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Town Hall offers update on academics, work life and York’s positive contributions through COVID-19

Vari Hall new image
Vari Hall new image

During a Virtual Town hall event held on Oct. 21, York’s senior leadership team shared details on the University’s direction as it continues to evolve to meet pandemic safety guidelines.

The event offered York community members an opportunity to ask questions – in pre-submitted and live formats – and learn more about the University’s plans and initiatives. In attendance were President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton, Provost & Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps, Vice-President Finance & Administration Carol McAulay, Vice-President Advancement Jeff O’Hagan, Vice-President Research & Innovation Amir Asif, and University Registrar Darran Fernandez.

Rhonda L. Lenton
Rhonda L. Lenton

Lenton opened with a land acknowledgement, and a reminder that some of the University’s facilities – indoor gyms and indoor seated spaces for dining – have been temporarily shuttered to meet updated COVID-19 public health measures announced by the province two weeks ago.

Looking forward to winter term, Lenton said the University will continue to operate with the same plan as fall with the majority of courses offered remotely. Senior leadership, she said, is now in the beginning stages of planning for the 2021-2022 academic year.

“We expect that for fall of 2021 we will be able to move largely back to in-person instruction; however, it’s a volatile situation and there is still some level of uncertainty,” she said, adding that the decision rests largely on guidance from Toronto Public Health as well as the development of, and access to, a vaccine for COVID-19.

Reflecting on the last six months, Lenton noted the University’s highlights including the conclusion of the University’s 10-year plan, the completion of the University Academic Plan (UAP) 2015-2020 and the work on a new five-year UAP that will take the University to 2025. She encouraged the community to read the annual President’s Report, which recognizes institutional accomplishments and positive change led by the University over the 2019-2020 academic year.

The floor opened to questions from the community and kicked off with a query on how students studying from abroad will continue to participate in the winter semester. Lenton offered assurance that winter would continue in the same manner as fall. The 150 courses requiring an in-person component will reflect that requirement in the course notes.

It was also noted that while York is now permitted to welcome international students to campus, domestic students will have to wait for travel abroad for educational opportunities. However, Fernandez pointed out there are opportunities with an international focus available through York’s Globally Networked Learning programs.

Lisa Philipps

Students also voiced concern with lectures being posted too late, lectures running past the allotted time frame, and the lack of focused group work. Philipps said while the University acknowledges the impressive efforts by faculty to pivot to online instruction, she recognizes there is still room for improvement and would ensure these concerns are forwarded to the deans.

While the learning experience may not be the same, Lenton said “our colleagues are ensuring students still have the same student learning outcomes” and that “there’s a continual improvement as we go along.” Lenton further noted the senior leadership team aims to soon host a virtual town hall specifically for students.

One student asked about the development of scholarship fund supporting Black students. O’Hagan said there have been new donations specifically earmarked to support Black students, and Lenton said work has begun on developing an action plan.

Staff inquired about what work-from-home policies York may consider in a post-pandemic scenario. Lenton acknowledged the need to consider flexible work arrangements and said the University plans to continue discussions with management and unions on how to move forward. Other staff were curious to know if staff, like faculty, would be offered early retirement incentives. McAulay said there have been discussions on developing a program, and conversations would continue.

Concerns about potential staff layoffs were addressed as well. Lenton said the University’s approach has been to talk with unions and managers, and to try to get input from colleagues about challenges they face and to try to be responsive to those issues.

Many questions were specifically related to the pandemic and outlined concerns with ventilation on campus and with individuals not complying with the University’s mask and face covering protocol. McAulay said the University has implemented measures to improve ventilation on campus, including overriding settings to bring in more fresh air, filtration material being upgraded to a higher quality filter and air filters changes with increased frequency. (For more details on initiatives undertaken to ensure clean air in buildings at York, visit facilities.info.yorku.ca/maintenance). As for the face coverings, Lenton said she would take concerns to the University’s Emergency Operations Committee and look to them for guidance on how to follow up on complaints of non-compliance.

One community member asked senior leadership to describe what role York University has played in helping the community during the pandemic. Philipps pointed to the five faculty members recognized with provincial awards for their COVID-19 research.

Asif described several of the research projects undertaken by York’s researchers, including statistical modelling that is now used by the province to predict emerging trends, and also recounted York’s contributions of PPE, chemicals and other equipment to the province.

“York University has also awarded $300,000 in research grants to advance 20 new research projects ranging from the impact of COVID-19 on child protection investigations, to how textiles and non-woven materials could be modified to boost protection offered by cloth-based personal protective equipment (PPE), virus through microdroplets and potential implications for ventilation system design, as well as the role that variations in the genomic sequences of the virus play in infection and disease,” Asif added.

Commenting on the University’s new brand, one individual asked how the York community shows compelling evidence that York is a community of changemakers and produces graduates who are changemakers.

Lenton highlighted the recent Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, that placed York University 33rd out of 767 competing Universities when measured against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new, upcoming interactive UAP website, said Philipps, will also catalogue stories of positive change led by York, similar to the YU Better Together website developed to highlight York’s positive contributions during the pandemic. O’Hagan pointed to the Alumni and Friends page, where there are stories that showcase alumni contributions to creating positive change.

In closing, Lenton thanked community members for their questions, and noted that senior leadership would aim to answer any questions not addressed during the town hall.

To watch the recorded version of this Virtual Town Hall, visit conversations.info.yorku.ca/first-page/webcast.

York University’s newest alumni invited to an online graduation celebration, Oct. 28

Convocation box
The graduation celebration box that was sent to the class of 2020

Convocation sign on Aviva Centre

York University students who have completed their degree requirements will take part in a “Graduation Celebration” on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. EST.

Graduates, their family and friends and York University community members can tune in online for the celebration, which will be aired on the Convocation website.  No registration is required. The celebration pre-show will begin at 4:45 p.m. and the event will run about 25 minutes.

In a message to students on Aug. 17, York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton informed the community that due to the ongoing public health concerns resulting from COVID-19 and the restrictions on public gatherings, York University, Ryerson University, Seneca College and the University of Toronto, have made the difficult decision not to hold in-person fall convocation ceremonies. Once it is again safe to do so, graduates from the class of 2020 will be honoured at an in-person convocation celebration.

Some Faculties are hosting faculty-specific online events immediately following the Oct. 28 Graduation Celebration. Details and links to RSVP for the various events can be found at https://www.yorku.ca/convocation/fall-2020-faculty-celebrations/. The faculty celebrations are open to graduates and their guests.

The graduation celebration box that went to the class of 2020
The graduation celebration box that was mailed Oct. 23 to the class of 2020

Convocation packages are on their way to students’ homes. Each package was packed with care by York University staff and contains the students’ diploma, cap and tassel, a convocation program and some other special items to help them celebrate.

To learn more, visit the York University Convocation website.

York University/Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Information Session, Oct. 29

Featured illustration of the novel coronavirus

The following is a message to the community from York University President and Vice Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear Colleagues:

As you know, there is a significant increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases across Toronto and the GTA. In response, the province recently introduced new Phase 2 restrictions, aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

At York University, we continue to work closely with Toronto Public Health and be guided by public health and government guidelines. We are also taking active measures to keep our community members as safe and informed as possible, and recently announced new requirements for mouth and nose coverings on campus (link to e-blast).

To that end, I would like to invite you to participate in a special York University/Toronto Public Health information session on COVID-19.

Date:  Thursday, Oct. 29

Time: 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Zoom Webinar: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/94466637036?pwd=Q05rZjE4SS9iTThkc2xpL3VQUHY5dz09

Webinar ID: 944 6663 7036

Telephone Dial-In: 647-374-4685

Password: 742065

Livestream: https://yubettertogether.info.yorku.ca/2020/10/toronto-public-health-education-session/

Whether you are on campus or working remotely, this is a unique opportunity to learn more about COVID-19 from Toronto Public Health and ask them the questions that matter most to you. We would encourage you to submit your questions in advance, by using this form.

If you have any accessibility needs, notes or comments, please let us know.

The information session will cover the following topics:

  • The latest COVID-19 information – how the virus spreads and the symptoms
  • How to stay safe by reducing the virus spread to stay safe
  • Non-medical mouth and nose coverings – choosing the right covering, and how to wear them safely
  • Dealing with social stigma and discrimination
  • Latest testing-related information
  • Self-isolation advice
  • Finding help and support (government, health, mental health, community services)
  • Available resources and trusted sources of information

I hope you can take the time to be a part of this unique learning opportunity as we continue to work together to help keep our community, ourselves and our loved ones safe.

Warm Regards,

Rhonda L. Lenton
President and Vice-Chancellor

Votre invitation à l’infosession sur la COVID-19 de l’Université York/Bureau de la santé de Toronto

Chers collègues,

Comme vous le savez, il y a eu une augmentation considérable du nombre de cas positifs de COVID-19 à Toronto et dans le Grand Toronto. En réponse, la province a introduit récemment de nouvelles restrictions de l’étape 2 afin de freiner la propagation du virus.

À l’Université York, nous continuons à collaborer étroitement avec le Bureau de santé publique de Toronto et à être guidés par les lignes directrices de santé publique et du gouvernement. Nous prenons également des mesures actives pour protéger et informer le plus possible les membres de notre communauté, et avons annoncé récemment de nouvelles exigences quant au port de couvre-visages sur le campus (link to e-blast).

À cette fin, je vous invite à participer à une infosession spéciale de l’Université York et du Bureau de santé de Toronto sur la COVID-19.

Date :  Jeudi 29 octobre

Heure : 9 h à 10 h 30

Webinaire Zoom : https://yorku.zoom.us/j/94466637036?pwd=Q05rZjE4SS9iTThkc2xpL3VQUHY5dz09

ID webinaire : 944 6663 7036

Connexion au téléphone : 647-374-4685

Mot de passe : 742065

Diffusion en continu : https://yubettertogether.info.yorku.ca/2020/10/toronto-public-health-education-session/

Que vous soyez en présentiel ou en distanciel, c’est une occasion unique de se renseigner sur la COVID‑19 auprès du Bureau de santé publique de Toronto et de poser les questions qui vous préoccupent le plus.  Nous désirons vous encourager à soumettre vos questions à l’avance en utilisant ce formulaire.

Si vous avez des besoins d’une adaptation, des remarques ou des commentaires, n’hésitez pas à nous le faire savoir.

L’infosession abordera les questions suivantes :

  • L’information la plus récente sur la COVID-19 – comment le virus se propage et les symptômes
  • Comment se protéger en réduisant la propagation du virus
  • Les couvre-visages — comment choisir le bon et comment les porter en sécurité
  • Comment composer avec la discrimination et la stigmatisation sociale
  • Les renseignements les plus récents sur les tests
  • Des conseils pour l’auto-isolement
  • Où trouver de l’aide et du soutien (gouvernement, santé, santé mentale, services communautaires)
  • Les ressources disponibles et les sources d’information fiables

J’espère que vous pourrez prendre le temps de participer à cette occasion unique d’apprentissage alors que nous continuons à nous concerter pour assurer la sécurité de notre communauté, de nous-mêmes et de nos proches.

Bonne journée,

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

 

Study finds promoting adaptability key to student success with online learning

As more and more students move to online learning, experts say those who have a greater ability to adapt to novel situations and uncertainty are better able to learn online. 

In a study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, researchers at York University, Hadassah Academic College in Israel and Oakland University examined the extent to which an abrupt transition to online learning is impacting post-secondary students who are trying to learn as the pandemic continues to unfold. They studied a sample of 1,217 college students from Israel who completed an online questionnaire after transitioning to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data revealed that postsecondary students who feel like they belong, and have a sense of mattering, are better able to adapt to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adaptability as defined by the study is the capability of being able to adjust effectively to novel, uncertain and potentially threatening circumstances.

Gordon Flett
Gordon Flett

Co-author Gordon Flett, professor of Psychology at York University and Canada Research Chair in Personality & Health, says loneliness is one of the significant differences in those who were learning online. Previous research has shown that high levels of loneliness can be destructive in the long term.

The researchers investigated the associations among adaptability to the pandemic, personality, and levels of learning experiences. They found certain types of students are more adaptable and better able to cope than others.

“People who are more extroverted to begin with, higher in psychological openness, which means that you’re more willing to try new things and look at things from a different perspective − more agreeable people − would be more likely to adapt to this new normal, because the social network would be there for them,” says Flett. “The people who are going to have a more difficult time with such a major transition are those who tend to have difficulty controlling their negative emotions.”

Overall, compared to their experience in previous traditional face-to face learning, students in the study experienced online learning as substantially less positive in all aspects of the two learning experiences with significantly higher levels of stress and isolation as well as negative mood and significantly lower levels of positive mood, relatedness, concentration and focus, motivation and performance.

“It’s very easy when you’re online to feel like no one is paying attention to you,” says Flett. “How people feel about themselves in uncertain times, makes a difference. That includes finding out for some people who thought they were adaptable and resilient, that they’re not.

“It is not simply about resilience; it is about adaptability and finding ways to encourage it. It’s the sort of thing that is relevant to what life is going to be like − regardless of what age they are right now − as they go forward,” says Flett. “We know today’s young person may have to change his or her job several times and re-orient as new opportunities emerge and old opportunities no longer are available to them. Arguably, this might be the most relevant individual difference factor right now for the current time because people are in this giant mass experience with needing to adapt.”

Flett says some of the things educators can do are:

  • express a belief in students and encourage them with “you know you can do this” statements;
  • acknowledge students are going through a challenging time;
  • find ways to help students feel connected; and
  • listen to students and provide opportunities for them to have a say in what’s going on in the class with the learning experience.

Join United Way Greater Toronto’s first-ever virtual physical challenge

York Cares Get Up promo graphic

Each year, the York University community comes together in support of the United Way Greater Toronto to raise funds for local agencies and programs – some of which impact York University’s students directly. This year’s annual York Cares United Way campaign will run from Nov. 2 to Dec 2.

To make a difference for local communities, members of the York community are invited to join GetUP, United Way Greater Toronto’s first-ever virtual physical challenge.

United Way GetUP

As a York community, we are changemakers who are committed to creating positive change for our students, our communities and the world around us. We’re asking you to ‘GetUP’ in support of our community to help raise urgently needed funds for people and families experiencing poverty. Participate in a physical activity of your choice for 280 minutes over a two-week period, and with each step, stride, stretch, jump, skip, dance or pedal (how you move is up to you), you’ll be supporting United Way’s network of 280 community agencies. This network is on the frontlines meeting urgent and ongoing needs, including providing food, shelter and mental health supports to people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic across Toronto, Peel and York regions. The pandemic means pivoting from in-person events, such as the annual CN Tower Climb, to an exciting new challenge.

GetUP – United Way Greater Toronto’s virtual physical challenge

Date: Nov. 9 to 22

Location: Your home, backyard, local park or neighbourhood (please remember to follow appropriate social distancing guidelines from local public health officials).

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

Register to participate and start fundraising. Each dollar raised goes towards helping people and families experiencing #UNIGNORABLE issues including poverty, hunger and homelessness.

Join the “York University-York Cares” team or register your own team, just be sure to indicate that York University is your school or workplace and include York University in the team name. Ask your family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to show their local love by joining you for GetUP 2020. Share your pictures using the hashtag #yucares.

Going solo? That works too! Ask your community to show their local love by contributing to your fundraising campaign.

Make GetUP your own. How you get your 280 minutes in is up to you. You can do it all at once, commit to 40 minutes a day for seven days or spread the challenge out over two weeks by doing 20 minutes a day. You can even share your minutes with a friend or colleague by asking them to register with you.

Register now or visit www.unitedwaygt.org/getup for more information. Questions and inquiries can be directed to yucares@yorku.ca.

Celebrate Red & White Day virtually this Thursday!

Red and White day featured image
Red and White Day is Oct. 29

York’s first-ever virtual Red & White Day takes place on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Though we may not be together physically, this Red & White Day is still a chance to come together as students, staff, faculty and alumni to show our community’s #YUspirit.

Take part in the celebrations by:

  • getting active with a MUV fitness class
  • watching a live bagel making demonstration
  • connecting with community members at the Campus Alumni Coffee Break
  • browsing deals at the York University Bookstore sale
  • participating in the Residence Life York Spirit Competition
  • or posting photos on social media of how you’re celebrating Red & White Day virtually, and including the hashtag #YUSpirit.

Don’t forget to wear red and white, or your York gear, for Zoom lectures and meetings.

Visit the Red & White Day website for the complete list of activities, registration information and ways to get involved.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton
President & Vice-Chancellor

Jeudi, célébrons virtuellement le jour Rouge et blanc !

Le tout premier jour Rouge et blanc de York a lieu jeudi 29 octobre.

Même si nous ne sommes pas ensemble physiquement, ce jour Rouge et blanc demeure l’occasion de réunir les membres du corps étudiant, du personnel et du corps professoral ainsi que les diplômés et diplômées pour afficher la fierté #YUspirit de notre communauté.

Participez aux célébrations :

  • En faisant de l’activité physique dans un cours de conditionnement MUV
  • En suivant la démonstration en direct de fabrication de bagels
  • En connectant avec des membres de la communauté lors de la pause-café des anciens du campus
  • En consultant les offres de la librairie de l’Université
  • En participant à la compétition de fierté York en résidence
  • Ou en publiant des photos de votre célébration virtuelle du jour Rouge et blanc sur les médias sociaux et en incluant le mot-clic #YUSpirit.

N’oubliez pas de vous vêtir en rouge et blanc ou d’arborer votre équipement York lors de vos cours et réunions Zoom.

Visitez le site Web du jour Rouge et blanc où vous trouverez la liste complète des activités ainsi que l’information sur les inscriptions et les façons de participer.

Bonne journée,

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

Welcome to the October 2020 issue of ‘Innovatus’

Innovatus featured image

Innovatus featured image

Welcome to the October 2020 issue of Innovatus, a special issue of YFile that is devoted to teaching and learning innovation at York University.

Will Gage
Will Gage

Last year at this time, few of us would have imagined how drastically our world would change. We are now entrenched in our “new normal.” I am so impressed by the dedication and commitment that each one of our faculty members has shown to our students. The York University community is leading by example. We are focused on creating a positive learning experience for our students while still being mindful of the challenges posed by online learning.

This issue of Innovatus focuses on faculty who are working to make first-year courses engaging and fulfilling for our students. The commitment to fostering this group of intrepid, committed learners is outstanding. When we put out the call for candidates for this issue, we were overwhelmed with suggestions. The limitations of space unfortunately required that we pick just a handful from the many names and profiles we reviewed. It was a challenging endeavour because the candidates were simply amazing.

This leads me to have great hope that as we all come out of our homes and home offices into post-pandemic life, the thousands of students at York University will lead the way as changemakers. They will be dedicated to solving local, national and international issues for the betterment of humanity and our planet. Hope is what we need right now, and it is evident in the five articles offered in this issue of Innovatus.

Thank you for the many wonderful comments about our September issue. Please continue to contact me with your ideas, classroom innovations and thoughts about teaching, learning and the student experience.

Featured in the October 2020 issue of Innovatus

‘Family first’ is mathematician’s approach to teaching
For Jude Kong, an assistant professor in York University’s Department of Mathematics & Statistics in the Faculty of Science, the secret to successful teaching is creating a caring, trusting environment for students. Kong works to create trust and demonstrate that, simply because he is a professor, he isn’t unreachable or far above his students. His commitment to treating students as equals has enriched their online learning. Read more here.

Health studies professor rises to the dual challenges of new course and online delivery
It would be easy to be a bit apprehensive about the prospect of teaching an unfamiliar, large lecture course, but throw remote delivery into the mix and the prospect could be daunting. Not to Leeat Granek, associate professor in the School of Health Policy & Management in the Faculty of Health, she simply dug in and devoted myriad hours to ensuring the course was engaging and informative. Read more here.

Lassonde team reinvents Renaissance engineering course
Four faculty members from the Lassonde School of Engineering are working together to teach a core first-year Renaissance engineering course. Each faculty member brings their own unique expertise to the course, which is delivered online. The team views the first-year course holistically so they can be sure that students are set up for long-standing success as future changemakers in University and beyond. Read more here.

Introduction to Microeconomics makes a splash online
Introductory economics courses at York University have been redesigned by an eight-member team led by Gordana Colby, an assistant professor who is the Department of Economics’ first teaching-stream faculty member, and Avi Cohen, a University Professor and early adopter of online technology. The result is an engaging, robust learning community that just happens to be online. Read more here.

Professor offers engaging first-year environmental science course
For her first-year course, Gail Fraser, a professor in York’s new Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, records her weekly lectures, which are delivered in chunks so that students can watch pieces at various times or sit through an entire lecture at once. She also makes use of a variety of online teaching aids that are designed to make the course content engaging and interactive for York students. Read more here.

Innovatus is produced by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning in partnership with Communications & Public Affairs.

In closing, I extend a personal invitation to you to share your experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the Innovatus story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.

Sincerely,

Will Gage
Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning

‘Family first’ is mathematician’s approach to teaching

Jude Kong
Professor Jude Kong engages in his passion for mathematics and statistics

For Jude Kong, an assistant professor in York University’s Department of Mathematics & Statistics in the Faculty of Science, the secret to successful teaching is creating a family feeling among his students.

“I believe in building families,” said Kong, a native of Cameroon who joined the York Faculty last winter. “If I’m here and my mother calls, there’s undoubtedly something happening, so I always pick up the phone. That’s how I treat my students.

Jude Kong
Jude Kong

“I spend a lot of time at the start of the year letting my students know that they’re in a family and they can talk to me any time. I’m a mentor to guide them through their class.”

Kong teaches two first-year math courses: Applied Linear Algebra, which is geared to probable science and engineering majors, and Mathematics for Life and Social Sciences, a class designed to provide a comprehensive mathematical background for students in the biological and social sciences. In the latter course, he seeks to allay the fears of many students who have math anxiety.

In general, he says that he seeks to be caring, approachable and positive, drawing on his own experiences to inform his style. “If you feel your voice won’t be heard, you have no motivation to work harder, keep all your concerns to yourself, and get even more frustrated,” he said. “I’ve seen this in my volunteer work with the Indigenous community in Alberta, for example.”

Kong finds that asynchronous learning doesn’t have a strong impact, so he teaches all of his online classes synchronously, conversing with his students in real time. He calls on student by name during the class session, attempting to foster their confidence in speaking up. Kong sees himself as being there to moderate a conversation, serving as a mentor as his students learn, and he has created online spaces for the students to talk to each other: A WhatsApp forum and a moderated eClass forum. He also encourages them to visit him individually on Zoom for a conversation.

Kong works to create trust and demonstrate that, simply because he is a professor, he isn’t unreachable or far above them. He says it is all about building trust between himself and his students and among the students themselves. He is committed to treating his students as equals.

“My strategy is to uplift people, especially disadvantaged people,” he said. “I want to empower them in whichever life path they take, be it academia or otherwise.”

Kong’s gift for teaching comes naturally. Since childhood, he has enjoyed solving math problems on the blackboard and helping his friends understand them. He originally trained as a secondary school math teacher before realizing he wanted more from his career and pursuing further studies.

One of his research passions is mathematical biology, which is using mathematical modelling to understand the spread of infectious diseases. It’s a passion that developed after he attended a workshop on malaria, a disease that killed his aunt and a cousin and is prevalent in Cameroon.

“I didn’t realize until then that I could use modelling to save lives in the community and help people understand and improve their health,” Kong said.

A member of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling at York University, Kong dreams of opening a similar centre in Cameroon to train others to model diseases mathematically. He believes strongly in giving back to his community – both in his homeland, Cameroon, and his new home, Canada.

Jude Kong
Prof. Jude Kong engages in his passion for mathematical biology

“Canada has given me almost everything I have dreamed of including training me to be what I am now. I would love to give back as much as I can to Canada and the community that raised me by mentoring and training students to help keep our communities healthy and economies thriving,” Kong said.

His passion for teaching ensures that he is already succeeding with the latter, as an email from one of this term’s students illustrates.

“I just submitted my midterm for math 1505 and I just wanted to thank you for being such an amazing professor,” she wrote. “I really appreciate everything you do from the way you teach, to the way you prepare us for the tests and the way you treat us as your friends. … Having understanding professors like you really helps a lot when it comes to managing the stress in first year.”

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer to Innovatus

Health studies professor rises to dual challenges of new course and online delivery

Leeat Granek
Leeat Granek

It would be easy to be a bit apprehensive about the prospect of teaching an unfamiliar, large lecture course, but throw remote delivery into the mix and the prospect could be daunting. Not to Leeat Granek. The associate professor in the School of Health Policy & Management in the Faculty of Health simply dug in and devoted myriad hours to ensuring the course was engaging and informative. 

Leeat Granek
Leeat Granek

“I’ve never worked on a course so hard in my life,” said Granek about teaching Foundations of Health Studies, HLST 1010, to 300-plus students this fall. “At first, I was resistant to delivering the course remotely, but now I see that there are a lot of benefits to offering lectures online. Students can go through them slowly and take breaks, and they can review the material. We can also integrate a lot of media, which allows us to connect the course material to things that are happening in the real world.” 

Although Granek is teaching HLST 1010 this fall, she worked closely on the course design and content with Lynda van Dreumel, an assistant professor who taught the course’s summer session and will teach it again during the winter term. 

“We had a series of meetings to ensure that the students in any of the 1010 classes would receive a consistent educational foundation,” Granek said. “The students can expect the same quality and rigour from two experienced faculty members. We’ve incorporated a lot of media and the lectures are lively and engaging. There is a COVID-19 thread running through them, in order to make it as relevant and thought provoking as possible.” 

In addition to delivering the course material in an engaging fashion, Granek wants her students to have a good understanding of the basics of writing and researching, because these are foundational skills they’ll need throughout their four years at York and beyond. To that end, she enlisted the aid of Ilo-Katryn Mamiets, a science librarian at York’s Steacie Science & Engineering Library, who recorded six videos focusing on library skills such as research, peer-reviewed evidence, and searching for information. Her assignment to her students revolves around these topics, requiring them to work in groups to find an article that is related to the topic of the class that week and create a presentation that summarizes the article and asks the students to facilitate a tutorial discussion with their peers about it. 

“The assignment asks them to find a peer-reviewed article and create a presentation about it,” Granek said. “It requires them to use their research, writing and presentation skills, as well as group work, which is important during a time when they’re so isolated.” 

There are also 10-minute video segments called “Meet the Experts,” where Granek interviews a professional in a field related to the week’s lesson. The experts come from a variety of disciplines and from all over the world, giving students a feel for the breadth of career possibilities open to them in the future. Recently, for example, she talked with the head of the University Health Network in Toronto about how physicians make decisions about using ventilators on COVID-19 patients. 

“It’s an opportunity to bring people into the classroom who wouldn’t otherwise be able to be here,” she said. 

Although the lectures are asynchronous, the course tutorials are live streamed, giving students a weekly chance to engage with their classmates and to ask questions or offer input, as well as make any required presentations. Granek also asks students to submit weekly reflection papers that ask them to pick a concept, explain it and apply it by choosing a current example. The papers are due each week, a conscious decision on Granek’s part to keep them on schedule. 

“I know that it’s hard for them to keep up online and I worry about them being distracted,” she said. “It’s hard to stay on top of five courses, all of them online.” 

The papers also allow Granek to see how well her students have absorbed the research lessons and how well they write. She provides them with extensive feedback and refers them to the Writing Centre if she finds they need assistance.  

She has also set up a Q-and-A forum on the course website for students to ask questions. Granek responds, even if her answer is to direct students to the detailed syllabus for the answer. 

“Part of what they are learning is how to solve problems and find information that they need in order to succeed in university,” Granek said. 

“The course is thorough and well-designed and the students will get a good education from it.”  

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer to Innovatus

Lassonde team reinvents Renaissance engineering course

Bergeron Centre

Don’t expect traditional subject matter or standard delivery from the team now teaching Renaissance Engineer 1: Communications, Ethics & Problem Solving at York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering.

Andrew Maxwell
Andrew Maxwell

“We always had a vision of the Lassonde School of Engineering as a different type of engineering school that embraces diversity, social science, the United Nations Sustainability Goals and experiential learning,” says Professor Andrew Maxwell, Bergeron Chair in Technology Entrepreneurship and one of the course’s instructors. “To do that, we needed to transform the way we teach.”

Luckily for first-year engineering students, the four faculty members involved with this mandatory course are among those at Lassonde most comfortable with online technology: Maxwell; Jeffrey Harris, an assistant professor in the teaching stream; Mojgan Jadidi, an assistant professor in the teaching stream; and Kai Zhuang, a sessional instructor and educational developer.

Jeffrey Harris
Jeffrey Harris

“If you picked four people to embrace educational innovation at Lassonde, it would be the four of us,” Maxwell noted. “It just happened that we were all teaching this course.”

The four decided to work as a team and reinvent the course – which was originally designed to pioneer the spirit of Renaissance engineering and has continually evolved – for a remote audience, with each person focusing on one area in-depth: communications, ethics, problem-solving and assessment. They had each taught all of the topics previously, so they had no qualms about dividing the work.

“To transition to a fully online environment, we all thought about the pedagogy of remote teaching and learning and tried to incorporate a lot of the best practices for content delivery, engagement with students and assessment,” said Zhuang. “We changed the whole course.”

Each student is assigned to one of the instructors as their guide through the course – their administrator and mentor – but they are able to benefit from the perspectives of all four. Prior to the synchronous class session each week, students are asked to watch videos in preparation. Afterward, the students are asked to reflect on the material individually and to complete related assignments. The faculty also ask them to discuss the material in groups of five or six – groups that will remain the same throughout the year so the students get to know and rely upon each other – guilds, to use the course’s Renaissance language. The guild members are chosen based on their interest in various U.N. Sustainability Goals, since they will be the focus of a winter term project.

“Their job as guild members is to support each other in class and at Lassonde,” said Maxwell. “It’s a way of building community.”

Mojgan Jadidi
Mojgan Jadidi

The teaching assistants hired for the course aren’t just the standard TAs, either. In addition to the usual graduate student TAs, the team has chosen recent engineering graduates or upper-year undergraduates who have experienced the Renaissance engineering course themselves. Zhuang created a training workshop for them that included some training in coaching.

“They meet every other week with the students to act as mentors for them during their first-year experience,” said Harris.

The course material this year is also a bit different from the past syllabus.

“One thing we’re emphasizing a lot more this year is equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI),” said Harris. “When you have a number of different perspectives, you get better ideas – ideas that work for more people. We also want to open our students’ eyes to how they should treat each other; they need to develop empathy. Teamwork is a big part of being a professional, so we need engineers who know how to treat each other well.”

Maxwell noted that the ethics section of the course, too, is always changing as the world changes.

“Every time there are advances in technology, new ethical issues arise that we’ve never before considered,” he said. We use examples from current events, as well as case studies. We emphasize to our students that people my have the best intentions, but there can be a negative impact. We’re consciously making this a bigger part of the course.”

The communications section of the course also needs regular tweaking, said Jadidi.

“We definitely have a section on fake reporting and one about how students can learn to present their arguments about technology in a way the public an understand,” she said.

Kai Zhuang
Kai Zhuang

As for problem solving, the Lassonde team takes a different approach from many other schools where the students are presented with a problem and asked to solve it. At Lassonde, the teaching team first asks the students to identify the problem.

“We want to help them understand the importance of defining a problem before proceeding,” Maxwell said. “We also offer additional immersive activities outside of class, such as hackathons, that that require them to apply this skill and others they’ve learned.”

Then, there’s the revolutionized grading system for the course. During the semester, students won’t receive numerical grades; the only options are Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations or Revise and Resubmit. The final course grade is a letter grade, but it will be based on assignments, not an exam. In addition, the team is trying to co-ordinate due dates for major assignments with other professors who teach first-year courses.

“We’re trying to look at the first year holistically so we can be sure our students are set up for success,” said Harris, the first-year coordinator.

The overarching motivation behind the course redesign is innovation.

“We try things and the result is innovative,” said Maxwell. “We want to share our passion for research and new knowledge with students and hope they get excited, too.”