Cora Coady appointed Indigenous teaching and learning librarian

Libraries atrium

The following is a message from Sheril Hook, associate dean of teaching and learning, York University Libraries:

I am delighted to announce that Cora Coady will be joining York University Libraries as Indigenous teaching and learning librarian beginning July 1. 

Cora Coady
Cora Coady

As an Indigenous person and member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Cora’s goal is to contribute to her community in a meaningful way by creating and supporting important Indigenous research, building strong relationships between the Indigenous community and the University, as well as promoting the works of Indigenous scholars and students. Cora has a bachelor of arts (honours sociology) from McMaster University and is a recent graduate of the master of information program in the Library and Information Science concentration at the University of Toronto.

Cora comes to us from the University of Toronto Libraries where, as the Indigenous outreach and research assistant, she provided information literacy instruction specific to Indigenous resources to staff and student. She also provided virtual reference support to Indigenous students through the First Nations House Resource Centre, an important step forward in building remote services for users. Cora has made significant contributions as a member of a research team in the creation of a research and ethics board proposal, and an interview guide to engage Indigenous students in focus groups designed to assess their experiences as library users. She has also engaged in collections work by critically reviewing the First Nations House collection for cataloguing. Additionally, she has made recommendations to the Scholarly Communication and Copyright Office on historical materials published by the University of Toronto Press that should be made open access so that Indigenous community members could access the material. 

In addition to her library-related experience, Cora had a successful career as a certified vision rehabilitation therapist (CVRT) at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and Vision Loss Rehabilitation Ontario, where she provided in-person and remote instruction to people living with visual impairment. 

In her free time, Cora can be found on the hiking trails in the company of her children and dog or at home amongst a mountain of yarn and a couple of cats. Cora is in the process of learning her traditional language Anishinaabemowin.

York Libraries hosts symposium to explore effect of disinformation on vulnerable groups

Woman laptop computer FEATURED

More than 30 presenters from across Canada shared their research on how disinformation affects vulnerable groups during a virtual symposium hosted by York University Libraries on May 3 and 4.

The event “Navigating Information and Race in the Era of COVID-19” was organized to help advance multidisciplinary, transcultural and transnational understandings of how disinformation affects Canada’s marginalized, minority and Indigenous communities.

Senior scholars, emerging academics and community business leaders shared their research and lived experiences through featured papers, panel presentation and roundtable discussions focused on information navigation and the state of digital access to information across various axes of difference, such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, philosophy, history, literature, migration, marketplace and diasporas in the multicultural Canadian context.

Canadian businesswoman, author and philanthropist Vivienne Poy offered opening remarks, saying, “Pandemics like this one will happen again and again in the future. I would like to think that we will get smarter the next time around and be able to mitigate the worst health crisis. Racism can be unlearned through education, and that is why we have a two-day symposium to discuss issues that concern us.”

Participants at the Libraries virtual symposium
Participants at the Libraries virtual symposium Navigating Information and Race in the Era of COVID-19

Participants offered a plurality of voices to explore questions such as:

  • What are the reasons for the spread of misinformation and mistrust affecting BIPOC communities?
  • How do we address community safety in this environment?
  • What are the effects of language and cultural encounters on racism in the multicultural Canadian context?
  • What do the patterns of systematic discrimination and inequality of access to information look like during the pandemic?
  • What are the negative impacts and abuses among vulnerable communities, and how do we address them?
  • What are the roles of the media on the spread of mis/disinformation and how they incorporate the values of equity, diversity and inclusion in terms of access to information and health resources during and beyond the pandemic?
Jack Leong
Jack Leong

Jack Leong, associate dean at York University Libraries, shared his analysis of news reports and scholarly articles on how the use of non-official naming of COVID-19 associated with a race produced a divisive, alienating and racist discourse of treating Asian immigrants and other vulnerable community members as “the other.” He proposed that for long-term well-being and social functioning of Chinese Canadians, and other vulnerable communities, maintaining their heritage identity could help to cure the illness of racism by achieving a strong and positive multicultural self-identity.

The work for this timely and relevant project on information and race will continue into the next stage of publication. Additionally, speakers were invited to submit their presentation papers for a special issue, which will be published an open access academic volume. 

“Information is central to the Libraries’ mission and vision of an informed, just and democratic citizenship. Accessing accurate and bias-free health and anti-racism messages on the internet became more critical than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Leong. “We felt that Libraries could offer a neutral space to facilitate research and engage in dialogue about misinformation, racism and COVID-19 from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.”

Leong organized the symposium along with colleagues Norda Bell, Kalina Grewal, Thumeka Mgwigwi and Sharon Wang as part of their Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Digital Citizen Connection Grant Project.

“I am so proud that our Libraries are hosting these critical conversations on misinformation and disinformation,” said Joy Kirchner, dean of Libraries. “Discussion on how to discern authoritative sources is more important now than ever, in an age where misinformation and disinformation are proliferating, and being mobilized, with tremendous impact on marginalized and minority communities.”

The symposium was planned with support from: Poy; Kirchner; Abidin Kusno, director of York Centre for Asian Research; Mary Condon, dean of Osgoode Hall Law School; Siobhan O’Flynn, director of Canadian Studies Program, University College, University of Toronto; Rachel Silvey, Richard Charles Lee Director of Asian Institute, University of Toronto; and Justin Poy, president and creative dacirector of Justin Poy Agency.

Explore Scott Library during Doors Open Toronto, May 28 and 29 

Libraries atrium

York University will participate in Doors Open Toronto May 28 and 29, and visitors will be invited to explore the architecture and art of Scott Library.

This is the first time York University Libraries (YUL) is participating in the annual tour, which features more than 100 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance to the city of Toronto that open their doors to the public for this free city-wide event. 

Scott Library’s Doors Open programming will take place on Saturday, May 28 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. 

Scott Library is a five-storey building on York’s Keele Campus that is home to the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, Media Creation Lab, Learning Commons, Adaptive Lab, Sound and Moving Image Library, Map Library, thousands of books, many works of visual art, and more. It was constructed in 1971 and is an example of post-modern architecture. A master space plan for future renovations to Scott Library, called “A Vision and Functional Space Program” was completed in February 2021.

Doors Open exhibits and activities will include:  
  • Building Scott Library: Archival documents and images depicting Scott Library’s planning and construction. 
  • The Future of Scott Library: A digital exhibit depicting plans to renovate and rejuvenate Scott Library, including details from the Master Space Plan. 
  • The Art of Scott Library: A self-guided tour for participants – follow the signs to discover various works of art throughout the library, scan a corresponding QR code to learn more about the art and artists
  • Filming Scott Library: A digital exhibit with student films featuring/filmed in Scott Library played on a loop. 

Scott Library was listed as one of the top 15 buildings to see at Doors Open Toronto 2022 by blogTO.  

New graduate program uses experiential education as fuel to drive learning

Big Data analytics

In today’s data-driven world, there’s no need for students in the accounting stream of the new Master of Science in Management Practice (MScMP) program to sit and wonder what impact the degree will have on their careers.

Amy Kwan
Amy Kwan

Course directors Amy Kwan and Zia Babar bridge knowledge and experiential learning by incorporating industry personnel to connect the “educational dots” through their work lens in two courses: A Primer on Analytics for Broad Accounting Function and Business Intelligence for Performance Management.

“We welcomed industry guests, each with their own unique perspectives, to demonstrate where and how our students can use their degree,” says Kwan, an assistant professor in the teaching stream at the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. “We also want them to be familiar with technology applications and skills that are relevant in industry these days.”

To that end, Kwan and Babar joined forces with York Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Centre to introduce the students to Python, a programming language used in industry. Students were also given introductions to Tableau, a data visualization platform, and MySQL, a database management system.

“Students started with a primer in big data and analytics,” Kwan says. “We wanted them to adopt an analytical mindset and learn to leverage technology to gain insights for their organization while considering the strengths and limitations of tools that are utilized.

“A lot of what Zia and I did helped demonstrate how accountants/business professionals can interact with their technology (non-accountant) counterparts. Start with asking good questions and being aware of how these systems, platforms and tools can be used to find answers and provide meaningful insights.”

Kris Joseph
Kris Joseph

Kris Joseph, a digital scholarship librarian for York Libraries, customized the library’s usual Python workshop to introduce the students to the programming language.

“Accountants aren’t likely to be professional coders,” he said. “I wanted them to come away with an understanding of how to talk to coders in their work lives.”

Theory learned in class was enhanced by incorporating applied assignments that included data visualization, modelling and predictive analytics exercises. As students learned these skills, they also had the opportunity to see how they fit into the workplace when guest speakers discussed what was included in their role and workday.

Mohan Ariyathram, an advisory IT architect – business analytics for IBM Canada, visited the class to discuss his work and explain why data is important, what impact analysts have in an organization, and how their analysis can provide insights into the everyday management decision-making process.

Top row: from left, Zia Babar and Amy Kwan with guest presenter Mohan Ariyathram
Top row, from left: Zia Babar and Amy Kwan with guest presenter Mohan Ariyathram

“Often, people put a lot of stock in what happened yesterday, such as how much of a product was sold last month,” Ariyathram says. “That’s descriptive and is like looking in the rear-view mirror. I talked about the continuum of analytics such as diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics to show how it happened, what will happen next and what can be done to mitigate risk and optimize success.”

Ariyathram adds, “at any given time, accountants are working with data, looking through their own lens. I showed them how a broader scope will allow analysts use this data to provide meaningful insights to decision makers.”

Arslan Daniel
Aslan Daniel

At Environment and Climate Change Canada, data analyst and one of the program’s guest presenters, Arslan Daniel, works in data management services publishing government maps online for various agencies and departments such as Canadian Wildlife Services and the National Pollutant Release Inventory. He discusses the importance of using a good data set and the necessity of acknowledging the limitations of what you can produce.

“There will always be someone who can make your research better,” Daniel says. “It depends on the resources and the amount of time they have to spend.”

A recent master’s degree graduate himself; Daniel was also able to offer advice to the students who were each preparing to embark on an individual thesis research project. He shared his insights on choosing a topic and a research question, selecting a data set and other considerations in proceeding.

Suraj Narayanan, a product manager for Proofpoint, spoke to the class about his daily experiences with data warehousing, the secure electronic storage of information.

“In a course like this it really helps when the students get someone from industry to talk about their experiences,” Narayanan says. “I talked about a day in my life and gave real-world examples of data warehousing, how things can go wrong if the warehouse isn’t set up properly, common issues I could come across and what it takes to make changes to a data warehouse. If accountants have a report to generate, they might think it’s very easy to change, but behind the scenes, there are in fact a lot of moving parts.”

Students in the courses were appreciative of this contact with industry.

Fiona Peng
Fiona Peng

“I like seeing how to apply what we’ve learned in real life and how to use tools to make work more efficient,” says alumna Fiona Peng, who works in finance. “We learned how to interpret information to meet the user’s needs and I’d previously never thought about their perspective. This has improved my communication skills.”

Ngozi Ojimadu, a student taking the class from her Calgary home during the pandemic, was thrilled by the industry guest speakers.

“I wanted more of these class visits,” she says. “They knew what we were learning and were a source of inspiration and a bridge to give us an idea about the path from what we were learning to our careers. They made the course come alive and allowed us to see different career options and endless possibilities.”

For Keith Yuen, a CPA, having industry professionals visit the class to talk about how they used data was “value-added. Seeing theory in action makes a difference.”

Kwan is pleased by the way the classes unfolded and the contributions industry and academic professionals provided through the lens of their experience.

“Zia and I hope we’ve given students a good foundation, bridging the academic and the applied,” Kwan says. “We put an emphasis on developing their critical skills in evaluating the usage of systems when designing mechanisms to manage performance.”

Responses sought for Open Educational Resources survey

Person working on a computer

The Open Education Steering Committee, jointly led by the Office of the Associate-Vice President of Teaching and Learning and the York University Libraries, invites all faculty and teaching assistants to complete a survey about their awareness and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) at York University.

The survey, which takes about nine minutes to complete, will provide important information to the committee. The survey results will inform the Open Education Steering Committee’s development of programs and resources to support faculty with OER implementation and creation, with the goal of reducing costs to students and improving the overall student experience. 

This link will provide access to the survey. The survey can also be completed via eClass. 

Event to mark 10th Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk features technology that supports research

undergraduate research fair FEATURED

After meeting online for the last year two years, the May 18 event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk will provide an opportunity to network in person, and see for the first time, the ways new technology at York U Libraries can help create dynamic research presentations and projects.

Attendees of the event will also hear from past student presenters and faculty on how to take a research idea and transform it into a poster.

Jointly sponsored by York University Libraries (YUL) and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, the Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk honours student researchers from all Faculties and offers an opportunity to share research that has paved the way for positive change.

The newly launched Media Creation Lab (MCL) at Scott Library will feature mini-interactive demonstrations of tools and technology from the lab providing a first-hand look at how to create multimedia for coursework.

One of the highlights will be a 360-degree video creation session on using the lab’s Virtual Reality (VR) technology. This new equipment allows users to create virtual tools for VR and capture 360-degree scenes for rehearsals and performances. The MCL will also have the Oculus Quest on hand, an immersive VR program that allows students to navigate virtual worlds, artworks, academic classrooms and cultural projects.

Love photography? The MCL team will also provide a session for students on how to use the Canon M50 EOS camera to create artwork with different moods using special scenes and creative filters, as well as creating video montages of unique moments, with still images through the Digest Movie feature. Students can watch a demo on the Zoom H4N Pro that can be used to make projects more dynamic by recording podcasts or interviews from anywhere, with high-quality video or record soundscapes.

“The Fair brings undergraduate students together to form a community of early researchers that learn to translate important and impactful research into everyday discussions which help shape outreach of academic research,” said Dana Craig, Student Learning & Academic Success director and co-Chair of the Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk. “It’s also a great opportunity to interact with passionate researchers and experts in a friendly, inclusive, and open environment.”

In previous years , the multidisciplinary, experiential education event allowed fair participants to design a poster and present the results of a course research essay or project to the York community in a friendly, cross-curricular environment. Students would apply by filling out an application form, writing an abstract about their project, and providing their graded project or honours thesis. Successful applicants worked with York U libraries to gain skills though YUL’s workshops on designing and presenting a poster session.

The opportunity to present and share research findings in the Fair has kept students excited to take part year after year.

“There is always something that you can gain from participating in the Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk, a really incredible and a truly unique experience,” said Raven Lovering, York University alumna and former participant. “There is nothing truly like this Fair, where you can stand in front of so many students and see the incredible work that everyone else is doing outside of your discipline and to really connect with people, whether it is the research librarians or the President of the University, or someone in your class, or someone in a different year than you. There really is that community building, and that sense of connection that comes out of it, all while celebrating your achievements and sharing the research you really worked hard on.”

This year, the event will feature a panel discussion, “Reflecting Back, Looking Forward: A Facilitated Discussion on the 10th Anniversary of the Undergraduate Research Fair at York University Libraries,” which will focus on the lived experiences of the panelists participating in this event. It aims to highlight the learning, achievements and rewards this Fair has generated, while looking forward to potential future directions for the event. Panel participants will include: Kevin Reynolds, a member of Fair Steering Committee from 2012-16 and co-editor-in-chief of the journal associated with the Fair & Art Walk titled Revue YOUR Review, as well as previous Fair or Art Walk award winners Asha Cabaca, Collette Murray and Alex Gage.

“I was inspired to take part in the Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk 10th anniversary panel to share my experiences participating in the Art Walk at the 2021 online Fair,” said Cabaca, previous winner (2021) of first prize for the Art Walk Exhibit award. “As an artist, I take a different approach to research and I would like to share my perspective on research and artmaking and how it made me successful in the Art Walk, academics, and beyond.”

Previous participants, including YUL organizers, will be available to provide best practices on what it takes to transform research and present it at the fair from start to finish.

Register and learn more about the Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk. Registration is open to all students, staff and faculty members. The event Inspired Minds: Celebrating a Decade of Student Achievements at York’s Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sheril Hook appointed associate dean for teaching and learning at York University Libraries

Scott Library Learning Commons on the Keele Campus

The following is a message from Dean of York University Libraries Joy Kirchner:

Sheril Hook
Sheril Hook

I am delighted to announce that Sheril Hook has been appointed associate dean for teaching and learning at York University Libraries effective May 16.

Sheril comes to us from the University of St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto (UofT) where she was the Dr. William D. Sharpe Chief Librarian and director of archives since 2014. Under her leadership, she advanced participatory strategic planning, change management and organizational development processes leading to a culture of positive change and more empowered staff. She also introduced a number of innovations including embedding book arts and primary source literacy into the University curriculum. She also secured capital funds and donations to build a state-of-the-art conservation studio and a digital preservation studio. In tandem, she revived a print studio housed in the library that also served as the experiential education hub and teaching space for students to gain experience in typesetting, printing and binding.

Her extensive background in pedagogy, curriculum development and teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level is very well known in the field. With more than 25 years of teaching experience both in Canada and the United States, she has been course instructor for undergraduate courses in rhetoric and composition, information literacy, and foundations of information studies. At the graduate level, she taught design and evaluation of information literacy programs from 2007 to 2016 at the iSchool, University of Toronto.

Sheril has published extensively on the scholarship of teaching in the information field with numerous peer reviewed articles, book chapters, a book and a textbook. Her co-edited book was an international Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) top 10 best seller; won the ACRL Ilene Rockman Publication award; and was nominated for an outstanding scholarship award from the International Writing Center’s Association. In addition to her own active research and scholarship, she currently serves as a reviewer for several LIS journals in both Canada and the U.S. and served on editorial boards for Publications in Librarianship (PIL) and College & Research Libraries (C&RL).

She holds a bachelor of arts and a master of arts in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a master of arts library science from the same university.  She is a PhD candidate in information studies from the University of Toronto with expected completion in 2022.

Previously, she was the curriculum development coordinator and coordinator of Instruction Services at UofT Mississauga and held other librarian roles at the University of Arizona, and the University of South Dakota.

As the associate dean for the teaching and learning division, Sheril will be a member of the York University Libraries’ senior leadership team providing strategic direction and oversight over the division. She will be providing direct administrative oversight for the Curriculum & Course Support Department, the Student Learning & Academic Success Department and Learning Commons & Reference Services, and will work closely with library directors, managers and others across the organization to develop policies that enable and shape the work of the division.

Please join me in congratulating Sheril on her new role and welcoming her to York University.

Over the last nine months, while we conducted an extensive search, Andrea Kosavic took on many of the responsibilities under the associate dean of teaching and learning portfolio, in addition to her role as associate dean of digital engagement and strategy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrea for her stellar contributions. Under her leadership the teaching and learning division advanced many key priorities and furthered the strengthening of the division post-organizational restructure. She also took a lead role in coordinating our new Markham Campus curriculum by marrying the programmatic offerings from both divisions. I am very grateful for all her hard work during these challenging but successful months and the innovations she introduced.

York U Libraries celebrates 10 years of undergraduate research excellence with research fair

undergraduate research fair FEATURED

From food security and environmental change to mental health and race, York University’s undergraduate students have been sharing their research, innovations and creative works with the York academic community at the Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk for a decade.

The event inspires experiential learning and helps build important transferrable skills for students’ academic and professional careers, and continues to attract students from across all disciplines at York.

This year, York University Libraries will host the event Inspired Minds: Celebrating a Decade of Student Achievements at York’s Undergraduate Research Fair & Art Walk on May 18 at Scott Library Collaboratory. This year marks the 10th anniversary of celebrating undergraduate research excellence.

Save the Date for the Undergraduate Research Fair May 18

“Over the past 10 years, the fair has given students an excellent experiential learning opportunity, it has reinforced how valuable research is for students in enhancing their academic and career development,” said Dana Craig, student learning and academic success director. “It offered students an opportunity to take their research outside the classroom in a multidisciplinary environment and helped build their skills and participate in the knowledge and dissemination cycle.”

The fair, jointly sponsored by York University Libraries and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, is a multidisciplinary event that offers a rich opportunity for profiling research accomplishments and engaging in experiential learning in an inclusive environment. Over the last decade, the annual fair has highlighted undergraduate research work and artwork across disciplines from both Keele and Glendon campuses. Students research on a range of topics from social justice, psychology, and well-being, to timely pandemic-related research, gender, and climate change, is featured at the event.

Since York U Libraries launched this event in 2013, librarians have delivered more than 30 workshops, and the Fair & Art Walk has attracted some 300 participants each year.

“What stands out for me in the last 10 years as a hosting partner is how well we all come together with great enthusiasm in cross-campus partnership to engage in the event,” said Joy Kirchner, dean of Libraries.

Kirchner emphasized the tremendous support the event receives across campus, from not only the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation but also the president, provost and deans who attend and present awards, as well as faculty members who serve as adjudicators and encourage their students to participate and noted support from Learning Commons partners through the librarians and staff that also participate.

“The fair showcases our magnificent students and provides an extraordinary opportunity for students to hone their research skills and present it well. It is truly an uplifting event,” said Kirchner. “Leading up to the fair, our students are provided mentorship through workshops and coaching to take their research to the next level so that they demonstrate the best of who they are and learn valuable skills that will take them through their academic career and beyond.”

The celebratory event will provide an opportunity for participants to network with past participants, fellow researchers, past Fair Steering Committee members, and previous award winners. Attendees will have an opportunity to listen to winners’ past experiences with the Fair, discuss the plan for future Fairs and celebrate student-winning projects from the past. Students will also get to provide feedback on the fair and help shape future fairs through interactive activities.

A “Meet your Mentor” session will  give participants the opportunity to experience a one-on-one session with a past Fair Steering Committee member, a library contributor, or a past participant to allow them to ask questions about what it takes to transform research and present it at the fair from start to finish. Past fair presenters can also volunteer to be a mentor to undergraduate students in future fairs.

Another highlight this year is a panel discussion featuring present and past student presenters, award winners and participating faculty, who will speak about their experiences with the fair. The panel will provide insight on the learning, achievements and rewards it has generated. Panellists will share their insights on future directions of the fair, in a Q-and-A style discussion. Event participants can provide their insights and perspectives about the future of the fair by sharing their ideas on sticky notes and hanging them on an inspiration board.

New this year will be a behind-the-scenes look at Scott Library’s recently launched Media Creation Lab, which provides access to technology and equipment for new ways of teaching and hands-on learning to support research.

Registration is open to all students, staff and faculty members. Register for the fair.  

York University’s Scott Library opens Media Creation Lab for research and teaching 

Featured image shows a camera on a red background

A new Media Creation Lab in the Scott Library provides students and faculty with access to new teaching and hands-on learning opportunities that span across disciplines.

From creating a 3D model of a structure, a virtual version of a city, to creating a podcast to teach or complement a project, York University Libraries’ new Media Creation Lab in Scott Library offers new ways for students, faculty and instructors to learn and teach. With the transition back to campus and almost two years of hybrid and online learning at York University, the new lab officially opened its doors this month, offering tools to any creator wanting to stretch their skills, engage and experiment with new media production technologies. 

The creation of this space by York University Libraries speaks to the 21st-century academic library as a site of knowledge production and creation, according to Digital Scholarship Librarian at the York University Libraries Kris Joseph

“The library is often seen as a place of consumption where you take out books, but students have always been creating in libraries,” says Joseph. “They take out books because they want to write a paper, for example. Now students are creating other types of media. Here at the York University’s Media Creation Lab, we facilitate the discovery and the creation of knowledge using digital media. This is a place where knowledge is moved, consumed, repurposed and created.” 

The Scott Library Media Creation Lab (MCL), a 1,700-square-foot lab, offers students, faculty and researchers access to high-end audio and video recording equipment, an audio-visual media creation space, dedicated virtual reality (VR) spaces, a sound-isolated podcasting booth, portable virtual reality headsets and workstations for hands-on digital media production work. It allows users to produce podcasts, virtual reality projects, music recordings and other creative multimedia outputs.

studio equipment in a darkened room
The new MCL offers equitable access to space, equipment and resources for students and faculty who are creating multimedia as part of learning, research and teaching

“One of the things you can do in our VR Rooms is motion capture: record a body in motion and then use that data to create an animation or a performance piece for a class. The computers in the MCL have tools to create 3D environments that bring projects to life,” says Joseph.  

One of the goals of the lab is to facilitate experiential education (EE) in partnership with undergraduate and graduate degree programs across the Keele Campus and at York University in general. Joseph says the possibilities are endless. 

“Imagine for example in a history or archaeology course. Instead of talking or writing about a historic building, you can build a 3D model of it and then instead of doing a presentation, you can take your class on a VR tour of your building in a digital city,” says Joseph. 

The lab is part of York University Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Centre, which is recognized for its leadership and innovation through equity, sustainability and responsible citizenship.  

“As part of the new Digital Scholarship Centre, the Media Creation Lab supports consultation services for all students and faculty that coalesces the Libraries’ expertise in digital fluency. This includes content expertise to data visualization to publishing expertise backed by a suite of publishing infrastructure and tools to enhance assignment production, teaching materials, scholarship and student work,” says York University’s Dean of Libraries Joy Kirchner. “Our experts are on hand to help our entire community engage with their material in digitally enhanced collaborative spaces.”  

The MCL provides equitable access to space, equipment and resources for students and faculty who are creating multimedia as part of learning, research and teaching. In February, the lab converted its pop-up virtual reality space into two dedicated virtual reality rooms and installed an audio recording booth from Bear Cave Silent Booths. With equipment targeted for both remote and in-house use, the lab will support the creation of video interviews and tutorials, student presentations, podcasts, digital storytelling, short films, virtual tours, lectures and more. The lab will also provide hands-on library staff assistance with using the equipment and will hold instructional workshops to help users better understand all the things they can accomplish with using the equipment.  

A student enters a bear cave sound booth
The MCL has a Bear Cave Silent Booth for students and faculty to use when creating audio for multimedia

“The Libraries conducted an extensive research study of digital scholarship needs at York University and we are innovating in response to what we’ve learned,” says Andrea Kosavic, associate dean, digital engagement and strategy in the Office of the Dean of Libraries. “As an example, we heard about a faculty member seeking to integrate VR in a classroom setting with just a single headset. We’ve directly addressed this challenge, collaborating with faculty to bring groups of students into the libraries for VR experiences and have created a lending library for media equipment. We are here to democratize access to media creation for everyone at York University.” 

You don’t have to be an expert or even know how to create a podcast, 3D model or use VR – the Digital Scholarship Centre welcomes beginners. Co-curricular and extracurricular workshop materials, co-developed with the Glendon Digital Media Lab (GDML), will help orient students and faculty to the space and can easily be integrated into course assignments or project designs. Like its Glendon counterpart, the space can also serve as home to a student club dedicated to media creation. The lab will also have workshops available to help users learn about the equipment they want to use. 

“We’re working now on getting equipment for our flexible studio space, which will be great for hosting workshops on media creation, and for doing everything from object photography to video shoots and VR exhibitions,” adds Joseph. “That’s our exciting next step.”  

For reservations, visit the Media Creation Lab.

York U Open Education Steering Committee to launch survey on open access educational materials

Students gather around a computer

The committee is led by the University Libraries and the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning. It will coordinate the mobilization and discovery of open educational materials produced by the broader York community.

Have you ever clicked a YouTube link to learn something new or read a Wikipedia page?  You might be surprised to find that your favourite YouTube video or Wikipedia page is actually classified as an Open Education Resource. Open Educational Resources (OERs) come in a variety of formats, including textbooks, courses, multimedia, streaming video, data and supplementary materials. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for access to content including educational materials for online learning has increased and has put the need to remove barriers to these resources into the spotlight.

Sean Kheraj
Sean Kheraj

“As we’ve found with open-access publishing, open educational resources contribute to knowledge sharing and reduce barriers to accessing knowledge. As an institution of higher education, this is at the heart of our mission,” said Sean Kheraj, vice-dean and associate dean, programs, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) at York University. “New knowledge isn’t created in a vacuum. It’s created by communities and networks. OERs can expand our community globally and advance our broader goals for the pursuit of new knowledge and understanding.”

The Open Education Steering Committee co-chaired by York’s Associate Vice-President of Teaching and Learning Will Gage, and Dean of Libraries Joy Kirchner, with key faculty members, Teaching Commons leadership and librarians, is gearing up to launch a faculty-wide survey to help to do just that. The survey will be used to reach out to faculty to better support access to resources for students and to inform pathways to advance innovative open education supports including an inventory of campus activities in this space as well as professional development opportunities.

Will Gage
Will Gage

“We know there are significant innovative and pedagogical practices in our community that might fall into the category of open education but may not be identified as such,” said Kirchner.  “Part of the purpose in disseminating the survey is to surface this activity, identify how we may consider campus supports to help facilitate the creation and implementation of high-quality open education resources and potentially engage with our community on other synergistic opportunities or collaborations with the sharing of our findings.

“There is significant global momentum on OERs right now. UNESCO has recently unanimously adopted a recommendation on OERs and has stated it ‘believes that universal access to information through high quality education contributes to peace, sustainable social and economic development, and intercultural dialogue’ … and ‘provides a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of learning and knowledge sharing as well as improve policy dialogue, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building globally.’ I believe York has enormous potential to lead in this space,” added Kirchner.

Joy Kirchner
Joy Kirchner

The committee’s Open Space event with faculty participants helped to create a full report of ideas on how open education can foster unique opportunities for engagement with all stakeholders.  In addition, three working groups were created to advance the OE objectives as outlined by the committee. Building on the sustainability of OERs continues to be a priority as student needs continue to evolve.

“I’ve been working heavily with OERs for several years, and I’ve incorporated them in past jobs where I had to derive mock lectures,” said Anni Siren, PhD student at the Lassonde School of Engineering.  “In addition, I actively use OERs in my teaching practice at York. There are many brilliant resources that can be found such as full textbooks, and even fully interactive open resources. However, to take advantage of these numerous resources, you need first to know they exist, and second to know where to find them, which can be its own challenging endeavor.”

“The creation and dissemination of OERs online serves to reduce barriers to higher education for students all around the world,” said Gage. “The opportunities for our York University colleagues to contribute to these accessible resources are opportunities that our colleagues take to demonstrate their leadership in their fields. In return we can be inspired by the resources that are contributed by others around the globe. And in this way, what students learn can continually, rapidly evolve.”

Investigating openness in education and pedagogy will allow members of academic institutions to experiment with pathways that foster access to and mobilize education to reach diverse audiences and networks says committee member Dominique G Scheffel-Dunand, associate professor, Department of French Studies (LA&PS) and the graduate programs in Francophone Studies at Glendon College.

Dominique Scheffel-Dunand
Dominique Scheffel-Dunand

“By providing agency to working groups exploring credentialing and policies for Open Access, Open Data Management and Open education, York is encouraging its community of instructors and scholars to collectively reflect and design inclusive mechanisms and educational practices that will mediate the needed transformations between structure and agency, moving from confronting constraints to elaborating a course of action that promotes and recognizes systemic Open Education Practices at York,” said Scheffel-Dunand.

“I’m delighted by this initiative to surface York’s innovations in teaching and learning in a new light,” said Lisa Philipps, provost and vice-president academic of York University. “The potential that OE provides in linking our excellence in teaching with SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] through this work is an exciting prospect.”

This year, the steering committee plans to engage the greater community during Open Education Week, an annual event that aims to raise awareness about open education in teaching and learning globally.

Glendon hosted a workshop this week that discussed the ongoing development of Camerise – a bilingual FSL OER digital repository and platform piloted by Glendon and designed to support and engage the French as a second language community. In addition, Scheffel-Dunand will be leading a workshop at the Open Education Global 2021 & 2022, a conference series that will be held across two different events co-hosted by Open Education Global and the University of Nantes

For more information on the Open Education Steering Committee discussions register for the Open Education CoP listserv or visit oesc.library.yorku.ca.