The Humber College Council (HCC) held its third meeting of the 2020-2021 academic year on Thursday, November 12, 2020, online using Microsoft Teams. To ensure the Humber community is informed of upcoming events, new initiatives, and important issues, the College Council reports the highlights of its meetings. For more information or to provide feedback on these highlights, please contact risha.toney@humber.ca.
Roundtable
Keith Manalo [Student Success & Engagement] announced that the 4th annual Transition to Work event will take place online, Thursday, December 3, 2020. The event consists of webinars presented by community partners, focused on employment preparation for individuals with disabilities. More information about the event can be found here. If you have any questions, contact Keith at keith.manalo@humber.ca.
Mona Nouroozifar [Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Innovative Learning] announced that FLA is hosting their 2020 Research Analyst Program (RAP) forum, taking place on November 23, 2020. More details about the event and registration can be found here.
HCC Holiday Fundraising Initiative
Karen Stefou [Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness] provided an overview of Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter. The shelter supports over 400 women and children escaping abuse and violence and provides all necessities. They provide counselling services and programs as well as access to the shelter’s on-site donation rooms and foodbanks. Each year, Humber College Council holds a raffle and fundraising holiday event in support of Ernestine’s yet due to the current situation, this will not take place. However, Ernestine’s is accepting donations. Gift cards and donating via Canada Helps would be appreciated. We welcome all members of the Humber community to donate to Ernestine’s. For more information, please contact Karen Stefou at karen.stefou@humber.ca.
Digital Campus Plan
Scott Briggs [Chief Information Officer] discussed the process and timelines of Digital Technology Planning. He noted that digital does not always mean new technology and includes how we learn, work, and engage in the Humber community.
The IT Digital Campus Plan has developed a series of pillars which are: transforming the experience for Humber students; enhancing and supporting innovation across the community; reaching new learners and increasing access; and working smarter by making data work harder. Within each pillar, specific goals/items were planned for 2021/2022. Because of COVID-19, some items in the plan have been accelerated while others have been delayed. However, four priority items moving forward are: technology refresh (software and hardware), risk management, capital development, and COVID-19.
To remain technologically current, plans are in place for academic classroom audio/visual and computer lab upgrades, as well as ongoing upgrades to enterprise software platforms such as Banner, Destiny One and Oracle HCM.
To mitigate risk, the IT department will continue to work on Humber localization upgrades to help with disaster recovery. The IT Security work plan includes multi-factor authentication+ to improve our cybersecurity.
Capital Development initiatives relating to the Digital Campus Plan include strategic commitments such as the International Graduate School and the Lakeshore Redevelopment and Cultural Hub. While renovations will include the Faculty of Business offices, North campus receiving (DX), retail development, and classroom renovations. There are other proposals that are yet to be determined as per the process outlined by the Capital Planning and Space Management Committee.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, remote study and work and return to campus plans continue to be a priority. As part of the Digital Campus Plan planning process, there are questions being asked about the future of teaching, testing, and remote proctoring, modernizing the LMS experience with Blackboard Ultra, and using AI enabled chatbots to help assist students as they visit our websites.
Q & A with Senior Vice-President, Academic
Laurie Rancourt [Senior Vice President, Academic] provided an opportunity for College Council members and constituents to ask her questions during this open style presentation. Laurie noted that this occasion also provided her the opportunity to hear concerns and feedback about the fall semester. She indicated that this dialogue is helpful to her and the senior leadership team.
A question was asked about the future of learning at Humber, in-class vs online, and how this can best be conveyed to prospective students. As part of her response to this question, Laurie noted that many innovative ideas and resources in teaching and learning have resulted since the start of the pandemic.
A question was brought forward noting that as classes have moved online, the workload to implement and teach these classes have, for some, increased tremendously. L. Rancourt acknowledged these efforts and how the Standard Work Formula (SWF) does have its challenges, yet it is the tool that has to be worked with. She noted it’s a situation where it is not one size fits all. One thing that was put in place is the delay of the start of the winter semester by two weeks. The dialogue about workloads is going to continue as well as looking at additional tools to support faculty.
The next meeting of the College Council will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2020. For meeting highlights, supporting materials, and opportunities to provide feedback, please visit the College Council website.