Thursday, July 9, 2015

Personal growth, discovery through international volunteerism

by Joanne Wallace, Office of Advancement

The following is just one of the stories you’ll find in the 2014-15 Report on Giving, produced each year by the Office of Advancement.

With help from a David Johnston International Experience Award, environmental studies student Anne Tadgell spent a month in the Philippines helping people recover from a devastating earthquake.

Anne had originally planned on an academic career — something related to her field of geography and environmental management, and most likely focused on research and policy development. But then she had an experience that changed her life.

As part of her work toward a master’s degree, Anne had the opportunity to do disaster-relief work in the Philippines, helping the people of Bohol recover from a devastating earthquake. For a month she worked alongside a team from All Hands Volunteers to dismantle damaged homes and schools for families who could not afford to pay for the demolition work.

Anne calls her experience a “crash course in disaster response and recovery,” and says it inspired her to refocus her career on disaster response logistics.

“I now understand what it’s like to work directly with those who’ve been affected by disaster, and how I might be able to help. It’s definitely what I want to do with my life, and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity.”

At Waterloo we know the world is hungry for leaders who can work across environments and cultures. We also know that one of the best ways to develop these skills is through international study, work and volunteer opportunities.

Anne’s experience was made possible through the David Johnston International Experience Awards. Established to honour David Johnston’s contributions to the University, the fund is sustained by the support of many generous donors, and has helped dozens of students develop the skills they need to succeed in a global world.

Courseware collaboration wins award

A collaborative project between the University of Waterloo and Maplesoft has won an award from the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CNIE). The Excellence and Innovation in the Integration of Technology in Educational Practices/Collaboration Award acknowledges the Secondary School Courseware project, a free online courseware site designed to support high school math students and teachers in calculus and pre-calculus courses.

The Courseware project is the result of a partnership that combines rich course materials developed by the University with Maple T.A., Maplesoft’s online testing and assessment system, and Maplesoft technology for developing, managing, and displaying dynamic STEM content.

The courseware, unveiled earlier this year, provides a rich selection of freely accessible, engaging content for use by high school teachers and students around the world, and will help prepare students for university-level mathematics courses. The interactive platform allows students to visualize and experiment with concepts in order to deepen their understanding of the course material. Students can access the courseware online for personal review, to supplement their courses in order to hone their skills, or to try enrichment exercises.

“Working with Maplesoft, we were able to break new ground in the development and deployment of the Secondary School Courseware site,” said Ian VanderBurgh, director of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing. “The main goal of this project was to make high-quality mathematics curriculum materials available, free of charge, to students and teachers around the world, to support the vital work that teachers are doing in mathematics classrooms everywhere. This wouldn’t have been possible without the use of Maplesoft technology.”

“Our collaboration with the University of Waterloo is truly a partnership that brings together two different sets of expertise in pursuit of the same vision,” said Darren McIntyre, vice-president of Business Development at Maplesoft. “While the University excels at providing academic content, our combined efforts bring this concept to the world stage using Maplesoft’s innovative technology tools. We’re grateful for the recognition of this successful partnership. This project is part of Maplesoft’s initiative to help instructors and institutions develop and provide STEM courses online.”

Work is already underway to use the Maplesoft-developed platform in other online courses offered by the University, including courses in core math, optimization, modeling, computer science and quantum information systems.

Students and teachers do not need a login or special software to access the courseware on the Secondary School Courseware site. 

The CNIE is a national organization of professionals committed to the effective implementation of technology and innovation in education. Their awards recognize excellence in educational processes that make use of technology to advance learning at the local, national and international levels.

Thursday's notes

The Arts Undergraduate Office (PAS 2439) will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. today for a staff meeting. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," says the note from the AUO. "Please go to the Arts Undergraduate Office webpage for our regular office hours."

The latest issue of the David Johnston Research + Technology Park's magazine, WATCH, focuses on sustainability. Articles include the Sustainable Waterloo Region project that will promote sustainability. In the issue, which is available onlineo, Dean of Environment Jean Andrey provides her insights on sustainability and the progress of the creation of programs within the Faculty. Stantec, a professional engineering firm that is moving into the park, shares their thoughts on future trends. 

Hard copies of the magazine can be requested from Carol Stewart at carol.stewart@uwaterloo.ca.

The design project for the SHAD high school enrichment program currently underway at Waterloo (and the other 11 host campuses across Canada) was launched yesterday.

The project theme this year is "Why don’t you go play outside?"

"Between the increasing pull of screen time, highly structured activities, and concern for perceived risks outside the home, we have become an increasingly interior, sedentary society," says a note from SHAD Waterloo. "What might we create to encourage Canadians to play outside and reconnect with the physical world around them to improve well-being?"

The SHADs will hold a public open house to share their projects on Thursday, July 30, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Great Hall at Conrad Grebel University College.