both by improving our classrooms and teaching labs and bringing in new technologies to support engaging and meaningful learning experiences,” said Laura Winer, Director, Teaching and Learning Services. “His contributions have made – and will continue to make – real differences in how instructors teach and how students learn.”
North American first
Finkelstein has played a pivotal role in redesigning classrooms and teaching labs at McGill since 2009.
“We were the first university in Canada – and among the earliest in North America – to build active–learning classrooms. We were also one of the first teaching and learning centres to put space on the agenda. It was a massive shift for universities to start really looking at the types of spaces that students are learning in,” Finkelstein said.
The formation of the Teaching and Learning Spaces Working Group brought together people from around the University – “some who had never thought about learning spaces outside their faculty,” he said.
“It was more transparent, more open. It was a real shift from ‘what can I get for my faculty or my unit?’ to ‘what can I do for the University?’”
For the past 10 years, Finkelstein has been the chair of the same working group responsible for the selection, design and renovation of all teaching and learning spaces at McGill. These spaces have since become models for innovative teaching environments, illustrating how thoughtful design can transform educational experiences.
Generative AI
Finkelstein smiled when asked about generative artificial intelligence.
“At the core of most of these disruptive technologies are opportunities to get students more involved,” he said.
Finkelstein acknowledges that AI’s potential to produce high-quality academic writing and other tasks requires educators to rethink traditional methods. Rather than resisting these changes, he advocates for integrating AI into the curriculum, encouraging faculty to use it as a tool to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
“As an instructor, you have one of two choices. You can bury your head in the sand, ban AI and try to figure out a way to stop it. Or you can design a course that takes advantage of what AI can offer. You can have students use AI to write an outline of an essay or even get AI to write the essay for them to critique. What did it do well? Where did it go wrong? What makes it as good or not as good as something you could write?” he said.
“It’s all about engaging your students and getting them to think critically about their learning.”
As McGill and the broader academic community navigate future disruptions, Finkelstein’s work serves as a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration in advancing education.