Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A new tool to guide student writing

by Brandon Petryna and Clare Bermingham, Writing Centre.

The University of Waterloo Writing Centre is proud to present a free online public resource that helps students plan, write, and revise key writing assignments. Welcome to WriteOnline.ca!

In a major collaboration that utilizes the expertise of writing experts and online learning specialists, the University of Waterloo, the University of Guelph, and Wilfrid Laurier University have developed an academic writing tool focusing on three major assignment genres: case study reports, lab reports, and reflective essays. The three interactive guides introduce the components and characteristics of these genres, provide practical strategies for writing, use model texts to illustrate organization and structure, and provide downloadable resources and tools.

Launched in fall 2015, the website has already garnered very positive feedback from faculty and students. The site is easy to use and the modules provide interactive and detailed instruction on all elements of assignment writing. This resource is available to everyone. Students can engage with the modules independently by moving through the assignment guidelines from start to finish or by finding help on a specific component. Instructors can use the website to integrate modules into their course design.

We hope that this is just the first stage of the project, and we expect to add new modules in the future. Check out WriteOnline.ca today and tell us what you think!

Funding for this project was administered through the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and provided through the Shared Online Course Fund from the MTCU.

A week to focus on teaching

As part of Focus on Teaching Week, which runs from October 5 to October 8, the Centre for Teaching Excellence is offering a number of sessions to Waterloo instructors, including:

• CTE750: Gamification and Learning, Tuesday, October 6, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.;
• CTE749: Creating Community in Large(ish) Classes, Tuesday, October 6, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.;
• CTE748: Developing Students’ Metacognitive Skills, Wednesday, October 7, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.;
• CTE752: Peer Review and Assessment, Thursday, October 8, 10:30 to 12:00 noon;
• CTE753: Design for Critical Reflection, Thursday, October 8, 2015, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

The workshops are located in EV1 241.

Economics lecture looks at inequality, productivity

The latest speaker in the Waterloo Arts Distinguished Lecture in Economics is Professor Richard Freeman, the Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics at Harvard University, who will be delivering a talk entitled "Reducing inequality and improving productivity by employee ownership: evidence-based economic policy for the 21^st century."

Freeman is one of world's leading labour economists. He has made significant contributions to the economics of earnings inequality and education, discrimination, labour unions and global labor standards, the labour market in China, and the job market for scientists and engineers. He holds the Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics at Harvard University, directs the National Bureau of Economic Research/Sloan Science Engineering Workforce Projects, and is Co-Director of the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science.

"The spectre of inequality haunts modern capitalism, as a small elite gain the bulk of the benefits of economic growth and use their wealth to dominate economies and polities," says the talk's abstract. "In virtually every country, labour's share of income has fallen and inequality increased massively. What can we do to arrest the growth of inequality, restore a strong middle class, and make sure that real wages of typical workers grow with productivity?"

Based on his research with coauthors Joseph Blasi and Douglas Kruse, Professor Freeman argues that the answer lies in wider ownership of capital and worker participation in decisions. 

The lecture takes place today from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre.

Each year the Department of Economics invites a distinguished scholar to present a lecture on the state of the art in a field of economic research, giving students from various disciplines a special opportunity to enhance their understanding of economics. The University community and members of the public are warmly invited to attend the lectures - and encouraged to engage with the topic of discussion. Each event will provide an opportunity for members of the audience to interact with the speaker in a question and answer session following the lecture. 

Talk on sexual consent today

Do you know what healthy sexual consent looks like?

As the national conversation about sexual consent gains attention, the University of Waterloo's Equity Office is hosting a talk that will give people skills for healthy sexual decision making.

Award-winning author and presenter Mike Domitrz will be presenting his public lecture "Can I Kiss You" today at Federation Hall. The talk will cover healthy dating, consent, bystander intervention and sexual assault awareness.

“Mike is known for his unique ability to connect with people in an entertaining way,” says Director of Equity Mahejabeen Ebrahim. “He’s a speaker who can engage people in important conversations about sexual consent with humour rather than fear.”

Domitrz is one of the leading experts on healthy dating, consent, bystander intervention and sexual assault awareness. Mike’s unique ability to connect with audiences of all ages and demographics results in presentations that are both educational and entertaining. 

Doors open at 3:50 p.m. President Feridun Hamdullahpur will deliver opening remarks. A reception will follow.

Attending the presentation? Tag your questions with #AskAtUW or send them by e-mail to equity@uwaterloo.ca.

Equality, elections, and other explications

TEDxUW, Harvard IBC and the UW Women’s Centre are coming together to bring an event to campus entitled “The Equality Dialogue”.  The event will take place Wednesday, October 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the SLC Great Hall.

"As one of the esteemed #HeforShe chosen institutions for the United Nation’s Impact 10x10x10 initiative, Waterloo has been able to lead the world by example through committing to real change and addressing gender inequality as an institutional priority," says a note from the event's organizers. "“The Equality Dialogue” is truly going to be representative of that. There will be no agenda, no keynote speakers, no opening and closing remarks. All there is… is you, him, her and the entire UW community (students, faculty, and staff) talking about gender equality in its broadest sense; it is a community-wide discussion that starts here. Be there and be a part of this change because as Emma Watson says, “gender equality is your issue too”."

With the 2015 federal election less than two weeks away, Elections Canada has launched a pilot project aimed at assisting voters who are living outside of their riding during the election period. Temporary Elections Canada offices are being opened at select Friendship Centres and community centres, and post-secondary campuses, including the University of Waterloo. From October 5 to 8, students will be able to cast a special ballot for their home riding (or their local one) between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. daily.

As the CBC notes, "In the 2011 federal election, the government reported a participation rate of 38.8 per cent of eligible voters aged 18- to 24-years-old, well below the national average of 61.1 per cent." This pilot project is aimed at increasing voter turnout from that demographic.

"If you’re from anywhere in Canada, you can vote for your home riding on any of these days," says a note from the Federation of Students, who is active in getting out the student vote this election cycle. "You may also choose to vote for your local riding in advance on these days. Remember you can only vote once, either for your home riding or local riding. Special ballot polling will take place in three locations on campus: MC 2036, SCH Laurel Room, and SLC 0106."

And now, a note from the Faculty of Science: “The Science Undergrad Office (ESC 253) will open later, at 10:00 a.m., on Wednesday, October 07. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Check the Science current undergraduate students page for our regular hours.”

There's nothing like a look back after a look forward, so be sure to check out the Reunion 2015 Storify to relive last weekend's excitement.