Friday, March 4, 2022

Results of the web conferencing platform review survey

A message from Information Systems & Technology

During the pandemic, the immediate need for web conferencing platforms resulted in the rapid adoption of a number of different tools to enable the University to continue, virtually, with classroom and administrative activities. In January, IST issued a survey to members of the campus community seeking feedback on web conferencing needs and functionality requirements with the goal of reducing the growing set of tools IST supports to a more sustainable offering. 

Survey results

The survey received 763 responses from instructors, IT support staff, and students. Of the five web conferencing tools included in the survey, results indicated that Teams then Zoom are the top two preferred platforms, followed by WebEx, Bongo Virtual Classroom, and Adobe Connect. 

IST support for web conferencing platforms moving forward

Based on the survey results, IST support for web conferencing tools will proceed as follows:

• IST will continue to provide support to campus for Teams and Zoom
• IST will continue to provide support to campus for current WebEx users
• New requests for WebEx will be redirected to Zoom or Teams, unless there is a requirement that only WebEx will meet
• WebEx usage and support may be reviewed again before the current licence agreement expires in December 2022
• Availability and support for Bongo will continue for the duration of the current license agreement, November 1, 2023. Use of Bongo will be monitored over the next year so that an informed decision regarding future use of the tool can be made.
• While the virtual classroom functionality in Bongo does not meet most web conferencing platform needs, the tool was licenced and has been used primarily for student video assignments
• Effective May 1, 2022, IST will no longer provide support for Adobe Connect
• Access to Adobe Connect (to download content) will remain until August, 1, 2022
• A comparable and recommended alternative for Adobe Connect is Zoom
• Questions about Adobe Connect and/or alternate tools may be submitted to Koorus Bookan, kbookan@uwaterloo.ca. 

Benefits of this change

Reducing the number of web conferencing platforms to a smaller, sustainable offering will provide a more consistent user experience for students, faculty, and staff across campus while allowing IST to develop an efficient and effective central support model.

Support resources for each of the platforms are available in the IST Knowledge Base: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Bongo Virtual Classroom, How to download Adobe Connect recordings, Comparison of web conferencing tools for synchronous or lecture streaming events.

Questions or concerns about this project, they survey, or support decisions moving forward may be submitted to Pam Fluttert, fluttert@uwaterloo.ca.  

Registration for the 2022 Waterloo Staff Conference is Now Open

Two days of engaging and expert-led workshop sessions, two award-winning keynote speakers, opportunities to connect with colleagues from across campus – it's all happening this April 6 & 7. This is where inspired learning and talented people come together to make high-impact moments.  Check out this year’s Waterloo Staff Conference Agenda and Speaker Line-Up.

Waterloo Staff Conference event focuses on Truth and Reconciliation in Higher Education

The WSC Speaker Series is proud to present this month’s keynote speaker, Kevin Lamoureux, on Wednesday March 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.  This event will focus on the work of Truth and Reconciliation within the world of academia and is open to all UWaterloo employees.

“I am delighted that Kevin Lamoureux has agreed to spend this time with us at UW.” says Jean Becker, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations. “He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in postsecondary and is one of the leading speakers in Canada on issues around reconciliation, the TRC and Indigenous education. He is high on my list of favourite presenters not only because of his skill in doing so but because he always leaves his audience feeling empowered. I know we will all learn from him on March 16.” 

Kevin uses his talks as a catalyst and invitation to act, not just as a faculty and staff, but as Canadians. His focus is one we should all share, “a commitment to reconciliation and contributing to an even better Canada for all children to grow up in.”  

Registration today on Portal.

This event is brought to you by Organizational & Human Development and the Office of Indigenous Relations.

SDG Impact Challenge: Canada's first sustainability hackathon

Graduate and undergraduate students are called to participate in the SDG Impact Challenge: Canada's first sustainability hackathon.

The challenge invites students to #hackforsustainability. Teams of 4 work together to create solutions to a problem statement of their choice, provided by event partners: UW Sustainability Office, WISE, STP Greenhouse, and Climate Reality.

Winning teams have a chance to win:

• $1000* first prize
• $800* second prize
• $600* third prize

(*Terms and conditions apply – please visit the website for more information.)

"There are no requirements on faculty, seniority, work experience or programming experience, says a note from the organizing team, Impact Alliance. "Just as we must all come together from all backgrounds to shape our world sustainably, so will you when coming up with solutions." Examples of solutions include engineering design, policy recommendations or even business proposals.  

Participants will have access to workshops conducted by several experts from Waterloo Region on entrepreneurship and problem pitching, as well as technical workshops on sustainable development.

Program organizers are looking for professors to mentor students for the challenge. Join their Discord and introduce yourself! An alternate way to support the initiative is to share this opportunity with your classes and networks.  

The deadline for students to register is Wednesday, March 9 at 11:59 p.m.

Find out more about the SDG Impact Challenge.

Registration opens for the March Anti-racism Book Club

This article was originally published in the Catalyst newsletter.

Jennisha Wilson, senior manager, Anti-racism in the new office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R) will facilitate the March Anti-racism Book Club with a review of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Written by Reni Eddo-Lodge, an award-winning journalist, “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race,” represents an attempt to address frustrations associated with the way that discussions of race and racism are led by those who weren’t affected by it.

While exploring issues such as eradicated Black history, the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism, and the link between class and race, among other topics, this book has transformed conversations that address acknowledging and countering racism.

Touted to be an essential handbook for anyone looking to understand how structural racism works, Eddo-Lodge pushes readers to recognize that racism is a systemic problem that needs to be tackled by those who run the system.

“This book is a good starting point to initiate what some might consider to be difficult conversations about race and racism,” said Wilson. “Quite often, there is a certain level of discomfort in anti-racism work, but discomfort is a sign of growth. It’s important to embrace discomfort and use it as an opportunity to gain new perspectives and unlearn negative behaviours.”

Wilson looks forward to a having respectful and meaningful dialogue and hopes that the session will serve as a space for learning and action planning to continue the work of building and sustaining racial equality.

Register here for the March Anti-racism Book Club.

IC3 climate change experts lead latest United Nation's report

This article was originally featured on the Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change's website.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a new report detailing the impacts of climate change on humanity and the environment. The IPCC’s Working Group II (WGII) report, which provides a comprehensive scientific assessment of the impacts and adaptation strategies of a warming planet, is a key input for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and informs international negotiations to address climate change. 

Three Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) members, Luna Khirfan, Robert McLeman, and Linda Mortsch, are lead authors in the recently published Working Group II report. They have worked with top scientists from around the world for the past several years to identify options for creating a sustainable future for all through an equitable and integrated approach to mitigation and adaptation efforts at all scales. This includes IC3 members Hannah Tait Neufeld and Susan Elliott who were contributing authors for sections on Indigenous Health and evaluating health adaptation, which both appear in chapter 7 on health, wellbeing and the changing structure of communities.

“It’s an honour to be recognized for your expertise and nominated by your country to participate in the IPCC,” said Convening Lead Author Linda Mortsch. “I always appreciate the opportunity to collaborate because you’re exposed to leading researchers from around the world and new knowledge, which ultimately informs Canadians to make advances in adapting to climate change.”

The report’s key findings show that urgent action is required to deal with the increasing risks of a warming planet. These include:

• Safeguarding and strengthening nature is key to securing a livable future. The report shows that there are options to adapt to a changing climate and shares new insights into nature’s potential to reduce climate risks and improve people’s lives.
• Cities are hotspots of impacts and risks, but also a crucial part of the solution. By involving everyone in planning, attention to equity and justice, and drawing on Indigenous and local knowledge, opportunities for climate action can be realized.
• Local solutions are needed to address the global challenge. The report provides extensive regional information to enable climate resilient development, which is already challenging at current warming levels, and will be more limited if global warming exceeds 1.5°C (2.7°F). In some regions it will be impossible if global warming exceeds 2°C (3.6°F). This key finding underlines the urgency for climate action, focusing on equity and justice.

To help us further understand the report, Khirfan, McLeman, and Mortsch, discussed the report’s findings and their impacts on Canada in a series of Q&As.

The Working Group II report, along with an earlier report on the physical science of climate change released in the fall of 2021, are part of the IPCC’s sixth assessment of the state of the knowledge of the climate crisis. The third report is scheduled to be released on Monday, April 4, 2022 followed by a synthesis report in fall 2022. University of Waterloo researchers have contributed to each of the IPCC assessments since it was initially formed in 1988.