Wednesday, February 19, 2020

CTE to host intensive course design

Leia Minaker and Clarence Woudsma discuss work displayed at the close of the 2019 Teaching Excellence Academy

A message from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

The annual Teaching Excellence Academy (TEA) will be held this year on April 22, 23, 24, and 27. 

The TEA is aimed primarily at experienced faculty members who want the opportunity to rejuvenate their teaching. At the TEA, attendees will thoroughly revise one of their courses (face-to-face, fully online, or face-to-face courses with significant online components) with the assistance of their peers and experts from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL).

Past attendees have reported that the TEA helped them to design more effective courses and make their design choices more transparent for their students. The TEA ends with a showcase event at which TEA participants share their revised course outlines. 

Interested faculty members should contact their department Chair/Director or faculty Teaching Fellow/Associate Dean, Teaching, for more information.

Grade 10 Family Night happens tomorrow

Tomorrow, Grade 10 students and parents will be attending the Grade 10 Family Night information session to learn about applying to university and finding the right program. The event, which features current Waterloo students offering tips about what they wish they knew about university before they arrived, will help younger students and their parents learn about actions they can take now to prepare for university.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about finding the right program and university, admissions, and financing their education.

Grade 10 Family Night takes place on Thursday, February 20 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Hagey Hall. Registrations are open until tomorrow.

Committee calls for honorary member nominations

The Honorary Member of the University Committee has put the call out for nominations for the Honorary Member of the University designation.

"The Honorary Member of the University designation recognizes employees for outstanding service to the University as a whole," writes commitee chair Karen Trevors. "It is the highest honour a staff member can attain at the University of Waterloo. For faculty members, it recognizes distinctive administrative or other service to the University (as distinguished from Distinguished Professor Emeritus, which recognizes academic excellence). These achievements are celebrated at Convocation where they inspire those in attendance."

Guidelines for the awarding of Honorary Member of the University, including selection guidelines, procedures, considerations to make in assessing a candidate’s qualifications, and details on what to submit in a nomination package, can be found on the website for the Honorary Member of the University Committee. "You are also welcome to contact the committee secretary, Rebecca Wickens for information and assistance," writes Trevors.

"We invite you to consider nominating a worthy candidate for this honour. Please note, the University embraces and appreciates diversity and wants to ensure a diverse pool of candidates. With the community’s input we can continue to maintain a substantial pool of deserving individuals whose achievements the University would be delighted to celebrate and honour," Trevors writes. "Thank you in advance for your contribution to this important tradition."

The benefits of connecting with others

This article is part of an on-going Campus Wellness Champions series.

An individual’s wellbeing and sense of belonging are closely related. When we talk about belonging, it is often described as feeling like an important member of a group or community. Without this feeling of belonging, individuals can start to feel socially isolated or lonely, which affects overall wellbeing. Making a connection with others can be challenging, especially at a large institution.  

This is why Jennifer Andrews-Coffey, Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator, for the Social Development Studies program (SDS) at Renison College implemented a buddy program called “SDS Buddies.” Jennifer knew that creating a sense of belonging was an achievable goal with some hard work and help from her amazing colleagues.

SDS Buddies was created to match new incoming students (mentees) with an upper year student (mentor) in the program. Mentors provide support, encouragement, and information about the program and existing resources. The mentors and mentees are hand matched based on interests, hobbies and goals in the hopes that a strong connection can form between these individuals, contributing to a sense of belonging. 

Since the program’s inception, SDS Buddies has matched over 120 students and because of its overwhelmingly positive feedback from students, Jennifer and her team are launching an expanded version of this program to include online, mature, and transfer students.  

When asked about the impact of the program, Jennifer noted, "mentees are super happy, but mentors are also really enjoying the interactions!"

Some students even exclaimed that they felt like they’ve met their new best friend in the program— this program definitely seems to be improving the wellness of students within SDS. 

Jennifer’s hope is that the buddy program continues to promote connectivity, contributes to students’ sense of belonging, and inspires similar initiatives within the wider UWaterloo community. SDS Buddies is one way to help ease the overwhelming aspect of a new school for incoming students, while fostering friendships. This social connectivity approach to wellness can no doubt inspire others and positively impact sense of belonging at Waterloo.