Yaman Al-Nachawati
The Silhouette
The speech given by Michael Lee-Chin, Chairman of Portland Holding Inc., to McMaster students on Oct. 7 was more than just inspiring; it was symbolic. By taking us through his journey as a McMaster Engineering alumnus, one that began as a bouncer upon graduation and eventually led to becoming one of the more generous billionaire philanthropists in the world, his past became the representation of the fruits McMaster University wishes to bear in the future.
Speaking directly to students, he urged we “discover a dysfunctionality and make it your cause to change it. It is your passion that enables perseverance, and passion comes from the confidence that you are doing the right thing.»
The environment that allows one to follow their passion is very important, and has been much of the focus of the McMaster administration in recent years. In 2011, President Patrick Deane sent an open letter to the McMaster community outlining the principles that he hoped would guide the university’s future “Forward with Integrity”.
The letter highlighted experiential learning, self-directed learning, inter-disciplinarity and internationalization as the themes McMaster must follow in order to continue to generate leaders who solve the problems of the future.
These themes are very much enshrined in Lee-Chin’s life. He has found a way to use his Engineering degree as a stepping stone to becoming one of the leaders in the mutual fund industry, making his passion for self-directed learning and inter-disciplinarity easy to spot.
He was a pioneer in calling for the reinvestment of profits in developing countries locally, adopting a new method for internationalization. Fuelled by his confidence in doing the right thing, he rose above the perceived dichotomy of “doing good” and “doing well” in business, piloting the program in his home country of Jamaica. His company’s shares increased almost instantaneously.
I believe that the vision has also resonated with the students here at McMaster. Indeed, with this year’s first winds of autumn came a subtle wind of change in culture among students. While I personally may not see what comes of this new culture here in, I am excited by what’s to come from this university after I graduate.
Having attended the McMaster Social Innovation Lab and Entrepreneurship Association club launches, both in their first years, I was impressed with the eagerness shown by students to seek solutions that solve real-world problems. I also see this enthusiasm first hand in SUSTAIN 3A03, Societal Tools for Systemic Sustainable Change.
I believe this course changes the story students write for their script after university life, proving to them that the skills learned in their degrees can in fact be used to do help improve the world. The multi-disciplinary fabric of the course, as well as its self-directed learning nature, have also gone a long way in making me more comfortable to take on problems that I would have otherwise thought were out of the scope of my degree.
At the end of his homecoming, Lee-Chin left us with the most important formula we will learn in our time here: “Fulfillment is a function of doing well, doing good and having fun in between.”
Now knowing where the path Forward with Integrity leads, I think I have found the direction to walk after my graduation ceremony this year.
A day that celebrated the achievements of Forward with Integrity initiatives left the overall state of the academy largely undefined.
cipro zithromax no prescription
David Wilkinson, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), gave his State of the Academy address on Oct. 10 after presentations and receptions of various Forward with Integrity had taken place throughout the day.
"Forward with Integrity," an open letter by McMaster President Patrick Deane in 2011 was turned into an initiative allowing students to apply for funding to complete projects that would make Deane's vision a reality. 78 projects have been funded since, including the Learning Portfolio on Avenue and a psychology project studying how people can be perceived differently when conducting job interviews over Skype.
Beginning at 11:30a.m., presentations of numerous FWI projects filled the schedule at CIBC Hall, leading up to the State of the Academy. Wilkinson called his own address “window dressing” to a day of celebration.
“We decided this year’s State of the Academy Address, as it was originally called, to turn it into a whole day event of celebration,” said Wilkinson.
Wilkinson’s address, to a room filled with faculty and staff, highlighted academic research issues and remained vague regarding the overall state of McMaster University.
The Provost highlighted a few FWI projects with positive fanfare and video presentations. The Learning Portfolio received strong attention and was touted as a growing success.
“It really is an opportunity for students to integrate their learning into one place,” said Wilkinson.
With the address, Wilkinson said that he hoped to develop an identity for McMaster as both a research-intensive and student-centred school.
“Strong linkage between student centered-ness and research focus is really how we intend to define ourselves as an institution," Wilkinson said.
When it came to more technical matters, Wilkinson left a few questions unanswered.
He chose not to speak to the school’s budget in his address, instead referring the audience to the University Factbook for details.
“The State of the Academy can be all about budgets and numbers. I didn't want to do that last year and I’m not going to do it this year either. So we won’t talk a lot of budgetary situations,” said Wilkinson.
“The University Factbook…was released a couple days ago. It has an update of all of the numbers.” The document is available on the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis website.
Wilkinson was also vague with when it came the Ontario government’s push to have post-secondary institutions specialize further.
On the matter, he said “The government pays the freight, and when they want to change something, we have to pay attention to that.”
Wilkinson explained that McMaster will have to negotiate with the provincial government over the course of this academic year.
He was relatively unclear in what the school will be doing to prepare for this, saying, “One of the key things for us to do as an institution is to get our ducks in order and be prepared to state how we wish to be seen as a differentiated organization compared to other universities in the province.”
“I think, actually, we’re in pretty good shape to develop that process.”
With regards to McMaster’s internationalization, Wilkinson said, “This is the one area of Forward with Integrity that hasn't received the attention it deserves.”
Christy Chan
The Silhouette
McMaster has officially launched the Learning Portfolio in an effort to enrich the education experience beyond grades and exams. The Learning Portfolio, available through Avenue to Learn, is an online tool designed to allow students to plan, record, and reflect on the valuable experiences they encounter throughout postsecondary education.
The initiative is a key priority outlined in Forward with Integrity, an open letter written by McMaster President Patrick Deane regarding the priorities best suited for the development of the University.
Technology has become a crucial part of the student experience. The Learning Portfolio is yet another way to enhance student learning and critical thinking through an online platform. For instance,
users are able to include numerous forms of media in their Learning Portfolios, ranging from audio files and graphics, to presentations and documents.
Dr. Beth Marquis, professor in the Arts & Science program, serves as the Arts & Science program contact at Learning Portfolio focused meetings of Associate Deans from across campus.
“The Learning Portfolio, to me, is a tool that can encourage students to reflect on and synthesize their curricular and co-curricular learning experiences at university,” she said.
Marquis further explained: "It provides students with a context to make explicit their individual learning goals, to connect these to the learning experiences they have inside and outside of class, and to collect evidence of the extent to which they meet their objectives."
This academic year, students can expect to see the introduction of the Learning Portfolio in 20 courses.
Dr. Laura Harrington is the project director for Forward with Integrity, and she believes the Learning Portfolio will become even more integrated.
"There are several instructors that are using the tool this academic year, and we expect this to grow over time. We’ve looked at how other institutions are using similar tools within courses to draw some ideas from the experts, and we are also looking to find new, innovative uses within courses at McMaster," she said.
This tool can also be used outside of the educational world.
“On a more practical level, this documentation of the learning process can also provide valuable material to give to potential employers, to faculty writing letters of reference for grad school applications, etc.,” said Dr. Marquis.
There are online training tools available on Avenue to Learn along with workshops that can be attended through getting in touch with the Student Success Centre or Institute for Teaching and Learning.
Bushra Habib / Silhouette Staff
Experiential learning in the greater Hamilton community doesn’t just benefit students, it also creates the potential for long lasting community legacies. Mac H2OPE clinic, a proposed project by students in the graduate School of Rehabilitation Science, recently received funds from the Forward With Integrity initiative to do just that.
Sarah Wojkowski, Lori Letts, Vanina Dal Bello Haas, Genevieve Hladysh, Lorie Shimmel and Julie Richardson started the Helping Hamiltonians through Occupational and Physiotherapy Engagement (H2OPE) clinic. In partnership with the YMCA and other community organizations, it aims to provide occupational and physiotherapy services to Hamilton residents.
“As many of our clients will have chronic health conditions, our students will work with these individuals to help them manage their condition in the best way possible,” said Sarah Wojkowski, the Director of Clinical Education for the Masters of Physiotherapy program.
The Mac H2OPE clinic will be located at the YMCA downtown on James Street, encouraging a deeper engagement and commitment to residents well outside the McMaster bubble.
“Initially, our project will provide opportunities for graduate MSc (Physiotherapy) and MSc (Occupational Therapy) students,” said Wojkowski. She added that there could possibly be opportunities for undergraduates in the future.
Financial support is a key priority for any project, especially those with far-reaching aspirations such as H2OPE. The group received $5000 from the FWI Fund, but that will not be enough to cover all the costs.
Wojkowski said the funds will go toward “purchasing basic equipment like a height-adjustable assessment bed, which will support assessment and treatment of clients.”
The School of Rehabilitation Science is also supporting the development of Mac H2OPE. The YMCA on James Street has donated space, exercise equipment and access to the pool, allowing the clinic keep start up costs low.
Some obstacles still remain. The biggest is that individuals may not be able to afford physiotherapy or occupational therapy.
“We are still working to develop a plan for how our care will be delivered in a way that will allow as many individuals who cannot currently access services to have the opportunity at Mac H2OPE,” said Wojkowski.
“In general, we would like the McMaster community bring hope to Hamiltonians through providing health care that many would not have been able to receive without the Mac H2OPE clinic,” said Wojkowski.
Bushra Habib
The Silhouette
In Dec. 2013, President Patrick Deane’s “Forward with Integrity” initiative approved funding for 28 out of 54 proposals in the first call for projects, which were designed to improve the academic experience of McMaster students.
Half of the accepted projects were from faculties and areas centered on inquiry into the biological, physical and medical sciences, such as projects in the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and the School of Nursing.
With a total of nine approved projects, whether independent or in collaboration with other faculties, students from the Faculty of Science have their educational interests well represented.
Lisa Barty, the manager of the Science and Career Cooperative Education Office, requested funding to support the salary of a new experiential learning coordinator. “We received $5,000 from the FWI fund, that was generously matched by the Dean of Science. This funding will provide about 20 per cent of the required funds for our project,” said Barty.
The new position will manage current course offerings, such as Science and Life Science 3EP3, 3EX6 and 3RP3, while also facilitating the development of new opportunities. The Faculty’s investment in experiential learning opportunities exemplifies an ongoing commitment to enrich the academic journey of Science students.
“Based on the growing enrollment in these courses, I would say that students are finding applied placements a great way to apply their academic knowledge in the community. They are also a very useful tool in their career planning.”
Amidst continuing global economic turbulence, opportunities to develop career-related skills in a way that helps gain credit towards graduation are incredibly valuable. Not all students may be interested in cooperative education positions, and therefore experiential programs may be a more relevant choice. Barty emphasized that, “Experiential education allows our students not only to explore career options, but to reflect upon their own strengths and goals.”
One concern that students may have is that there may be scarcer co-op opportunities in the face of increasing enrollment. However, the Faculty aims to address these needs as well. “The Faculty of Science is planning to expand our cooperative education programs to meet the growing student demand for work integrated learning,” explained Barty.
“We are also exploring a formalized internship program and looking to build a framework to grow our applied science placements. Our students value the opportunity to gain professional networks, find mentors, and determine if further education is required to meet their career goals.”
Proposals for projects based on collaborative efforts and research pursuits between different areas of study are being accepted in the second round, which closes at the extended deadline of noon on Feb. 28.
Nearly 30 ‘forward with integrity’ projects have been funded by McMaster University, with a total of $122,245 awarded to successful applicants.
In September, a call for proposals went out for projects that would enhance the student experience. The call was answered by 54 applicants, which included students, staff and faculty from a number of departments.
“We wanted to encourage students, faculty and staff to think about what we can do to improve and how we could work together,” said Laura Harrington, Forward with Integrity project director.
The budget for the projects was originally $100,000, but was increased after the proposals were received.
Harrington said each of the 54 proposals was reviewed by three different members of an advisory group, which commented on each proposal and made funding recommendations.
After the first round, 27 projects have been funded primarily by the President's Fund. Two were endorsed and will seek funding from other sources.
While some projects will start immediately, some will take a bit of time to get started while the applicants conduct research and search for participants.
Later this month, a call will go out for proposals for the second wave of projects, which will focus on interdisciplinary research and development.
“There are a lot of people out there with great ideas. This is one way to stimulate those conversations,” said Harrington.
Forward With Integrity projects endorsed or funded (December 2012):
Title: iMMERSE (Integrated McMaster Engineering Real‐world Supplementary Experience)
Applicant: Kelton Friedrich Faculty/Area: Engineering
Summary: iMMERSE is intended to facilitate unpaid extra‐curricular activities for students who do not participate in co‐op experiences. Students would work independently or in groups on a project defined by local or global partners. A cohort of Engineering alumni will serve as mentors. Funding will support the development of this initiative through research conducted by a summer student
Title: Validation of Reflection: A proposal to investigate how to enhance an Engineering student’s Learning Portfolio
Applicant: Lynn Stewart Faculty/Area: Engineering
Summary: The project will investigate ways to create opportunities for reflection among Engineering students, particularly those who are not part of a structured co‐op experience. The project will also consider how reflection can address the specific learning requirements of an Engineering education. Funding will go toward research existing tools and rubrics to support reflection in Engineering, as well as means to validate reflection and to demonstrate the value of reflection to the students.
Title: Neighborhood Action Plans Informing Campus‐Community Engaged Scholarship
Applicant: Catherine Tompkins Faculty/Area: School of Nursing
Summary: The applicant will organize a three‐day “think tank” with community partners that will explore ways for the University to engage and foster collaboration with priority Hamilton neighborhoods. The aim is to identify opportunities for enhancing the student experience through participating in community‐engaged education and research, with a particular focus on the Neighborhood Action Plans.
Title: CreativeEnterprise and the Social Entrepreneur
Applicant: John Ford Faculty/Area: School of the Arts/Humanities
Summary: The project focuses on the establishment of an International Artist/Designer in Residence, beginning with Jennifer Price fromEngland. The Artist will engage students at all levels in the School of the Art, and participation will also be sought from other Departments/Faculties. She will work with students and staff to create a large‐scale participatory project, and public events will be held in collaboration with Hamilton Artists Inc. and other partners. The start date for this project is not yet determined.
Title: Pilot Performance Cycle on Student Success
Applicant: Catherine Graham Faculty/Area: School of the Arts, Student Success Centre
Summary: The proposal builds on an existing collaboration between the SOTA and SSC which supports the creation of a dramatic production intended to welcome first year students to campus and facilitate their thinking on student success. A series of workshops will be held with students to learn about the varying definitions of success at the University. The results will provide material for use in the next cycle of dramatic productions. Funding will be used to hire a research assistant to help in the development of the program.
Title: MappingParadise: an Environmentally Responsible Art Initiative
Applicant: Judy Major‐Girardin Faculty/Area: School of the Arts
Summary: The project supports student creativity in collaboration with the Cootes to Escarpment ParkSystem Initiative. Students will be exposed to leaders from the Arts, Engineering, History and from within the community (RBG). Students will be preparing a map that is linked to a focus on environmentally responsible art practices which will be displayed during an exhibition and public reception in February. Funding will support an undergraduate assistant and the workshop/reception.
Title: Student Activism Projects in Women’s Studies 1AA3: Women Transforming the World
Applicant: Karen Balcom Faculty/Area: Humanities
Summary: Students registered in the course can choose to participate in activism projects related to what they learn in the classroom. The projects are designed in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Anti‐Violence Network, OPIRG and community partners, and students are involved in the design. Funding will support a research project that will enhance the connections between the projects and course components and to develop a more sustainable and efficient model for coordinating the projects themselves.
Title: A Framework for Supporting Experiential Learning atMcMasterUniversity
Applicants: Elkafi Hassini, Jeannie An, Mandeep Malik Faculty/Area: Business
Summary: This project involves developing a web presence that will facilitate communication about existing and potential experiential opportunities for students. This group will coordinate with other University stakeholders to compile and share information about the opportunities that are available.
Title: Sustainability Office Strategy
Applicant: Kate Whalen Faculty/Area: VP Administration
Summary: The project is a continuation of the work performed by the Sustainability Office. This group has developed a range of opportunities for students to learn about and participate in projects related to sustainability at the University and elsewhere. The funds will be used to support the salary of a manager who will oversee an expanded Internship Program and foster the incorporation of sustainability issues and challenges into teaching and learning.
Title: Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program (Endorsed, not funded)
Applicant: Allison Sekuler Faculty/Area: Graduate Studies
Summary: The proposal outlines a mentorship program in which a graduate student will serve as a mentor to the undergraduate students that are participating in Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) projects during the summer. The students will use the learning portfolio to track their progress and this pilot will compare the experiences of the mentored students with those that did not participate in the mentorship.
*The project was endorsed by the advisory group but will be supported through other funds.
Title: A multi‐phase proposal to introduce an academic learning portfolio into the life sciences program
Applicants: Kimberly Dej, Lori Goff Faculty/Area: Science/CLL
Summary: The project will introduce an e‐portfolio to students in the Life Sciences program in order to help the students demonstrate skill development (including degree level expectations), develop an academic plan and learning goals as well as reflect on experiences. The implementation will occur gradually over several terms. Funding will be used to hire students who will develop and test the online learning materials that will be used, and to evaluate the success of the project through interviews and surveys.
Title: Learning Portfolio Pilot Project
Applicants: Philippa Carter, Jennifer Nettleton, Robert Revington Faculty/Area: Social Sciences
Summary: The applicants propose to develop an interdisciplinary course that will involve using a learning portfolio. The students will assess the suitability of the existing e‐portfolio in Avenue and cultivate mentorship and reflective capabilities. Funding will be used to hire a student to assist in launching of the course, tracking the results and evaluating success.
Title: Ethnography of the McMaster Community and University
Applicant: Petra Rethmann Faculty/Area: Social Sciences
Summary: The project involves developing a course that will assist students in carrying out projects on the ethnography of the larger McMaster community. The projects will involve participant observation and hands‐on engagement with the community. Students will develop the project, conduct the study, and share the results. The applicant intends to submit an application to SSHRC following the project. Funding will be used to hire a student to develop the course, and for a video camera and other resources for the students to carry out their projects.
Title: Laying the Groundwork for Student Portfolios in Economics
Applicant: Bridget O’Shaughnessy Faculty/Area: Social Sciences
Summary: The project will fund the hiring of a summer student to investigate the potential use of the learning portfolio in Economics, which tends to utilize traditional teaching techniques and relies heavily on empirical evidence. The study will consider ways to market the portfolio to economics students, how it would be valued by students and future employers, and how it could enable continued dialogue with graduates of the program.
Title: Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Health Professions Education Research
Applicants: James Lyons, Lawrence Grierson Faculty/Area: Science & Health Sciences
Summary: The long term goal of the project is to facilitate connections between undergraduate thesis students across the University, and in particular, to build a program of research that will offer broad opportunities in health professions education. The application outlines a pilot project in which Kinesiology students will interact with Health Sciences students; future opportunities could be more widely distributed across the University for students who are interested in applying their knowledge to health professions education.
Title: Building an international undergraduate research network via videoconferenced activities within a student‐led research program
Applicant: Sarah Symons Faculty/Area: Science/iSci
Summary: This proposal requests funds to purchase equipment that will be used to videoconference with students in a similar program in the UK. Students at both sites will participate in a research symposium that spans several days – the equipment will be used to share research and educational experiences and to participate in joint research activities. Funds will also be used to support student leaders who will assist in arranging the symposium, run a trial activity and track participation and feedback.
Title: Creating a fundamental connection between research and undergraduate education
Applicant: David Venus Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: The Department of Physics and Astronomy is considering ways to enhance the research connection with undergraduate education. The project will investigate the design and implementation of project‐based courses in fourth year Physics to replace traditional lecture‐style courses. A test case for two courses will be conducted to determine the feasibility and impact of the initiative.
Title: Student Placement Facilitator for the MacWheelers Program
Applicant: Audrey Hicks Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: MacWheelers provides specialized and individualized exercise programming to individuals with spinal cord injuries and relies on 200 student volunteers to serve its 75 participants each year. The proposal requests funds to support the creation of a part‐time student placement coordinator who will assist with recruitment, training and supervision of the volunteers, and seek ways to improve the experiential learning opportunity for the students. Case management and evaluation systems will be developed, and the coordinator will initiate links between students and current research initiatives.
Title: Experiential Learning Coordinator
Applicant: Lisa Barty Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: The Science Career and Cooperative Education office is seeking opportunities to develop a framework based on best‐practices in experiential learning that will benefit students within the Faculty. Students that choose not to participate in co‐op activities can still participate in experiential opportunities, and there is currently great demand for this type of program.
Funding uses: To support the salary of a coordinator who will facilitate current offerings, develop new opportunities and establish a framework for a formal internship program.
Title: Graduate Student Peer Success Project
Applicant: Nathan Cooper Faculty/Area: Student Wellness Centre
Summary: This project is intended to extend an existing support program for undergraduate students to graduate students. The program focuses on increasing degree completion rates by training a number of peer support facilitators that will run peer support groups in the Faculties to identify and mitigate issues that arise as part of a graduate student’s time at McMaster and could potentially interfere with degree completion.
Title: The McMaster Social Innovation Lab
Applicants: Michael Hewlett & Brianna Smrke Faculty/Area: Arts&Science
Summary: This student proposal focuses on the development of an Innovation Lab that will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and discussion among students. The lab is intended to stimulate creative thinking to find innovative solutions to interesting problems. Funding has been awarded to bring together faculty, local and regional leaders at a workshop to investigate the feasibility and sustainability of such an initiative.
Title: CORE Student Centre for Learning and Research
Applicants: Gina Browne, Patricia Gough, Lindsey George Faculty/Area: Health Sciences
Summary: CORE (Community Organizations Reaching Everyone) is a program focused on helping at‐risk high school students obtain credit for projects involving the arts. University students participate in the program as part of an interdisciplinary practicum or internship by mentoring the high school students. The focus is on strength‐based learning for the students involving creative interventions facilitated by the University mentors.
Funding uses: To help sustain the program, enhance opportunities for student experiential learning and provide sustenance for the high school students who require this support to succeed.
Title: Online Learning Contract: A Pilot Project for PNB
Applicants: David Shore, Joe Kim, Ann Hollingshead, Irina Ghilic, Lisa Barty Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: Many students in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour (PNB) participate in independent study courses both on‐ and off‐campus. This project focuses on developing an online system for administering learning contracts to enhance the experience of the students. The contract will allow students to develop learning goals and allow for feedback and oversight from faculty members. It will also inform the development of the learning portfolio.
Title: Healthy Cognitive Aging: Taking the Laboratory to the Community
Applicants: Karin Humphreys, Scott Walter Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: This proposal requests support to extend the learning experiences of the students beyond the classroom and laboratory into the community. Undergraduate students will travel to retirement residences to conduct research on cognitive development through the lifespan. There is a plan to establish permanent relationships with these residences so that there can be continual exposure of the students to this research environment.
Title: Helping Hamiltonians through Occupational and Physiotherapy Engagement (H2OPE)
Applicants: Sarah Wojkowski, Lori Letts, Vanina Dal Bello Haas, Genevieve Hladysh, Lorie Shimmel, Julie Richardson Faculty/Area: Rehabilitation Science
Summary: The proposal outlines the formation of the Mac H2OPE Clinic which will provide Hamiltonians with direct access to occupational and physical therapy services within the community. Students will gain practical expertise working with community residents, and the Clinic will also foster research partnerships with the YMCA and other community partners. Funding will be used to support the development of e‐Portfolios on Avenue as well as staff training and therapy equipment.
Title: McMaster Conservation Corridor Teaching and Research Facility
Applicants: Susan Dudley, Chad Harvey
Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: The Conservation Corridor is a plot of land owned by McMaster at the corner of Wilson St. E.and Lower Lions Club Rd. The applicants propose to use the land as a site for teaching, research andecologically sensitive recreation. The project will create a spatial grid of the site, and create paths and signage; students will be involved in the implementation of the project plans.
Title: McMaster Capabilities and Collaborations (Endorsed, not funded)
Applicant: Gay Yuyitung, MILO
Faculty/Area: VP Research & International Affairs
Summary: The project involves the creation of a website that will match community/industry needs with expertise at McMaster. The project is supported by community and industry partners, and the overall objective is to make it easier for existing or potential partners to identify relevant expertise at the University, and to build the necessary connections to move forward.
*This project has been endorsed by the advisory group and will be funded through alternative sources.
Title: International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition
Applicants: Ben Scott, Fiona Whelan Faculty/Area: Science
Summary: The proposal describes an international competition for students in synthetic biology. Student groups work together on a research project then present their findings at the competition. The project is intended to be interdisciplinary and collaborative. Funding will be used to support laboratory costs for the student groups.
Title: The Global Health Research Learning Portfolio
Applicant: Lisa Schwartz Faculty/Area: Health Sciences
Summary: The proposal is intended to enhance the learning and participation of students in GlobalHealth Research. The group will conduct research on the use of e‐Portfolios among students in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, particularly for those participating in global outreach activities.
Project details were provided by the President's Office.
Exploring how a “class-free week” and community-based learning could enhance McMaster’s overall student experience
Campus is often viewed as a community of its own. But Forward with Integrity (FWI) urged the campus to look outside McMaster to understand what constitutes our commitment to community.
Campus has been abuzz with various initiatives that seek to enhance our internal, local and global engagement. The Community Engagement (CE) Task Force Report noted the need for reciprocity in community partnership, fostering bilateral and mutually beneficial relationships between McMaster and community agencies.
Specific initiatives mentioned in the report include establishing a community opportunities infoshare database, a network of community champions and a possible CE course.
Student experience in the community through flexible learning
The Student Experience Task Force (discussed in last week’s FWI feature article) also proposed a “class-free week” which would feature community-based learning experiences.
The “class-free week” concept comes on the cusp of recent student interest and concern over the attempt by the MSU to secure a Fall Reading Week for students in 2013.
While the Fall Reading Week was part of Siobhan Stewart’s electoral platform, the Class-Free Week was proposed independently by the CE Task Force as a method to more flexibly approach student learning and ensure opportunities for community-based learning.
Susan Denburg, VP Academic (Health Sciences) and Strategic Advisor to the President, noted that this week would eliminate classes but provide supplementary opportunities for student learning, through seminars, service-learning and other activities.
“We want to increase opportunity for students to expand their horizons, we want the environment to be flexible, people learn in different ways and at different rates. So we want to create that flexibility so students can get to where they want to go, in different ways.”
Denburg mentioned that the goal is to eventually guarantee 100 per cent student participation. She noted that the faculties have been receptive to the idea of a class-free week with supplementary and possibly accredited activities outside of the classroom.
“We want to have this week, want you to step back, think about how could you use a week? What do you want to experience in that week and how would it enhance your learning…and what skills might it enhance?” said Denburg.
Where McMaster Stands
McMaster has been increasingly more involved in the community, with events such as MacServe, providing opportunities for thousands of students and staff. However, long-term exposure and involvement in the community has not been an institutional priority at McMaster.
Mary Koziol, Assistant to the President, Special Community Initiatives, explained that community engagement is a slow-moving and long-term process, because of the need to both protect the University’s brand and to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship.
“Making sure that community engagement is mutually beneficial is at the forefront of the decision-making process. Especially when we ask community partners and consult with them before simply creating things,” she said.
Generally, McMaster has strong elements of short-term service learning and industry partnerships but has lagged behind other universities in community-directed research and community-based education. Most students have limited awareness of Hamilton’s realities.
Huzaifa Saaed, MSU VP Education remarked upon this trend. He stated, “ I don’t feel that…we’ve made a strong commitment to the City of Hamilton, as our city and that’s what we need to go towards. It’s more of a culture shift.”
The CE task force has looked to examples of American schools to model a strong long-term, community-university partnership from.
At the University of Minnesota, the Public Engagement department tracks all the various initiatives and tries to quantify and evaluate the levels of engagement.
McMaster is part of the Canadian Association for Service Learning (Ontario Branch), which has allowed McMaster to exchange ideas with other universities about their best case practices.
McMaster does not stand-alone in its commitment to the community. In the latest Strategic Mandate Agreements submitted to the provincial government, University of Guelph and Queen’s both pledged to incorporate community engagement into their institutional priorities.
While McMaster is still in the brainstorming process, Guelph has pledged to create a certificate in Civic Engagement and establish a School of Civil Society. Queen’s is in the process of developing a Co-Curricular Opportunities Directory to capitalize on student involvement in community and experiential learning opportunities
Other universities such as York and UBC have reallocated resources and received significant funding to create community engagement centres and departments.
What comes first?
A major priority for the CE task force has been finding a channel to share and discuss the various community initiatives. McMaster hosted an “Idea Exchange” day where faculties were invited to share how they were engaging with the community.
The current focus is to familiarize all units of the university with all the ongoing projects. The Task Force report proposed creating an infoshare or database of community opportunities to organize the information for both faculty and students.
The report also proposed both a network of community champions and a community engagement course. However, both of these are fairly intertwined initiatives and on some level may vary faculty to faculty.
The network of community champions could be part of a larger community engagement office. Alternatively, these could be designated individuals within faculties.
A community engagement course would seek to immerse students across the University in community learning and meeting community members. Koziol noted that the University is currently contemplating, “what are the big initiatives which would allow a cascade of ideas.”
Koziol reiterated that it was equally important to ensure meaningful engagement and a certain commitment to the community.
“The crux of community engagement is that you are trying to both create and strengthen a network which can be difficult to measure.”
Part 1 of an ongoing series
How is experiential education framed in Forward with Integrity?
It’s been just over a year since McMaster’s president Patrick Deane issued his visioning letter, “Forward With Integrity,” to the McMaster community.
The letter introduced new strategic priorities for the University. It planted notions of “a student-centred research intensive institution,” “internationalization” and “experiential learning experiences” in the forefront of the campus’ consciousness. FWI stated that McMaster had an obligation to engage with the community and enhance student experience by increasing self-directed and interdisciplinary opportunities.
Following the release of the letter last September, four task forces were formed to examine McMaster’s current environment. The task forces were responsible for making recommendations to improve the institution’s standing in the fields of Community Engagement, Student Experience, Internationalization and Research.
The task forces concluded their work in May 2012 and compiled their findings and recommendations into four separate reports.
Broadening Experiential Opportunities
The Student Experience Task Force report explored how to increase experiential opportunities. The term “experiential education” often implies a co-op or internship type experience that involves “learning outside the classroom.” The report sought to broaden this definition and re-envision how experiential opportunities could be offered to all students, regardless of faculty.
Several faculties already provide experiential opportunities. The Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Life Sciences program provide academic or co-op placements, while opportunities for co-curricular activities exist in Arts and Science, Integrated Science and Health Science.
Smaller programs and faculties such as Arts and Science and Integrated Science have had experiential components embedded in their curriculum since their inception. Both of these programs have also been at the forefront of submitting proposals for new interdisciplinary courses that feature field work and co-curricular experiences.
Carolyn Eyles, director of the iSci Program, spoke about the new ARTSCI/ISCI 3EI1 course, which was developed as a result of the renewed focus on interdisciplinary and unique experiential courses. Students taking the course participate in a field trip to the world’s largest known cave system in Kentucky.
For Eyles, courses like these are about being flexible in providing learning and research opportunities to students not normally available in lecture-based format.
“[It’s about] how to recognize and validate the student experience … and creating linkages between different groups,” she said.
But the Student Experience task force also aimed to fundamentally alter how McMaster understands experiential opportunities. In their findings, they proposed not only new systems to organize these experiences, but also looked to introduce a more reflexive approach to offering experiential education.
Dr. Susan Denburg, Associate Vice-President Academic Health Sciences and Strategic Advisor to the President noted that there are many forms that an experiential program can take on, whether it is inside or outside the classroom.
“We can create an experiential learning environment … by having [students] reflect on their learning goals … if we [make] it a habit of identifying learning goals, if students think about why they’re here and what they hope to achieve in their various courses or extracurricular activities or volunteer work they undertake,” she said.
Creating a “Made-in McMaster” Solution
Denburg stressed the need for a “McMaster-made solution” that incorporates experiential components into the entirety of one’s time at McMaster. She asserted that these opportunities could be delivered within the classroom.
Problem-based learning (PBL), another McMaster-made solution, is one specific method of incorporating experiential opportunities into the classroom. The teaching method, while impossible to define and open to various interpretations, advocates plunging students into issues with limited frameworks and allowing them to present their conclusions.
“In discipline-centered learning, the teacher has filtered the information, presenting a body of information they feel the student should know. In PBL … students wrestle with information themselves,” said Dr. Patangi Rangchari, Professor Emeritus of Medicine.
The PBL model is not discipline-centered, but has typically been associated with smaller programs and class sizes. However, Rangachari reiterated that PBL-type methods can easily be applied to larger environments.
Similarly, Dr. Denburg discussed the importance of engaging students in large classes and how opportunities in the learning portfolio can do this.
“You can change a large group experience into something very personal and very group-oriented with not that much difficulty,” said Denberg. “We’re seriously committing to a lot of faculty professional development … people are going to need help in new ways of teaching. It’s a question of how…we scale up.”
Developing a learning portfolio
A major recommendation to come out of the task force was the creation of “learning portfolios.” Learning portfolios are meant to encompass both the co-curricular and academic experiences that students complete throughout their degree. The portfolios would function as a holistic marker of a student’s “learning journey” through university.
What differentiates the learning portfolio from simply being a tracking mechanism is that learning portfolios would be self-directed and would include self-tracked learning goals.
Although in its infancy, the learning portfolio concept has spurred numerous potential initiatives. One example suggested by the task force was a learning goal journal, where students would track and reflect on their experiences. Other examples included a multi-year course that stretched across the duration of a student’s time at McMaster and implementing a mentorship network to aid in supporting students’ learning goals.
The learning portfolio and the push towards incorporating more experiential opportunities is compatible with what has already been going on for years in the institution, but could also kick-start some new ideas.
The University has put out a call for proposals related to programs that will provide self-directed or experiential learning opportunities. These projects are meant to be academically oriented and focused on advancing the learning portfolio.
Proposals from faculty, staff and students can be submitted to be reviewed by the FWI Advisory Group. The first deadline is Nov. 15 for pilot projects to tentatively be launched in the spring, and there is also a second-round deadline in January.
The prioritization of experiential learning was most recently re-iterated in the Sept. 28 submission of McMaster’s Strategic Mandate Agreement to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The letter specifically proposed a partnership with the province to establish an Experiential Learning Centre.
Next Week: Exploring more flexibility in the student experience and community engagement
The annual State of the Academy address is meant to be an opportunity for the Provost’s office to share information with the rest of the university on the school’s progress over the year. But this time, it was supposed to be different.
The 2012 State of the Academy was promoted for its “new format,” a conversation between university administrators and the greater campus community, rather than a speech. According to current Provost David Wilkinson, it was meant to “engage [McMaster] in a cross-campus dialogue.”
Convocation Hall, equipped with two audience microphones, reflected this change. Wilkinson and university president Patrick Deane, who joined him for the presentation, were seated comfortably in armchairs at the front of the room.
In elaborating on talking points offered by moderator Gord Arbeau, Director of Public and Community Relations, the two administrators made it clear that their impression of McMaster’s current situation was positive.
“When you look at the [McMaster University Factbook], what it would show you is that…as an institution we’re doing very well in difficult times,” said Wilkinson.
“There are lots of great things going on, lots of challenges, but the future really looks rosy at McMaster.”
Although a variety of topics were offered for discussion, the speeches from both Deane and Wilkinson circled back to “Forward with Integrity,” the president’s 2011 letter that offered a set of guiding principles for McMaster as it moves forward.
The emphasis of the presentation, in conjunction with “Forward with Integrity,” was to “rephrase” the goals of McMaster, and to reemphasize the “research-focused, student-centred” nature of Mac.
“We’re at a phase in laying out our sense of the institution’s future in which we need to build on what has been strong historically here and that very close connection between teaching and research, which is part of the Mac culture [and] has been since the beginning,” Deane explained. The president was intent on underlining McMaster’s reputation, reaffirming that “we are an institution devoted to learning through inquiry and discovery.” He encouraged students and faculty to “bring...[the] power of the critical and inquiring mind.”
It was broader ideas like these that made up the bulk of the presentation.
In addition to the university’s culture, Deane and Wilkinson also touched on such initiatives as the “learning portfolio,” a new emphasis on experiential education that was encouraged by “Forward with Integrity.”
“[We want] students [to] actually have a portfolio of experiences that extends beyond what shows up on their transcripts,” said Wilkinson.
The most controversial topic of discussion was the internationalization of McMaster, something the president has admitted to not always being comfortable with.
“I am very much averse to what I regard as an exploitative model of higher internationalized higher education,” Deane said, elaborating further to say that he is “not persuaded, either in terms of the long-term benefits or the ethical compulsions of this model which basically sees the world as a market to be drawn on to subsidize our current operations.”
International students now make up roughly five per cent of McMaster’s student body. The recruitment of these students is seen by many universities to be an economic benefit because of the hefty additional fees they pay. Deane emphasized that true internationalization would involve “being changed by the students who are invited to come here.”
It seemed that the audience, made up primarily of faculty and staff, with only a small representation of students, was not moved by this, or any other topics. When the floor was opened to questions, no one in the audience stepped up. Despite the insistence on dialogue, the new townhall format did not result in the high amount of audience participation that was initially envisioned.
Something was unmistakably amiss on Oct. 1 when walking through the outdoor Mills Plaza. The Chinese Cultural Festival, hosted by McMaster’s Confucius Institute, was in full swing, full in this case meaning a single, subtle tent and a modest display of staff.
Compared to last year, when the festival encompassed the entire MUSC Atrium in an ostentatious display of cultural pride, song, dance and prizes, it was an unfamiliar offering from the usually grandiose faculty.
Dr. Angela Sheng, Associate Professor of Art History and Director Chair of the Confucius Institute, explained the reasoning behind this massive shift in festivities. “I want [the festival] to be in the open, to attract student attention and I would like it to be driven by grassroots needs,” said Sheng.
The festival, scheduled to run from Oct. 1 to 3, encompassed many aspects, such as martial arts demonstrations, student presentations and a myriad of film screenings on Thursday, still seemed oddly cut down, sporting an almost subtle profile with few students stopping their daily activities to check out the event.
The Institute, recently scrutinized for its allegedly controversial hiring and training practices overseas for prospective teachers according to a Globe and Mail investigative report, seems to be in the process of restructuring its outward appearance to appeal to a larger student body.
“The Confucius Institute is synchronous with humanities and with President Deane’s Forward With Integrity message, and we want to highlight student endeavours and give them a platform to express their work,” said Sheng.
The festival itself, while smaller in scale, promoted a single, unified message. It highlighted spirituality as a means to promote overall well-being, as well as stressing the importance of values shared between heritage students and students without a Chinese background at McMaster.
Looking forward in the year, Sheng has further plans to engage the student body in Chinese culture. “We have the upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series to look forward to. On October 30 an archeologist is going to speak about the first emperor of China. Later in November a linguist will come and speak about the phonetic system [of Mandarin].”
The Institute’s current plans do not end at festivities alone, as it is currently engaged in a proposal to found a new Chinese business course.
“It would be a language course that focuses on business language, and business etiquette and know-how that is different in China,” said Sheng.
The proposal has been submitted to the Curriculum Committee of the Faculty of Humanities and if passed will move on to review by the Senate’s Undergraduate Planning Committee this fall.
“I’d like to know what students would like [to know about China]. These projects have to be initiated by students and then they can be incorporated into next year’s budget proposal,” said Sheng on how students could get involved in the faculty.
The Confucius Institute will continue to run events throughout the year, but it remains to be seen if future showings by the organization will be equally toned down.
