COESP Day 2026: Attention: Teaching in the Age of Distraction

We hope you will join us on April 30 in Rozanski Hall for our 9th Annual COESP Day.

COESP Day is our annual event that brings CBS instructors, staff, and students together to explore questions in teaching and learning. This year, we’re focusing on teaching and supporting students in a time of increased distraction and rapid technological advancement.

Everyone is welcome, including faculty, graduate students, and staff from across the University of Guelph. A light breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided.

Please register through this form before April 28th.

The event will focus on:

• Working through challenges in teaching and course design in conversation with others.
• Connecting and building community with colleagues across departments.
• Exploring how our students’ learning habits are changing in the age of distraction.

Our keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel Smilek, professor at the University of Waterloo and PI of the Vision and Attention Lab. He will be presenting on optimizing student attention in classrooms. 

Schedule:

• 8:45 - 9:45 a.m.: Registration and Icebreaker
• 9:45 - 10:30 a.m.: Panel: High School Teachers
• 10:30 -11:30 a.m.: Keynote Address: Optimizing Attention in the Classroom, by Dr. Daniel Smilek, University of Waterloo
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Activity: Identifying Obstacles
• 12 - 1 p.m.: Lunch
• 1 - 1:45 p.m.: Panel: Campus Resources
• 2 - 2:30 p.m.: Activity: Designing Solutions
• 2:30 to 3 p.m.: Activity: How Are You Paying Attention?
• 3 to 3:30 p.m.: Closing Remarks

If you have any questions about the event, please email Dan Grunspan at dgrunspan@uoguelph.ca.