Laurie Harrison retires after nearly three decades of connection and collaboration
Published on: July 27, 2026
After nearly three decades at the University of Toronto, Laurie Harrison, Director of Digital Learning, Innovation and Engagement, will retire on July 31, 2026, bringing a career centred on collaboration, innovation and community-building to a close.
Since joining U of T in 1997, Laurie has worked alongside faculty, staff, educational developers, IT professionals and institutional leaders to advance teaching, learning and digital innovation. From the early days of online learning to supporting the university’s rapid pivot during the pandemic, her work has focused on bringing people together to solve problems, share ideas and create opportunities for others to succeed.
As she prepares for her next chapter, we spoke with Laurie about the relationships, lessons and experiences that shaped her career.
Your work has spanned many roles and initiatives over the years. What has been the common thread throughout your career at U of T?
When I look back, I’ve been fortunate to spend much of my career at the intersection of people, ideas and possibilities. I started at U of T in 1997 as a graduate student at OISE and soon after joined the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre to advance digital accessibility of learning resources. Over the years, my roles have evolved across online learning, emergent technologies, faculty support, teaching and learning innovation, community engagement and strategic initiatives. The projects, technologies and organizational structures changed, but the opportunity to work with talented people remained constant. The most rewarding work always happened through collaboration.
What were some of the innovation initiatives that you supported?
Over the years, I had the opportunity to support a number of initiatives that helped advance digital learning at U of T. Highlights included launching the university’s Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) program, which brought U of T learning material to thousands of learners worldwide; advancing learning analytics initiatives to better understand and support student success; exploring virtual and augmented reality in course contexts; and, more recently, helping coordinate the university’s approach to Generative AI in teaching and learning. What made these initiatives especially rewarding was seeing how innovation in teaching and learning can create more engaging, accessible and meaningful learning experiences for students.
What achievement or experience are you most proud of?
What I’m most proud of isn’t a single project. It’s being part of communities that accomplished important things together. The pandemic was one of the most significant periods of my career. Supporting the transition of our courses to online delivery required unprecedented coordination across the university. What stands out most is how colleagues came together to share expertise, solve problems and support one another. More broadly, I feel fortunate to have contributed to the evolution of digitally enabled learning at U of T, from early online learning initiatives to more recent work focused on professional learning, team development and strategic community engagement.
What are you looking forward to in retirement?
I’m looking forward to spending more time with family, getting caught up on gardening and DIY projects, and eventually doing some travelling. And yes, there will definitely be hockey. I am excited to see talented colleagues continue the work and take it in new directions. I leave ITS with deep gratitude for the opportunities, friendships and experiences that made the journey so rewarding.
