Greetings faculty, it’s that time of the term: Collaborate Recordings Cleanup.
Please back up any Collaborate recordings you would like to retain from the Summer 2022 term. Recordings made April 22 to August 28, 2022 will be deleted as of September 30, 2022.
Humber has identified as its Strategic Priority #7 under Pillar #3, Healthy and Inclusive Community, to continue to build a diverse and inclusive community of exceptional students, faculty, and staff. The specific supporting action is to establish and implement an institutional framework and strategy for equity, diversity and inclusion that addresses the needs of both students and employees.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) bring together employees who share a common identity, characteristic and set of interests. They create a culture of inclusion that enhances employee engagement and further supports organizations’ vision and values.
The Black/African ERG was launched in September 2020 and is one of two ERGs that Humber College currently offers for all eligible staff and faculty. (Source: Catalyst)
Humber employees who identify as Black/African and are interested in joining the ERG are invited to send an email to the Co-Leads, Shernett Bennett at shernett.bennett@humber.ca or Lola Nelson lola.nelson@humber.ca.
BAERG Co-Chairs
Our flags will be lowered on Sunday, September 25 in honour of Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day.
On September 24, 1998 the Government of Canada officially proclaimed the last Sunday of September of every year as Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day. This National Memorial Day gives Canadians an opportunity each year to formally express appreciation for the dedication of police and peace officers, which made the ultimate tragic sacrifice to keep our communities safe.
Flags were lowered at Humber campuses today in recognition of Toronto Police Constable Andrew Hong, who was killed on duty on September 12, 2022.
Humber's Accessible Learning Services shares tips on how to support blind or low vision students:
Make documents accessible from the start: it's easier than reverse engineering a document to make it accessible.
Be wary of using old material. It is less likely to be accessible.
Ensure all electronic learning materials are compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies used by blind and low vision students. For support with how to create accessible electronic learning materials you can contact Innovative Learning.
When adopting textbooks and eBooks, speak with the publisher about the accessibility options offered to students. EBooks are not necessarily accessible. Some publishers do not consider accessibility requirements creating numerous barriers for students. Advocate through your communication with publishers to make materials accessible with screen readers. If the material is not accessible, consider using a different publisher.
If your program uses specific software as part of the curriculum, consult with the vendor to ensure their software meets accessibility requirements. This will reduce barriers for blind and low vision students.
Please email us at accessible-learning@humber.ca with suggestions for key accessibility-related topics that you would like us to address through the Communiqué.
In Spring 2023, MS Teams will become Humber’s official video conferencing tool available for online sessions in your courses.
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra will be fully retired from Humber by the end of the Winter 2023 semester. * Please note that Blackboard Ultra will continue to be Humber's LMS platform. This update is only about Collaborate.
MS Teams
MS Teams is a communication platform with robust, professional features suited to environments where sharing, collaboration and accessibility are a must.
Here are a few MS Teams highlights:
All assignments, assessments and grades will continue to reside exclusively within Blackboard.
If you would like to book a training session for a team of users, please submit a request here.
Here are some useful resources to get you started:
The basics:
Specific tasks:
Questions?
Please reach out to Heather Lowry, Associate Dean, Digital Learning.
The Degree Breadth Committee is calling for proposals for new breadth elective courses for Humber degree students. For details regarding the process for development of breadth elective courses at Humber, including a step-by-step guide, a searchable inventory of approved breadth courses, a short proposal form, and a variety of resources for developers, visit the Degree Breadth Committee website.
Proposals will be reviewed by the Committee in November (depending on the number received).
In order for a proposal to be considered, it must have the support of your department (as indicated by the signature of your Associate Dean/Dean on the form) and be submitted via e-mail to degree.breadth@humber.ca by October 21, 2022.
Chris Irwin
Chair, Degree Breadth Committee
Humber's Capital Development and Facilities team at North Campus would like to inform our community of a partial road closure on Arboretum Blvd starting on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 10 a.m.
Due to the rehabilition project, which includes road resurfacing and construction of a new sidewalk, Arboretum Blvd will become a one-way street only on the south end, starting at the exit from Lot 1 (by P building) all the way to the entrance to Lot 13/14 (B building). Traffic will flow only in this westbound direction. Access to all areas at the back of the college will continue to be maintained (F Building, G building, daycare, DX Receiving, Lot 15). In order to reach this area, we suggest to use entrance A from Humber College Blvd.
The project is scheduled to be completed on Monday, October 31, 2022.
Should you have any questions, please contact Roman Fuzak at roman.fuzak@humber.ca.
CICan ImpAct Climate Report
The milestone report details the role played by Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) members in addressing climate change and supporting Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
“Are We Ready?” is a scan and compilation of college and institute leadership in climate action across three areas: Curriculum, Applied Research and Community Engagement, and Campus Infrastructure and Indigenous Approaches to Sustainability.
Humber College's NX building retrofit is highlighted on page 59 of the report.
STARS
Humber was recognized in 2019 with a Gold STARS rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The 2022 SCI report is out, and Humber’s 2019 STARS Gold level is the highest grade for an Ontario College. We’re recertifying in the next few months and hope to show our progress in campus sustainability.
IGNITE has partnered with Humber Advancement and Alumni to provide students with Learning Essentials Support, a financial support service designed to help students cover the cost of program learning essential items, from $50 up to a maximum of $500 per academic year.
Examples of learning essential items that we support include, but are not limited to:
*Applications open as of Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
To share more information with students, please refer them to Learning Essentials Support.
