Thursday, March 2, 2017

PD1’s new student support model is making a difference

A message from the Waterloo Professional Development Program (WatPD)

Co-op students in every faculty except Engineering take WatPD’s course PD1: Co-op Fundamentals before heading out on their first co-op work term. PD1 helps students develop core career skills like résumé writing and interview preparation, and students also learn to use WaterlooWorks to find and apply for jobs as they work through the course. One of WatPD’s biggest projects last year was the design and implementation of a new student support model for PD1, and early returns suggest the new model is improving the PD1 student experience.

Under the new support model, PD1 students are assigned to specific teaching assistants (TAs) and stay with them over the course of the full term. Students are encouraged to meet their TAs in-person for résumé critiques and mock interview sessions, both of which can have a direct impact on a student’s employability. “I’m really impressed with [your] co-op resources and the staff’s attention to detail,” wrote one Fall 2016 student.  “I’m learning so many valuable lessons about job searching and life in general this term!” Every student benefits from this kind of individualized support, and their TAs come to understand the unique challenges they face while trying to find their first co-op job.

Developing PD1’s new support model would’ve been impossible without the expertise and resources of the Centre for Career Action (CCA). CCA’s career advisors spend three full days each term giving WatPD TAs the customized training they need to effectively serve students, and director Jennifer Woodside plays an active role in PD1’s operation as the course instructor. CCA also helps WatPD target and support students at key points during the co-op process depending on their employment status. “From training to resources, CCA’s partnership has been invaluable,” says PD1 instructional support coordinator Evana Delay. “We’ve supported over 3,000 students through PD1 in the last year alone, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

Fewer students take PD1 during the Winter and Spring terms, so WatPD is using this time to build on its Fall 2016 successes and refine the support students are receiving. This term’s in-person events have received glowing reviews: students rated their general satisfaction with their résumé critiques and mock interviews at averages of 4.62/5 and 4.50/5, respectively.

One of the major themes to emerge from students’ qualitative feedback is the increased self-assurance that comes from attending one of PD1’s in-person activities. “Having someone go over my résumé with me helped to boost my confidence,” wrote one student who attended a critique. “I’m sure I’m on the right track.” Another student expressed a similar idea regarding their mock interview: “I was very nervous coming in but my interviewer was very skilled at delivering constructive criticism. I’m leaving feeling confident, not discouraged.” It’s comments like these that inspire WatPD as we work to make PD1 the best possible introduction to the world of co-op.

Gordon Stubley wins 3M Teaching Award

Professor Gordon Stubley of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering has been honoured with a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, awarded by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada. Up to 10 people from across Canada are presented annually with the fellowship, one of Canada's most prestigious awards for excellence in post-secondary education.

“There are lots of people who do really good work at this university in teaching,” says Stubley. “I think it’s really important that we learn to talk about how we achieve excellence and how our students see excellence.”

For the full story, and to hear about why students call Stubley "the engineering Bill Nye," read "Engineering professor awarded prestigious teaching fellowship" on Waterloo Stories. 

March is Pharmacy Awareness Month

Did you know that you can get a travel vaccine from your pharmacist? As of 2016, Ontario pharmacists can give over 10 types of vaccines to their patients.  

It’s appropriate, then, the theme of Pharmacist Awareness Month 2017 is “Pharmacists: Doing More. For You.” To celebrate, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy is launching Pharmacists Support.

Pharmacists Support will run every Tuesday and Thursday in the Daily Bulletin, showcasing the many ways in which pharmacists do more than put pills in bottles and explain your medications. The series will share snapshots of our alumni working across the country and in all aspects of pharmacy practice.

As the newest pharmacy School in Canada, we’re proud to see our alumni joining the ranks of the over 42,000 pharmacists who practice across the country.

Take a moment to thank your pharmacist in March, and we’ll see you next Tuesday with our first Pharmacists Support story.

Staff conference registration opens Friday; other notes

Organizational & Human Development (OHD) is pleased to announce that registration will open for the 10th annual Waterloo Staff Conference on Friday, March 3. The two-day event features world-class keynotes as well as workshops (designed by your own campus colleagues) that help to develop personal and professional growth in our employees and further creates a robust, vibrant, and engaged community. As well, this year’s conference will be hosting a two-part special presentation with guest speaker, Jesse Wente, on indigenous inclusion as a benchmark and pathway to success for business, institutions, and the broader culture with a follow-up moderated panel discussion with members of the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre.

As part of the tenth anniversary of the Waterloo Staff Conference, OHD is holding a special evening event with distinguished guest speaker and Canadian icon Margaret Trudeau on the evening of April 4th at 7pm.  From technology to your wellness, from your career to student engagement, there is always something for everyone at this premiere event. Be sure to explore the conference line-up to find the best topics and themes that work for you.

The Department of Classical Studies is proud to present a lecture by Dr. Rolf Strootman of Utrecht University entitled "Brand New Ancient: Anchoring Regime Change in Hellenistic Babylonia, Judea and Egypt" on Wednesday March 8 from 4:00-5:20 in EV2 2002.

"The incorporation of countries and local communities into ‘globalizing’ empires can be violent and abrupt," says the talk's abstract. "But even if the social trauma is small, and the empire benevolent, imperial conquest sooner or later will upset the existing social order and hierarchy within communities as empires usually seek to replace ruling elites by their internal rivals. In order to create a ‘middle ground’ where local and imperial elites could interact, imperial leaders and their local agents often construct new cultural memories to ‘anchor’ the new political order in local social imaginaries."

Professor Strootman's talk will compare the strategies used by two rivals, the Seleukid and Ptolemaic dynasties. The focus will be on three case studies: the cities of Babylon and Jerusalem shortly after the Seleukid conquest, and the Ptolemaic province of Egypt. 

The lecture is free and all are welcome.  

As of Monday, March 6, the Region of Waterloo is making changes to its waste collection program. The main change that residents will see is garbage being collected every two weeks with limits on the number of garbage bags you can put out on the curb.

To deal with these changes, ensure you use your green bin and blue bins. Students are encouraged talk to their landlord to see if the changes affect their place of residence.

For more information, please visit the Region of Waterloo's Waste Management website.

"The Feds Student Food Bank is holding our first annual CANpetition food drive event," writes food bank coordinator Chelsea Hillier. "Prizes will be awarded to teams who collect the most amount of product, have the highest diversity in product, or collect the most amount of product from our “needed items” list (all hygiene products, pasta, canned fruit, stew and chili). To take part in CANpetition, simply register online, fill in all required information, and gather as many non-perishable food items as possible by March 17. Registration is open now until March 10. For more information, please visit our Facebook page or contact fedsstudentfoodbank@gmail.com."