Dear Colleagues,
Recently, on the way to work, I listened to one of my favourite podcasts, This American Life. The episode included the story of a group of MIT students who figured out a way to consistently win at Blackjack, and reportedly won more than $8 million between 1994 and 2000. It was a fascinating episode.
Like an increasing number of Canadians, I listen to podcasts regularly. In fact, according to recent research, Canada is number one in the world for podcast consumption per capita. (Edison Research and Triton Digital). In 2020, more than 13 million Canadians listened to a podcast.
But while the industry is growing, it is neglecting a key audience. Many podcasts do not publish transcripts or provide alternative access to audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing, nor make their websites and associated content accessible to people with disabilities. Moreover, there are few podcasts produced by people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind, or who have other disabilities.
I’m very excited about a new project in FCAD that will help address this gap. It is the result of collaboration between FCAD, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, The Canadian National Institute for the Blind Foundation, and Seneca’s Teaching and Learning Centre.
The initiative, supported by the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund, will result in two micro-credentials focused on giving podcast producers the skills to create accessible content. Just as importantly, the micro-credentials are aimed giving students with disabilities the tools to create their own content.
Professors Alan Elliot, Digital Content Creator and Podcaster Devin Andrade, and several instructional designers and professors from the Teaching and Learning Centre have been working on the project for the past year. We will be delivering the first micro-credential in June. It has been inspiring to see the commitment, expertise, and dedication to accessibility from both FCAD employees, and the Teaching and Learning staff. I’ve learned a lot, including great strategies to make our teaching more inclusive.
If you would like to learn more about how to make your course more accessible, the Teaching and Learning Centre is offering a course on Universal Design for Learning, starting on May 9. The Centre would also be happy to arrange a workshop. If interested, please reach out to your chair.
Stay well and stay safe.
Kurt
Seneca is hosting an Ontario college symposium on HyFlex (flex) teaching and learning. The symposium, hosted by Seneca's Teaching and Learning Centre, is a platform for HyFlex enthusiasts, experts, and novices to share success stories and challenges in the HyFlex classroom. We will explore how Hyflex came to be and how it is quickly evolving as an increasingly popular model of teaching and learning in higher ed. Panel speakers and presenters will share observations and evidence-informed practices to help us move forward with intention and manage this shift at the classroom and institutional level. We will also discuss how HyFlex can help us remove learning barriers through intentional and impactful learning experience design and execution.
What we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is that students need flexible choices on their student experiences based on their personal preferences such as when and where they learn. This upcoming symposium focuses on HyFlex teaching and learning and will have us thinking differently about our collective learning spaces- both physical and virtual – and how we can incorporate this successfully into our teaching and learning practices and strategies. The Teaching & Learning Centre is excited to host this event for the province. From Dr. Brian Beatty's keynote address to the variety of workshops, demos, and faculty experiences, there are opportunities to learn and discuss on Flex teaching whether you are starting out or are currently teaching in Flex classrooms. - Amy Lin, Director of the Teaching & Learning Centre
Audience
College educators from across Ontario. Some are administrative leaders who are implementing and managing the shift towards HyFlex. Others are professors who have been teaching in HyFlex modes or who have been assigned HyFlex courses but are new to HyFlex. have been teaching in HyFlex modes already; others will be teaching HyFlex in upcoming semesters.
Format
Morning Keynote: Engagement across the three HyFlex participation modes (Brian Beatty)
Morning Session Topics (50 minutes):
Choose from 1) HyFlex Demo, 2) Student Success 3) Accessibility and Inclusion, 4) Faculty Success
Panel Discussion on Assessment (1 hour):
How do you see HyFlex shaping the future of assessment?
Afternoon Session Topics (50 minutes): Choose from 1) HyFlex Demo, 2) Student Success 3) Accessibility and Inclusion, 4) Faculty Success
Date: Monday, MAY 2, 2022
Times: 9:30am to 4pm EST
Maryam Padyab's piece You're Late, about a French Teacher preparing to teach an unruly class, has been accepted into the Student Scholarship 2022 Exhibit and Catalog.
It was created as the final project in Illustrative Media III - Sculpture where the students designed and created a 3D visual narrative out of polymer clay and other materials. Students design the characters and environments, then create armatures, sculpt, and create their characters worlds.
Students receiving a financial award will have the scholarship award amount and name listed under the winning piece's credit information. Wishing Maryam all the best.
Broadcast Journalism Alumnus Andi Petrillo won the Canadian Screen Award for best sports host for her coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
She hosted CBC's Olympic Games Morning show, providing audiences with overnight updates and athlete interviews.
Petrillo got her start in the broadcast business volunteering with Rogers TV York Region, while earning degrees in English and Mass Communications from York University. She followed up her university experience with a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Seneca College.
Soft skills, people skills, human skills, communications skills … there’s no consensus on what to call the bundle of character traits and interpersonal skills such as creative thinking, communications and problem-solving. But employers agree: those are the skills that make the difference when they make hiring decisions.
And that’s why Seneca is launching a first-in-Canada initiative to prepare students with an array of the skills — beyond technical know-how — that will allow them to thrive, regardless of the program or discipline they are studying. The pilot will start this fall with Seneca’s Public Relations – Corporate Communications (PRCC) graduate certificate program.
“The pandemic has, to a certain extent, reshaped the definition of traditional soft skills,” said School of Media Chair Chris McCracken, who is leading the initiative. “Computer-mediated soft skills are rather new because of remote work. Many students entering the workforce may never work in an office environment.”
CHCH's Sports and Adventure Reporter Tim Bolen took a tour of Seneca's York campus to see some brand new facilities and the flexible learning options available to students.
Tim took a closer look at the technology available in the School of Marketing, School of Biological Science and Chemistry, School of Media, and School of Creative Arts and Animation.
Tim also had a look at new "flex" technology available in Seneca classrooms. In a "flex" modality students can choose between in-person or remote learning, and the technology Seneca has developed allows for an all-encompassing user experience in both cases.
More than 100 classrooms are currently outfitted with this technology.
Broadcasting - Television program graduate Yi (Leo) Zhang is currently working at Insight Productions for The Amazing Race Canada, one of Canada's most prestigious reality shows.
As an assistant editor, Leo's job is primarily associated with ingesting, syncing, and grouping clips of the show.
"The most challenging part of this job is the amount of footage I've got, and it is easy to get confused," said Leo. "However, with the knowledge I learned from Seneca, I am confident in handling the work. In addition, I keep improving my skills and gaining more experience at Insight Productions."
For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, Professor Werner Zimmerman has been able to conduct his Life Drawing classes at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). For many students this is their first visit to the AGO, and Professor Zimmerman is excited to introduce them to this wonderful institution.
Life drawing is not only about drawing a live model (a challenge on it's own) but to give life to the drawing. We went to the AGO to study how great artists gave life to their works. We combine this with our study of anatomy and test our students' skills at understanding the underlying skeletal and muscular structure. - Professor Zimmerman
Other excursions include the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Guelph anatomy labs. Professor Zimmerman stresses that stepping outside the classroom offers a new perspective for students so they can have fun with their work.
Bill Hutchison, Professor, School of Marketing & Media, was interviewed about the legal proceedings against former Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance on Talk Radio AM640 (CFMJ)
Seneca's award-winning live-streamed graduate showcase returns in 2022, featuring hundreds of new graduates from The School of Creative Arts and Animation.
Live from Newnham campus and featuring performances by Seneca's music students, a multitude of new films, and dynamic projection mapping of student work at Seneca's CITE building, this year's event is a four-hour live-streamed extravaganza hosted by Seneca Journalism students. It has interactive virtual lounge spaces for attendees to mingle, see the full range of student work, watch films at their own pace, and more.
New this year: live on-site interviews with graduates and their featured works!
Seneca has been approved for funding through a Mitacs Business Strategy Internship grant for a project titled: Effie Awards Canada “Alchemy of Effectiveness Report - A Focus on Canada”
School of Marketing and Media Professor, Jason Dojc, and student research assistant, Xiomara Velasquez, will collaborate with the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) on the project.
This project follows up on the 2021 Alchemy of Effectiveness report which was released by the ICA at the 2021 Effie Awards Canada. The Effies, held in 55+ countries, recognize the very best in marketing effectiveness. Only campaigns that make a real business impact are recognized.
The 2021 edition of The Alchemy of Effectiveness highlighted the importance of long-term thinking, brand-building and share of voice, and provides practical guidance to marketers looking to improve the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. It was one of the first pieces of marketing effectiveness research to use Canadian data.
Congratulations to the research team and to Seneca Research Manager, Ralph Lisak who championed the application process!
Thanks to thousands of employee donations, our many fundraising events and the SSF's gift match, the 2021-22 Campaign for Students raised an incredible $298,837- smashing our goal of $182,000.
This year, the SSF has donated close to $1M to support student financial aid and special projects. We appreciate having such a dedicated partner so strongly invested in our students success.
Congratulations to all those who donated, volunteered and participated. We hope you are as #SenecaProud of this achievement as we are. Take a look at this year's Campaign highlight video! It also shows some of the work of our incredible Student Artists that created drawings for Seneca employees/their children/pets during SCAA's "Caricature yourself for a good cause" fundraising (at the 1:11 min mark). We raised $930 for the campaign!
A terrific opportunity is available that puts faculty members in the driver's seat to build an international academic partnership in Latin America or the Caribbean. The program is called Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program and is funded by the Government of Canada. Last year, we successfully received funding for this opportunity, and Seneca Business is now building a strategic partnership with Universidad de Rosario in Columbia- another PRME school.
Information Webinar
Thursday, October 28th- 11:30 am to 12:00 pm
Please share with your program coordinators!
SafeTALK
In partnership with LED, the Faculty of Communication Art and Design will offer SafeTALK training to develop the mental health literacy of our staff and faculty. Our goal is to create supportive and inclusive conditions for our students and reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. SafeTALK will be offered FREE and in-person at our Seneca@York campus.
SafeTALK is a 4-hour training session designed to ensure that people with thoughts of suicide are connected to helpers who are prepared to provide first-aid interventions. You'll learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, engaging someone, and connecting them to an intervention resource for further support. To get more information about this course, check LivingWorks safeTALK.
If you are interested in participating in this training, please let us know here. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.
Teaching and Learning
Online nutshells, including Science of Learning and Neuromyths and Degree Level Teaching, are now available
Read the new Teaching & Learning Centre Spark Plug — Online Discussion Boards: Five Things to Keep in Mind
Learn about resources available to support teaching in degree programs
Register for Microteaching Sessions taking place from Tuesday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 4, and Teaching Unique Diverse Learners beginning on Monday, May 9
Save the date for the Symposium on HyFlex Teaching and Learning on Monday, May 2
COVID-19 Updates
For all COVID-19 updates, with resources for faculty and students including those to support online learning, please refer to Seneca’s COVID-19 website for information and FAQ. This is the official channel for COVID-19 related updates.
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