Last month, we launched a new and exciting academic year. We welcomed thousands of new and returning students to Humber, as well as faculty members and staff who play such a key role in the journey of learning and discovery. A lot goes into ensuring students start their year smoothly, and I want to thank all of you for creating such a welcoming and vibrant learning environment for our students.
New Programs: Career-ready with confidence
Several new programs launched this fall including an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, an Ontario College Certificate in Furniture and Cabinetmaking Techniques, and Graduate Certificates in Clinical Bioinformatics, Infection Prevention and Control, and Interactive Media Management – Creative Technologies. Having a comprehensive range of applied industry-responsive credentials is a cornerstone of Humber’s polytechnic identity and we continue to develop new programs that reflect the needs of the Ontario labour market.
Academic Plan: Inaugural Projects under Priority 3 – Empowering Teaching and Learning
As we approach the middle of the fall semester, I would like to provide an update on the progress of our 2023-2026 Academic Plan. It was about this time last year that we gathered as a community to announce the Academic Plan, which officially launched in April 2023. This foundational document reinforces our fundamental commitment to being a student-centred college that prioritizes the needs of learners above all else. The Plan focuses on innovating the ways we teach and learn, offering students more flexible and personalized learning, as well as continuously evolving our credential mix. We continue to work towards offering students more choices in how, what, when and where they learn. We are also building enhanced tools to support students in developing and articulating their skills in preparation for future career opportunities, with the Humber Learning Outcomes as the foundational framework.
Last spring, I was particularly excited to launch Priority 3 of the Academic Plan – Empowering Teaching and Learning at Humber. This priority was inspired by an initiative Humber implemented in the early days of my career as a faculty member and it engages and supports faculty and staff to push the boundaries of how we design and deliver the best possible learning experience for Humber students. Faculty and staff were invited to submit proposals that support the goals of the Academic Plan. This includes approaches to offering learners flexibility, personalization, digital fluency and harnessing new technologies in teaching and learning. I am so impressed by the creativity, risk taking and innovation I saw in the proposals, and I extend my gratitude to everyone who submitted their ideas. I am honoured to present the 10 proposals by Humber faculty and staff that were chosen as the inaugural projects under Priority 3. Each project will conclude with recommendations for future exploration and scalability.
Academic Integrity: Developing an ethical compass
October 18 marks the International Day of Action for Academic Integrity. At Humber, we take Academic Integrity seriously and last fall, we launched the Academic Integrity Community of Practice to provide a collaborative space for individuals to learn, share ideas and be supported by one another. This fall, we launched our Academic Integrity website, which includes resources for faculty, staff, and students, with a focus on developing a culture of integrity and upholding the principles of fairness and honesty.
We continue to think about the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), how we use it responsibly, ethically, and productively at Humber, and how to prepare learners to use AI in their future careers. We recently published Humber’s statement on artificial intelligence, along with resources for faculty on how to teach with an integrated approach to generative AI and resources to support talking to students about what is and is not acceptable use. Part of preparing students to be career ready citizens is ensuring they are equipped to work appropriately with AI now and in the future.
We all play a critical role in creating the future of teaching and learning at Humber. Let’s continue to embrace opportunities that push Humber forward and explore innovative teaching and learning approaches that lead to transformative change.
Thank you for all you do to support our students.
I am grateful to be on this journey with all of you.
