Monday, October 24, 2016

Waterloo launches annual travel survey

Each year the University of Waterloo works with TravelWise to measure how members of the University community travel to campus, understand what has changed, and identify opportunity areas. All staff, faculty, and students are encouraged to complete the annual travel survey.

Please take a few minutes to complete this quick and confidential online survey. By completing the survey, you could win great prizes, including one of:

• One (1) $250 King Street Cycles Gift Card;
• One (1) $250 Adventure Guide Inc. Gift Card;
• Two (2) $100 Borealis Grille & Bar Gift Cards;
• Two (2) $100 University of Waterloo Retail Services Gift Cards

The survey will remain open until November 4. Complete terms and conditions are available on the survey homepage.

Random Act of Kindness Day on November 4

The day to bring kindness to all is happening on Friday, November 4! Random Act of Kindness was started in Waterloo Region by The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, and is celebrated in over 250 communities across Canada, including the University of Waterloo campus.

Students, faculty and staff will be out and about spreading kindness on campus and in our community. Keep an eye out for a bunch of on-campus activities brought to you by UWaterloo staff, faculty and students:

• Catch some giveaways, free upgrades, and other goodies in the SLC
• For those studying for midterms in the DC and DP Library, keep your eyes peeled for some sweet treats
• Craving some tea? Head up to the Campus Response Team’s office in SLC for some free tea
• Be sure to catch a stellar performance and some free giveaways in Carl A. Pollock Hall

Check out our RAK Day video from last year to generate the spirit of giving back!

We look forward to seeing all the unique ways our campus community can pay it forward and participate in this feel-good campaign. Rememebr to share your kindness story using #UWaterlooRAK

Events scheduled for International Open Access Week

A message from the Library.

International Open Access (OA) Week 2016 is fast approaching. This year's theme, "Open in Action," focuses on encouraging us to take concrete steps towards realizing the goal of open research. The Library will be hosting a variety of Open Access themed events in the coming weeks in the Dana Porter Flex Lab (LIB 329):

• Exploring Open Access Funding Webinar: Monday, October 24, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.;
• Open Science: Tuesday, October 25, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.;
• Open Metrics: Leveraging Altmetric Data to Capture Online Attention to Your Research: Thursday, November 3, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Visit our schedule of events to learn more and register.

If you have any questions, contact any member of the Open Access Working Group:

• Courtney Earl Matthews, Digital Repository Librarian
• Rebecca Hutchinson, Liaison Librarian
• Kailee Hilt, MLIS Coop Student
• Lauren Byl, Licensing and Copyright Librarian

What do students think of WatPD?

This is the fourth piece in a four-part series focusing on the Waterloo Professional Development Program (WatPD).

When it comes to student support, WatPD’s goal is making sure each and every student in a PD course enjoys an exceptional experience, regardless of their background or discipline of choice. It’s a simple objective that’s difficult to achieve. Thousands of students take PD courses every term, and all of them have different needs and pre-existing professional skills. WatPD’s program evaluation plan ensures its courses stay fresh and its students remain satisfied.

The program collects thousands of student responses every term through quizzes and surveys embedded in each PD course. Audience analysis tests help WatPD measure the knowledge students gain by completing their courses, and end of course surveys focus on student reactions to the content and support they received throughout the term. By combining these sets of data with course pass rates and averages, the program can develop an impression of student satisfaction on a course-by-course basis.

As it stands, the results are quite encouraging. Students are satisfied with the support they receive from WatPD’s staff, co-op students, and part-time markers. Almost all of the students (96 percent) enrolled in courses during the Spring 2016 term rated the quality of support they received as satisfactory or better. Additionally, nearly 90 percent (88 percent) of students reported finding connections between their course work and their work terms over the same time period, and nearly 90 percent (89 percent) of students were able to use what they learned in the workplace.

Course development and improvement is a continuous process, and that’s where the data collected from each course is put into practice. WatPD co-op students and staff refine and add new content to each course on a termly basis, and they change their approaches to student support based on the needs student express in their survey responses. If students in a particular course agree they could’ve used more substantive feedback, that might become a point of emphasis the very next term. Courses are also routinely redeveloped from the ground up, resulting in fresh experiences that incorporate lessons learned from earlier versions of the course and feedback solicited from Waterloo employers.

Program evaluation and improvement can be an exacting process, but it’s an integral part of WatPD’s mission. Students are more likely to develop their professional skills and carry them into the workplace if their PD course experiences are memorable, fulfilling, and supported with compassion and attention to detail.