Humber College Council heard presentations from the International Centre and from Research and Innovation.

An assembly of faculty, support staff, students, and administrators, Humber College Council (HCC) is Humber’s collective employee voice, making suggestions to Humber College’s President as it relates to long and short‐term institutional priorities.

Held on December 8, HCC’s fourth meeting of the academic year occurred virtually.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE: STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

Andrew Ness, dean of International, provided an update provided an update on the Standards of Practice for International Education Ontario Public Colleges. The Committee of Presidents (CoP) has developed and signed a shared “Standards of Practice for International Education” document that will be implemented over the next 18 months. Humber is one of the signatories.

Rationale:

1. To establish a common set of minimum standards for international student activity
2. The standards are built on existing practices and the legislative and policy framework and quality assurance mechanisms that guide all college activities
3. The goal of these standards is to support the well-being of international learners to enhance their opportunities for academic and personal success.

The Code of Ethics for International has been in place for many years around the world as governments, institutions and organizations have grappled with how to address unscrupulous practices that arose in international education.

The standards will be included in colleges’ regular quality assurance audits to verify compliance. The standards will be extended to the public college’s post-secondary programming provided through its private partner (where a partnership exists).

Principles include:

1. Student focused – Putting students at the centre of all that we do and ensuring their perspectives are considered in decision-making
2. Professional – Providing accurate information and demonstrating integrity in relationships with students, potential students and their families, international education agents and all post-secondary education partners
3. Transparent – Developing transparent relationships with potential and enrolled students through the open sharing of information that allows students to make informed choices
4. Collaborative – Working collaboratively with communities, governments and other parties to support the success of international students
5. Culturally sensitive and responsive – Recognizing student diversity in providing supports and services
6. Accountable – Acknowledging the college’s role in student well-being and success and working with students and partners to address issues as they arise
7. Continuous improvement – Seeking feedback on an ongoing basis, assessing the impact of programs and services and adjusting approaches to continuously improve the quality and impact of programs and services.

Standards: Sections

1. Marketing, Promotion & Admission
2. International Education Agents
3. International Student Orientation and Transition
4. Standards for Supports and Services to Promote Student Well-Being and Safety
5. Standards for Post-Graduation Support Services

HCC Discussion:

• Only Humber international students have access to keep.meSAFE (mental wellness student support program).
• A question was raised about ensuring that students are informed of their rights and Council was advised that information is provided during orientation and through ongoing webinars. If students self-identify their concerns, they are connected to appropriate support and resources across the College. International has recently hired 4-6 international students to be present on campus to provide support.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION UPDATE

Ginger Grant, dean, Office of Research and Innovationprovided, an update and highlighted several research and innovation initiatives.

In 2018, Humber College was ranked as the 30th College in Canada for Applied Research. Now, Humber is the second top research college in Canada and ranks first in Ontario. Humber is  growing very rapidly, and as a result, there have been various opportunities for faculties and employees at Humber.

The Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) invites faculty to build new tools and research the impact of teaching practices in every aspect of their scholarly lives through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Humber handles the research component, and it is open to all professors at Humber, whether part-time or full-time. More information can be found here.

Various workshops are available through the ORI department, which are virtual and free. This is open to all faculties, administration, course leads, and full-time or part-time employees.

The most exciting initiative currently underway is the two Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) certificates which will be available May-June 2023. This was presented at the Academy of Management, Seattle, in 2021 at the International Teaching and Learning Forum and was well received. We are partnering with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to explore how to develop these certificates.

As part of Communities of Practice, Humber’s Research and Innovation department finds world-class research and brings it to Humber. This community of practice focuses on how you design a program within your classroom and where learning starts from research. We focus on the researcher and what brings relationship and meaning as a faculty member, course coordinator or administrator. The Communities of Practice takes place monthly, where they can discuss the topic areas and are encouraged to talk and share ideas.  

The ambition in 2022-2023 is to:

• Grow an inclusive culture of applied research and innovation across the institution and with our industry and community partners;
• Build upon the growing success of our programs supporting full-time faculty (20 per cent) who are doing applied research;
• Engage 80 per cent of employees who are left out of innovation and research activities.

The SoTL working group collaborates with the Global Polytechnic Alliance, focusing and studying “Student Centred Learning”.

Humber is the only educational institute in Canada that is part of the European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR) and is creating a student group to participate with ESOMAR moving forward into 2023.

Challenges are viewed as a learning journey and doing things differently. One of the key areas Humber is working on is “Revisioning the New World of Work”, focusing on developing a culture that supports talent and change for innovation. Employees value focusing on meaningful work, building a sense of community, and our impact when doing research.

NSERC (Mobilize Applied Research Program) granted $3,250,000 over five years, which will help strengthen regional partnerships and enable community, municipal and university partners to respond to the health, economic, and environmental impacts. Through the mobilized grant, a partnership opportunity was initiatied with KEA Copenhagen School of Design and Technology around approaching research on aging.

Humber Press provides a platform for knowledge dissemination and knowledge sharing.

The quarterly research and innovation magazine SPARK sheds light on and celebrates Humber’s growing community of research rock stars, faculty, researchers, COIs, employees, student researchers, and innovators. SPARK aims to demystify innovation and make research accessible and approachable through storytelling. Humber Press also publishes the Journal of Innovation in Polytechnic Education (JIPE), an online, open-access journal for double-blind peer-reviewed papers that mobilize knowledge and insights generated by the global polytechnic community. Humber encourages researchers to publish their research findings with JIPE’s global audience. For more information, read the 2021-2022 Annual Report.

Visit the ORI office located in D224. 

The great work between research and industry partners was mentioned. SoTL is one of the great ways to accentuate Humber employees’ work as a teaching institution. Further discussion will take place regarding AI software that has the capacity to write essays and other student work. There is an opportunity for researchers to get on board to see ways to assess and evaluate competence than a traditional essay; these can be unpacked with the community of practice.

NEXT HCC MEETING

The next Humber College Council meeting will be held virtually on January 19, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m.

For questions or comments about HCC meeting highlights, contact regan.mancini@humber.ca. For supporting materials, meeting minutes or opportunities to provide feedback, please visit the College Council website or contact shovani.samalia@humber.ca.