About our Wharton Faculty Webinars
Wharton Computing’s IDEA Courseware Teams offer a series of faculty training sessions to share teaching tools and best practices. Any teaching team member or staff are welcome to attend. Recordings of each Zoom-delivered webinar session will be shared with registrants, so feel free to register even if you can’t make it to the live session. All sessions listed are expressed in Eastern Time (ET). If you are interested in attending, please register.
Friday, AUG 14 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “AI Chatbots? Where do I start?“
Live Webinar | In this session, Shawn Zamechek, Wharton Computing’s Director of AI and Innovation, and Brandon Lafving will overview the uses and limitations of current AI chatbots. Learn about some research workflows that are driving efficiency for Wharton faculty already, from lit reviews to presentations. Also, they will discuss security, what to be aware of in using these tools, and how to take proper precautions. If you have not jumped into AI yet, this is a great opportunity to get your bearings and set a secure foundation for productivity.
▶️ View the AI Chatbots webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Thursday & Friday, AUG 20-21 @ 9 am-5 pm
🗓️ “Classroom Technologies Fall Open House”
Drop-in Office Hours | Courseware Instructional Design members will be available during the Classroom Technologies Fall Open House. Drop in for a visit when you are available. No registration needed. Location TBA.
Friday, AUG 28 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “Just Checking In: First-Class Tour of aPlus+“
Live Webinar | Fasten passenger seatbelts for a smooth takeoff into the Fall semester! This interactive session will equip you with the tools you need for projecting attendance in your classroom, including optional manual updates, gradebook integration, and a built-in function for absence requests. Your itinerary includes:
- First-class tour of the tool
- Time-saving tips & best practices
- Live demonstration, including faculty and student views
- Q&A before we land
▶️ View the aPlus+ webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, SEP 11 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “The Sweet Spot – Hidden Gems in the Gradebook“
Live Webinar | Don’t let the Canvas Gradebook leave you buzzing with questions! Join us to uncover the hidden gems that can transform your grading workflow. From advanced statuses and smart filtering techniques to grading policies and time-saving shortcuts, you’ll collect practical tips that help you work more efficiently and confidently. Leave with a hive full of ideas to streamline grading, deliver meaningful feedback, and make your Canvas Gradebook the sweetest part of your course.
▶️ View the Canvas Gradebook webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, SEP 18 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “Paws, Reflect, Repeat: Cativating Metacognitive Assessment Techniques“
Live Webinar | Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs 
) are short, intentional activities during class which give students time to reflect on what they are learning and engage critical thinking to increase knowledge retention and guide strategic AI use. This session will highlight research from Wharton faculty that may help you decide which CATs to implement and whether an ed-tech solution, such as polling, should be included.
▶️ View the Classroom Assessment Techniques webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, OCT 02 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “Get Exam-Ready with Canvas New Quizzes“
Live Webinar | Make your next exam season stress-free with Canvas New Quizzes. This session will walk you through essential tools for creating secure, effective midterms and final exams, while also highlighting when Gradescope may be a better option for your assessment needs. Leave with practical strategies and best practices to help you choose the right tool and confidently prepare for your exams.
▶️ View the Exam-Ready webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, OCT 23 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “So Say We All: Soliciting Actional Feedback through Peer Evaluation“
Live Webinar | Group work is central to many Wharton courses, but students and faculty alike are concerned when students don’t do their fair share. Peer evaluation activities can hold students accountable by allowing students to provide feedback on their group members. This webinar will introduce Peerceptiv’s Team Member Evaluation (TME), which is replacing Feedback Fruits’ Group Member Evaluation at Wharton. We’ll introduce common configuration options for peer evaluation at Wharton and provide suggestions for how TME can be used to support a variety of course needs.
▶️ View the Peer Evaluation webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, NOV 06 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “Introducing Harmonize’s AI Features: Brainstorm, Rubrics, and Accessibility“
Live Webinar | Harmonize offers a robust set of discussion and multimedia tools that can help make courses more engaging, accessible, and AI-resilient. This webinar will introduce Harmonize’s AI-enabled features that are now available at Wharton. Harmonize Brainstorm uses ChatGPT to help develop discussion and assignment prompts that are pedagogically stronger with clearer expectations for students. Harmonize Rubrics help you to develop assignment-specific rubrics that can be used for grading in Canvas or with student-facing AI coaching to improve student work. Also, Harmonize’s new AI Accessibility Support makes it easy to create alt text, captions, and audio descriptions for multimedia content.
▶️ View the Harmonize AI Features webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Friday, NOV 20 @ 12-1 pm
🗓️ Register for “Clearing the Path: Planning for Snow Days & Other Teaching Disruptions“
Live Webinar | Snow days and other unexpected events that disrupt the University’s normal operations can wreak havoc on your course plan. With some upfront preparation, you can develop a teaching pivot plan to keep your course on track. This webinar will review the technologies available at Wharton to support teaching continuity, help you choose between holding class live through Zoom or offering pre-recorded videos, and explore options for handling class activities virtually. We’ll end with resources you can use should Canvas be unavailable.
▶️ View the Planning for Uncertainty webinar recording (coming soon after the session ends).
Penn Libraries Canvas Workshops for Instructors
Our colleagues at Penn Libraries also host webinars about Canvas and Canvas Office Hours.
While there might be slight differences in how Wharton classes are set up or additional tools Wharton teaching teams have access to, these Penn Libraries workshops include valuable information on basic Canvas use and features. All workshops will be held virtually on Zoom, and all registered participants will receive a copy of the recording.
Center for Teaching Learning & Innovation (CETLI) Events
Also, our Penn CETLI staff host trainings, workshops, and webinars of interest to faculty and staff supporting teaching & learning.
Featured AI-related Sessions
- Mon. AUG 17, 2-3:15 pm | Active in-Class Uses of AI
- Tue. AUG 18, 10-11:15 am | Reading in the Age of AI
- Wed. SEP 16, 10-11 am | Applied AI: Building Canvas Quizzes
- Thu. OCT 15, 12-1:15 pm | Encouraging Students to Reflect on AI Use
If you missed any of IDEA Courseware’s Spring 2026 Wharton faculty webinars, please access the recordings.
Questions about our faculty webinars or want to suggest new topics? Contact us: courseware@wharton.upenn.edu.