Top Ten
December 21, 2020
UManitoba launches Master of Supply Chain Management and Logistics Program
The University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business is launching a Master of Supply Chain Management and Logistics Program (MSCM). Students will learn about supply chains and logistics operations within the classroom and will apply these skills in a co-op or applied project. “We are thrilled to add the Master in Supply Chain and Logistics to the Stu Clark Graduate School,” said Gady Jacoby, Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership at the Asper School of Business. “Launching this program in Manitoba, a continental hub for transportation and logistics, allows our School to bring value to the Manitoba labour market through the development and growth of a professional workforce in the supply chain and logistics sector.” UManitoba (MB)
COU releases findings from Indigenous faculty survey
The Council of Ontario Universities has released a new report, Lighting the Fire: Experiences of Indigenous Faculty in Ontario Universities. The report is based on a survey of full-time self-identified Indigenous faculty and demonstrates further need to support the inclusion of Indigenous voices and peoples on campuses across the province. It also includes Calls to Action based on the findings. “We must continue efforts to fully integrate Indigenous histories, culture, traditions and knowledge within our institutions – in our academic programs and research, our cultures, our spaces and structures,” said Caroline Langill, VP, Academic and Provost at OCAD University and Co-Chair of the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents and Reference Group on Aboriginal Education Joint Working Group. “The Lighting the Fire report provides valuable data to assist Ontario universities in this important work and to advancing meaningful changes to support our Indigenous faculty.” COU | COU (Report) (ON)
How AI could influence teaching
Designing artificial intelligence tools that can teach other artificial intelligence tools is a new frontier of learning engineering, writes Rebecca Koenig. The author discusses how AI tutoring tools can provide faster, more efficient education through allowing teachers to build their own AI tutors. This could help increase course completion rates and reduce human labour. The article explains that in time, instructors may be able to teach AI “Apprentice Learners,” who will then teach real students. “We let the AI algorithm figure it out from its own data,” said Iulian Vlad Serban, CEO of Korbit. “Most of what it does is learning from the students. Students are teaching it to do better.” EdSurge (International)
USask pilots Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence program
The University of Saskatchewan is piloting a new Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence program in 2021. The storyteller will be involved in initiatives that “promote intercultural understanding and story sharing between and among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.” Additionally, the storyteller will present a project during Indigenous Achievement Week. “The University Library firmly supports USask’s Indigenization efforts,” said Charlene Sorensen, USask’s acting dean, University Library. “The Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence pilot program is an important program that will help uplift Indigenous voices and perspectives and facilitate deeper cultural understanding at our university.” USask (SK)
JIBC launches Graduate Certificate in Cybercrime Analysis
The Justice Institute of British Columbia has launched a Graduate Certificate in Cybercrime Analysis which will meet the need for more skilled analysts in the field. Students will learn foundational intelligence analysis skills and will receive training in cybercrime analysis and intelligence investigations. “The new graduate certificate in cybercrime analysis will provide our graduates with access to education, training and internationally-recognized credentials to assist them in being a part of the solution in the battle against cybercrime in our economy, and society in general,” said Stuart Ruttan, Dean of the School of Criminal Justice & Security and Office of International Affairs. The online certificate can be completed from anywhere in Canada. JIBC (BC)
UNB Fredericton doubles capacity for nursing students
The University of New Brunswick Fredericton campus has received $5.2M from the province to add 24 seats to its bachelor of nursing bridging program. The funding is part of the New Brunswick Nursing Resource Strategy and addresses nursing shortages in the province. “This is an opportunity to enhance our province’s health care system and we are excited to be working in partnership with the Government of New Brunswick to find innovative solutions that work for all of us, said UNB Fredericton vice-president academic George MacLean. UNB | NB (NB )
OCUFA releases criticism of ON’s performance-based funding plans
The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations has released a statement criticizing the Ontario government’s plans to implement performance-based funding into postsecondary education. In the statement, OCUFA opposes the performance-based funding plan, which they say will decrease per-student funding. OCUFA also opposes the plan’s accelerated three-year phase-in. “This negligence will starve Ontario universities and colleges of vital resources required to ensure students receive a high-quality education,” reads the release. “If the government meaningfully consulted with college and university faculty, staff, and students, they would know that this is the wrong funding model at the worst possible time.” OCUFA (ON)
Strategies that help eliminate overpreparing for classes: Opinion
Overpreparing for classes is a common faculty problem, writes Denise K Magner. The author explains that instructors should move past overpreparing for classes by allowing the homework they have assigned to introduce, explain, clarify, and cover important material. Magner writes that instructors can identify and refine a small number of strategies that they can use during classes; these strategies will both fill class time and provide valuable learning experiences for students. The author suggests that instructors try strategies such as beginning class with a writing exercise, using a “connection” question at the end of class, having students work in groups to annotate a text, or using electronic polling. The Chronicle of Higher Ed (International)
UAlberta’s Butterdome undergoing construction into temporary hospital
The University of Alberta’s Butterdome is undergoing construction by Alberta Health Services and the Red Cross to transform it into a temporary hospital. The setup, which has been branded an “alternative care centre,” will have 100 beds and may be used for patients who are recovering from or are at low risk of spreading COVID-19, or for patients without COVID-19. Health Minister Tyler Shandro said that the facility is part of a contingency plan in case current hospital limits are reached. CBC (AB)
Instances of cheating more than doubles at UWaterloo: Report
A report from CBC states that cheating has more than doubled at the University of Waterloo in the 2019-2020 academic year, with an increase in cheating, using “unauthorized aids or assistance,” and violations of exam rules. The article identifies pandemic-related factors such as student feelings of being overwhelmed and of isolation along with the challenges of the change to online learning as potential reasons for the increase. CBC also reports that cheating has decreased from the winter to spring semesters. “This is definitely a blip we’ve seen with the pandemic, and I don’t expect these numbers will be sustained at this level going into the future,” said Amanda McKenzie, UWaterloo’s director of quality assurance for academic programs and academic integrity. CBC (ON)
