Marie-Anne Visoi

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
Carr Hall 313, St Michael's College
416-926-7108

Campus

Fields of Study

Areas of Interest

RESEARCH ENDEAVOURS

Pedagogical Research

Blended teaching and multimodal learning in French: development and integration of online instructional tools in Advanced-level French Language and French Cultural Studies courses

Assessment and evaluation in second language teaching (FSL and ESL): diversity issues, access, and equity; modalities of authentic assessment

Other Research Interests

  • French Cultural Studies: thematic approaches to French cultural studies
  • Literary Theory: narratology and reader-response criticism
  • Twentieth Century Novel
  • Canadian Novel
  • Film Stylistics

Teaching Research Awards and Grants

eCampus Ontario Research and Innovation Grants, “Data Driven Design - Innovation Network Project” Lead Instructor French (Project Director: Laurie Harrison), April 2017—June 2018 $17,500

Online Undergraduate Course Initiative Funding, University of Toronto, Online Course Development for FSL472H1S Reading and Writing Fiction and Non-fiction in French, March 2016 - April 2017 - March $12,000

Online Undergraduate Course Initiative Funding, University of Toronto, Online Course Development for FCS 292H1S Love, Sex and Desire in French Literature and Cinema, March 2014-June 2015 $12,000

Fund for Online Innovations in Learning, University of Toronto (FOIL), Developing Linguistic Proficiency, Cultural Competence and Peer Interaction through Blended Teaching and Multimodal Learning Experiences in French, May 2013-June 2014 $35,450

Curriculum Renewal Initiative Fund, University of Toronto, Experiential Learning in French for Arts and Science Undergraduate Students, in collaboration with Dr. D. Issa-Sayegh, April 2010-April 2011 $15,000

List of Courses

Current courses taught:

  • FSL315H French Oral Communication for Professional and Academic Context
  • FSL 420H Advanced French
  • FSL 472H Reading and Writing Fiction and Non-fiction in French (online asynchronous)
  • FRE 326H Contemporary French Literature
  • FCS197H Pleasure, Pain and Nostalgia in Belle Époque (taught in English)
  • FCS 292H Love, Sex and Desire in French Literature and Cinema (online asynchronous; taught in English)

Other courses taught:

  • FSL421Y Advanced French
  • FSL431Y Practical French II
  • FSL461Y Practical French III
  • FSL 473H1S Oral French in Context
  • FRE 384H1F Teaching French as a Second Language
  • FRE 326H1 Contemporary French Literature
  • FRE 225Y Second Language Teaching and Learning

Courses Held in English:

  • JEF 100 Great Books of the Western Tradition
  • JFI225Y Second Language Teaching and Learning

Biography

Marie-Anne Visoi is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. She has developed and taught courses on French Cultural Studies, Advanced French and Second Language Education, The Western Tradition, The 20th Century French Novel. Her pedagogical research has extended into the integration of culture in the second language curriculum and the development of oral and written proficiency through multimodal assessment and experiential learning. Her scholarly research interests also include textual criticism relating to world literature, reader-response theories, and cultural studies.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND TEACHING-RELATED ACTIVITIES

Peer Reviewer/Content Developer, World Languages Editorial Board, Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-line Teaching, California State University Center for Distributed Learning, April 2013-2023

French as a Second Language Search Committee Member: Assistant Professor Teaching Stream, Department of French, University of Toronto, October 2022

Probationary Review Committee Chair, Department of French, University of Toronto, September 2022

Executive Committee, Curriculum Committee, Language Committee Member, Department of French, University of Toronto, September-December 2022

PTR Committee Member, Department of French, University of Toronto, May 2022

Research Proposal Evaluator, Research Grants & Partnership Division, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), January 2022

Book Reviewer for Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, March 2022

Member of the Continuing Status Review Committee, Department of French, University of Toronto, 2021-2022

Book Reviewer for Canadian Scholars’ Press, February 2021

Book Reviewer for Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, January 2021

Member of the Continuing Status Review Committee, German Department, October 2020

Invited Panelist - Online Learning Academy: “Online Language Learning”, July 2020

Arts and Science Council Voting Member, University of Toronto, 2018-2019

Faculty Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Humanities Curriculum Committee Voting Member, University of Toronto, 2018-2019

Department of French Curriculum Committee, Co-Chair, 2018-2019

Department of French Language Committee, Chair, 2018-2019

Department of French Executive Committee Member, 2018-2019

Department of French Tri-Chair Committee Member, 2018-2019

Department of French Hiring Committee, 2018-2019

Coordinator, Canvas-based Online Learning Community for Undergraduate Students “Apprentissage expérientiel”, Department of French, 2018-2020

Coordinator, Experiential Learning Partnership Program for 4th year students, Department of French, 2018-2020

Coordinator, Canvas-based Hybrid Learning Community for Teaching Assistants, “Espace pédagogique” (face-to-face and online pedagogical training sessions for new and experienced teaching assistants and course instructors), Department of French, 2018-2020

Research Proposal Evaluator, Research Grants & Partnership Division, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) November 2017 - January 2018

PUBLICATIONS

Books

"Blended and Online Teaching in the Humanities: Pedagogical Tools for Design and Implementation", Cambridge Scholars Press, April 2019, 189 pages.

Transgression, Stylistic Variation and Narrative Discourse in the Twentieth Century Novel”, Cambridge Scholars’ Press, February 2014, 140 pages.

A Thematic Approach to French Cultural Studies”, Universal Publishers, 2012, 106 pages.

Articles

“Strategies for Ensuring Quality Learning in Advanced French: an Action-Research Project on Blended Learning”, Journal of Teaching and Education, December 2016, 06(01):137–144

“Developing Second Language Proficiency through Communicative Teaching, E-Learning and Experiential Programs”, Journal of Teaching and Education, December 2012, 1(6): 371-378

“Méthodes et pratiques pour une évaluation efficace de la communication orale”, Le français dans le monde, Revue de la Fédération internationale des professeurs de français, 2012, 12 pages

“Contextualized Foreign Language Instruction: Effective Classroom Strategies: Blackboard-Based Virtual Learning”, International Journal for Academic Disciplines, October 2010, 11 pages

“Reading Nara’s Diary or the Deluding Strategies of the Implied Author in The Rift by V.Y. Mudimbe”, Cambridge Scholars, February, 2010, 16 pages

“Ovid and Calvino”; Genre 25, Interdisciplinary Journal of Literature and the Arts, Long Beach, California, 2006, 22 pages

“Parody in the Postmodernist Novel: If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler…,” Modern Languages Studies 27.3/4 (Fall 1997): 159-173

“Ana Balakian. The Snowflake on the Belfry: Dogma and Disquietude in the Critical arena.” in Literary research No. 25: Spring-Summer, 1996: 19-21

Literary Encyclopedia Chapters

“Assia Djebar, Biography”, The Literary Encyclopedia, 2009, 3 pages; updates and revisions, 2015

“Les enfants du nouveau monde, Assia Djebar”, The Literary Encyclopedia,

“Marguerite Duras, ‘The Lover’, The Literary Encyclopedia, 2011, 7 pages

Open access pedagogical materials: online learning materials, modules; student and TA guides
  • FSL421Y eManual, Part I and II; adapted/developed digital content for accessible use, 2021-22
  • FCS 197H1F Course redesign from a fully online format to an in-person format:
  • FCS292H1S Open-access Course Guide and Course modules "Love, Sex and Desire in French Literature and Cinema" (revised and updated: orientation module, course content and module organization for easy navigation, interactive activities, evaluation, cultural terminology), Spring 2022
  • FSL472H Course modules (revised and updated: orientation module, course content and module organization for easy navigation, research module, interactive activities, evaluation, grammar self-correct quizzes, integration of an experiential learning component), Fall 2019
  • FCS292H Open-access Course Guide and Course modules "Love, Sex and Desire in French Literature and Cinema" (revised and updated: orientation module, course content and module organization for easy navigation, interactive activities, evaluation, cultural terminology for accelerated format), summer 2019
  • 2019-2020 Undergraduate Student Guide (20 pages)
  • 2019-2020 Guide d'enseignement (22 pages)
  • French online teaching and learning materials, Peer Reviewer for World Language Editorial Board Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-line Teaching, California State University Center for Distributed Learning, since 2014

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

The Twenty-first International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, “Instructional Relevance and Authentic Assessment in the Second-Language Classroom”, Sorbonne Université, Faculté des Lettres, Paris, France, June 28-30, 2023

Sixteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies, “Promoting Cross-Cultural Communication and Student Autonomy in French Cultural Studies Courses”, University of Malta, Valletta Campus, Malta, April 13-14, 2023

2022 Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) Conference, “Exploring Authentic Socio-cultural Contexts in the Second Language Classroom”, with Dr. Rosa Saverino, Central New York CLAC Working Group, December 2-3, 2022

The Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, “Pedagogical Considerations and Evidence-based Practice for Improved Oral Proficiency in Intermediate-level French”, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece, 20-22 June 20-22, 2022

53rd NeMLA Annual Convention, “The Making of a Vampire: Folkloric Beliefs and Heteroglossia in Eliade’s Miss Christina”, Baltimore, Maryland, USA March 10-13, 2022

PAMLA (Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association) Conference in Las Vegas and Online, “Writing about Film: Asynchronous Discussions and Formative Assessment in Online French Cultural Studies Courses” November 11-14, 2021

Nineteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, “Dialogic Teaching - Strategies for Developing Oral and Written Skills in Online French as a Second Language Courses”, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 30 June-2 July 2021

American Canadian Conference for Academic Disciplines, “Best Practices for Promoting Academic Honesty in Online Cultural Studies Courses”, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, 11-14 June 2019

International Conference for Education (IJAS), “Strategies for improving teaching practices in the FSL classroom: a blended approach to professional development”, University of London, London, UK November 6-9, 2018                                         

Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, “Embedded Stories and Post-modernist Devices in Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin” University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA 5-7 July 2018

49th annual NeMLA Annual Convention, “Freedom and Control in the Foreign-language Classroom”, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA April 12 - 15, 2018

Annual Multidisciplinary Conference, “Community-engaged Learning and Cultural Diversity: Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Competence and Advanced Language Skills in Online French”, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, 5-8 June 2017

48th NeMLA Annual Convention, "Course Design and Social Presence in Humanities Online Courses: Instructional Strategies for Student Engagement", Baltimore, MA USA March 23-26 2017

International Journal of Arts & Sciences’ (IJAS), "Flipping the French Classroom: Metacognitive Strategies for Effective Reading and Writing skills" Freiburg University, Germany, 29 November to 2 December 2016

Annual Multidisciplinary Conference, "Designing and Teaching a French Language Advanced Level Course in a Hybrid Format: Strategies for Ensuring Quality Learning", Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada 31 May-3 June 2016

International Journal of Arts & Sciences’ (IJAS) International Conference for Social Sciences and Humanities, "Online Formative Assessment Tools In The Humanities: Promoting Higher Level Thinking Through The Integration Of a Discussion Board In A French Cultural Studies Course", FHWien University of Applied Sciences of WKW Vienna, Austria, April 17-21, 2016         

American Canadian Conference for Academic Disciplines, "Removing Barriers to Learning: Pedagogic Design Tools for Online Courses in the Humanities", Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada May 18, 2015

International Conference for Teaching and Education, “Creative Writing in the Foreign Language Classroom” FHWien University of Applied Sciences of WKW Vienna, Austria April 19-23, 2015

International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, “Teaching Culture: Inclusive Curriculum Design, Content and Context”, Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain, 11-13 June 2014

International Journal of Arts and Sciences Multidisciplinary Conference: “A Canadian Perspective on Blended Learning: hybrid instructional strategies and their effect on student learning in an advanced level French course”, FHWien University of Applied Sciences of WKW Vienna, Austria April 6-10, 2014

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Annual Conference (French and Italian Literature): “Horizon d’attente et tension narrative dans L’Étranger de Camus”, Hope College, Holland, Michigan, March 21-22, 2013

International Journal of Arts and Sciences Annual Conference: “The Role of Digital Grammar in Advanced French: Self-monitoring Strategies to Develop Independent Learners”, Gottenheim, Germany, December 2-7, 2012

International Journal of Arts and Sciences Annual Conference in Rome “Focus on Student Performance: Effective Testing Practices in French as a Second Language Intermediate and Advanced Programs” American University, Rome, Italy 29, October-1 November, 2012

Second IJAS Conference at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University, “Making Connections: Instructional Models for Developing Foreign Language Proficiency in Higher Education through Communicative Teaching, E-learning and Experiential Programs” May 30th-June 2nd, 2011

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Annual Conference (French Literature): “L’alternance des registres chez De Laclos”, Saginaw Valley State University, March 11, 2011

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Study Languages Conference 2010 “Mysticism and Sensuality in Zola’s Nana”, University of Toronto, December 9, 2010

International Journal for Academic Disciplines Austria Conference, Bad Hofgastein, “A Thematic Approach to French Cultural Studies”, May 31, 2010

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Annual Conference (French Literature): “La rhétorique du désir dans L’Amant de Marguerite Duras”, Calvin College, March 26, 2010

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Gifted Conference, “New Novel Techniques and Murder Mystery Conventions in  Alain Robbe-Grillet's Le Voyeur”, University of Toronto, February 18, 2010

Classroom-based Training and Pedagogical Research for First Year Teaching Assistants”, Gottenheim, Germany, November 9-13, 2009

National Conference for Academic Disciplines: “Curriculum Renewal Initiatives: Language Communities and Experiential Learning in Second Language Education”, Suffolk University, Boston, June 22-25, 2009

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Annual Conference (French Literature): “Dialogisme et créativité dans le roman Les enfants du nouveau monde d’Assia Djebar ”, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, March 20, 2009

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Gifted Conference “Virtue, Tragic Passion and Upper-class Excess in De Laclos’s Dangerous Liaisons”, University of Toronto, February 19, 2009

U of T Conference Teaching and Learning Outside the Classroom, “Developing Skills for a Global Society: Acquiring Foreign Language Proficiency through Internships and Study/Work Abroad Programs” Hart House, University of Toronto, October 3, 2008

International Symposium, “Connecting to Electronic Pedagogy: A Cultural Model for Teaching Great Books”, Institut National de Recherche Pédagogique Charles Perrault, Fédération Internationale des Langues et Littératures, Lyon, France, July 9-11, 2008

International Conference “Generic Instability and Identity in the Contemporary Novel”: “Reading Nara’s Diary or the Deluding Strategies of the Implied Author in The Rift by V.Y. Mudimbe”, Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, France, 29-30th May, 2008

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Gifted Conference “Memory and Desire in the 20th century French Novel: Marcel  Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past and Marguerite Duras’s The Lover”, University of Toronto, February 20, 2007

The 41st Annual Comparative Literature Conference “Ancient and Moderns: Intersections, Interactions, and Interstices”: “The Art of Storytelling: Ovid and Calvino”, California State University, Long Beach, California, March 9-11, 2006

University of Toronto Conference on Scholarship, Leadership and Innovation “Responding to a Culturally Diverse Student Community: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Second-language Teaching and Learning at the Undergraduate Level”, St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, April 28 and 29, 2006

Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters Annual Conference (French Language and Literature Panel) “L’étranger: mémoire ou monologue?”, University of Michigan, March 4-5, 2005

Workshop Presentations

French Teaching Assistants' Workshops, Department of French Fall Orientation, University of Toronto, September 2021-2022

French Teaching Assistants' Workshops, Department of French Fall Orientation, University of Toronto, September 2020

Monthly Workshops, Department of French, University of Toronto, September - December 2019

French Teaching Assistants' Workshops, Department of French, University of Toronto, January 2018 - April 2019

Teaching and Learning Community of Practice Workshop: "Hybrid Courses and Learning", University of Toronto, March 7, 2016

Second Language Learning and Teaching Community, Workshop 3 - "Pathways to culture: Integrating experiential learning and culture-based research in the second language curriculum", November 6, 2015 (invited presentation)

Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation Workshop: "Deepening Your Teaching Practice: Integrating Teaching and Research", University of Toronto, October 5, 2015 (invited presentation)

Department of French, University of Toronto, "L'enseignement en ligne - implications pédagogiques", University of Toronto, June 16, 2015

Department of French, University of Toronto, Contribution to Dr. Paray's course FRE 250H, Workshop Presentation, “La quête d’identité dans L’Amant de Marguerite Duras", March 19, 2015

Department of French, University of Toronto, Teacher Training Programme, Workshop Presentation, “Enseigner la lecture en fls”, November 19 , 2014.

Department of French, University of Toronto, Teacher Training Programme, Workshop Presentation, “Pistes pédagogiques pour enseigner la lecture en fls”, March 21, 2012

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Study Languages Conference 2009 “French in Context: Language and Culture through Cinema”, University of Toronto, December 8, 2009

Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Knowledge and Its Communities Conference: “Une nouvelle culture de l’apprentissage pour les diplômés bilingues: les programmes de partenariat”, Victoria College, University of Toronto, June 14-17, 2006

Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto Year of Languages Conference “Reading and Interpreting Tales of the Supernatural from 19th Century France”, University of Toronto, December 1, 2006

HONOURS

Dean’s Merit Award and Dean’s 5% Merit Excellence Award reward faculty who have demonstrated that they are leaders in their field or who have made an outstanding contribution.

2019 Dean’s 5% Merit Excellence Award

2018 Dean’s Merit Award

2017 Dean’s Merit Award

Education

PhD in Comparative Literature, Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto, 1996
MA in Comparative Literature, Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto, 1994

Administrative Service

Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies, French Department, 2018-2020
Study Abroad and Liaison Coordinator, French Department, 2002-2012
Language Committee (Chair)
Curriculum Committee (Chair)