Monday, October 31, 2016

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• Undergraduate communications outcome initiative to replace ELPE
• Velocity Garage, the world's largest free startup incubator
• Panel discussion will talk playful thinking
• Brianna Wu speaks on campus this week

Undergraduate communications outcome initiative to replace ELPE

Excellent communication capacities are fundamental to a range of activities, both in and out of the classroom.  Building on the uWaterloo 2013-2018 Strategic Plan, the university has recently established the Undergraduate Communication Outcomes Initiative. This initiative, which will replace the English Language Proficiency Exam in programs across the university by fall 2019, aims to ensure that all undergraduate students will successfully complete at least one communication course. The initiative focuses on three central outcomes: comprehension, conceptualization, and contextualization.

All program changes related to this initiative will follow the standard undergraduate curricular approval process. Cross-campus collaboration across all six Faculties and several academic support units, including the Writing Centre, the Centre for Teaching Excellence, and the Student Success Office, is a crucial component of this initiative. Disciplinary experts at UW whose research addresses communication outcomes and teaching also have a key role. The three communication outcomes were identified by members of the Steering Committee, English Language Competency Initiative in consultation with faculty members, and were endorsed by Dean’s Council in May 2015. As noted in an October 24 memorandum from the Provost, “The undergraduate communication outcomes have been designed to be sufficiently broad so that departments and faculty members can ensure that they have a strong fit with existing curricular priorities and directions.”

Best practices research in teaching communication and writing demonstrates that small class sizes, iterative assignments, and multiple opportunities for feedback from the course instructor all significantly contribute to success in these courses. In studying and applying communication concepts in courses that also carefully attend to field-specific content, students have an opportunity to strengthen their sense of self confidence, and further develop their ability to communicate well in a variety of settings. For more information about the Undergraduate Communication Outcomes Initiative, please visit the website.

Velocity Garage, the world's largest free startup incubator

On Friday, the University of Waterloo celebrated the official opening of the expanded Velocity Garage, making UWaterloo home to the largest free startup incubator in the world.

Now occupying 37,000 square feet, the Velocity Garage offers workspace for up to 120 startups to work and collaborate, as well as business mentorship, equipment, and a vibrant startup community. The expanded facilities include a new wet laboratory, assembly space, workshop, and prototyping lab for startups developing hardware and science innovations. The Velocity Garage houses software, hardware, life-sciences and social entrepreneurship startups—formerly housed in separate buildings—together under one roof.

“What is happening here is important, not just to our community, but also the world,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “Velocity companies continue to be leaders in solving important, global problems, while building sustainable businesses along the way.”

Velocity and the University play a central role in driving innovation within Waterloo region. Velocity has facilitated the growth of 175 companies, creating more than 1,200 jobs since the program started in 2008, and raising $425 million in funding. Velocity does not charge companies fees or take any equity from startups. Pitchbook ranks the University the top school in Canada for venture-capital-backed entrepreneurs.

“Velocity is a key component of the region’s innovation ecosystem and a symbol that the University of Waterloo is leading in economic growth and job creation through entrepreneurship,” said Jay Shah, director of Velocity.

The expansion came together through partnerships including the City of Kitchener, which provided $500,000 in funding to build the new science lab at the Velocity Garage. Velocity benefits from co-location in the Tannery alongside Communitech. The expansion of Velocity was also enabled by Google’s move into new offices at the nearby Breithaupt Block, and a gift of furniture from the tech company.

Panel discussion will talk playful thinking

The Games Institute will be hosting a panel discussion entitled Playful Thinking: A Conversation on Games, Learning, and Literacy today from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in EC1 1331. You’re invited to join this panel of experts as they consider and discuss the ways in which games and play in the 21^st century are implicated by social, political, cultural, and pedagogical components.

If you’re unable to attend this event in person, you can tune into the livestream for this event.

The three panelists for this event are scholars within The Games Institute that are involved in various aspects of games, game play and mechanics. The three panelists are:

• Alexandra Orlando – Alexandra is a PhD candidate whose writing is concerned with eSports and gender. She is also the editor-in-chief of First Person Scholar, which is a web-based publication aiming to develop and promote the study and literary criticism revolving around games and culture.
• Professor Neil Randall - Randall is the Director of The Games Institute, a multi-disciplinary research centre situated at the University of Waterloo. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of English and works in several different fields of academia including design of historical simulation games, the study of game adaptations of historic works, and the study and implementation of purposeful games.
• Professor Steve Wilcox - An instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Game Design & Development program, Steve has developed numerous serious and purposeful games in the areas of health, wellness, professional training, and cross-cultural communication.

This event will be moderated by Professor Jen Whitson, and she is a sociologist that researches the secret life of software, the people who make it, and how both change our lives on a daily basis. Her current projects are centred on digital media incubators, indie game makers and how they sustain their creative work, and on the surveillance implications of data-driven design.

Brianna Wu speaks on campus this week

The HeForShe Advocate for the Faculty of Mathematics is hosting a public lecture by Brianna Wu entitled "GamerGate and the War Against Women in Tech” on Wednesday, November 2 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in DC 1302.

Wu is head of development at Giant Spacekat, a prominent game development team in the industry with female leadership. 

She is a well-known public speaker on issues affecting women in the tech sector. Wu rose to be one of the most prominent women in game development in 2014 after her involvement in the Gamergate controversy resulted in online harassment and multiple threats on her life.

Register for the event online.