We are pleased to announce that Stefanie Bernaudo will be joining the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) as Associate Dean, Grants and Research Development, effective Monday, July 21, 2025. Stefanie will step into this role during Tania Massa’s absence and provide strategic leadership to support Humber’s research funding strategy, strengthen institutional capacity, and foster partnerships that amplify the impact of our applied research.

With over eight years of experience in research grant development and administration, Stefanie is a seasoned leader committed to advancing research excellence. In this role, she will be instrumental in helping Humber continue to be one of Canada’s top research institutions, pursuing innovation and high-impact projects that solve real-world problems and create meaningful outcomes for our communities.

Prior to joining Humber, Stefanie served as the Partnerships and Awards Specialist at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where she connected faculty with strategic funding opportunities, built industry and community partnerships, and supported the pursuit of high-profile research grants and awards. She also served as a Research Officer in the Faculty of Science at York University, driving research growth and external funding.

Stefanie holds a PhD in Biological Sciences, with a specialization in the molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer. Her expertise spans grant writing, research strategy, contract negotiation, and stakeholder engagement across academic and applied research environments.

Please join me in welcoming Stefanie to Humber Polytechnic. 

Tyler Charlebois
Dean, Office of Research and Innovation (Acting)

Tim Horton's, located in the M Building at Lakeshore Campus, will be closed for renovations starting Monday, July 7, 2025. 

The On The Go Cafeteria, located on the first floor of the L Building, will be open starting Monday, July 7, 2025, with operating hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We appreciate your patience as we work to enhance your campus dining experience.

Here are the highlights of faculty questions from June. These are not necessarily the most frequently asked questions, but helpful for all faculty members to know!

Question: What is the SFQ (Student Feedback Questionnaire)? How do I add it to my course? Can I extend or change the dates?

Answer:

The Student Feedback Questionnaire (SFQ) is Humber’s primary mechanism for collecting anonymous student feedback on the learning experience in each course, every semester. It is designed to support instructional development and continuous improvement by providing instructors with constructive insights into students’ perceptions of their learning environment. SFQ results are confidential and are not used in employment or contract negotiations. This process reinforces our shared commitment to academic quality and reflective teaching practice.

Please review these important points about the Summer 2025 Student Feedback Questionnaires (SFQs):

1. Instructors, please schedule 20 minutes of in-class time for students to complete the SFQ. This ensures students are aware of the SFQ, and have time to answer them. Sharing an example of how this feedback has helped improve course content provides an example for students of what to provide feedback on, and that their voices are heard.
2. Instructors can enable the SFQ in Blackboard following the process below. Students do get an email reminding them that their SFQ has started, however, we do recommend that you still add the SFQ tool to your course for visibility and accessibility by following these instructions:
   • Select "Books & Tools" (Details & Actions, right course content menu)
     
   • Click "+" next to "Student Feedback Questionnaire"
     
   • Once added to the course content, make the SFQ visible for students.
     

Please Note: You cannot change or extend the dates of your SFQ. The SFQ runs from the 70 to 90 per cent mark of your course; for seven-week courses, your SFQ will be from Week 5 to Week 6, and for 14-week courses, your SFQ will be from Week 10 to Week 13.

Learn more about your SFQ dates and other helpful information for faculty and students.

Question: How do I export or archive my Blackboard course?

Answer:

You can follow the instructions included at this Faculty Blackboard link to learn how to export or archive your Blackboard course, or follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. In the top-right corner of the Course Content area, select More options for course content ellipsis (…) > Export Course Package.
   
2. This opens up the side panel. There are automatically backed up packages available. If you would like to download the most recent one, you can do so. However, if you want to generate a manual package, click on the arrow.
   
3. In the Include student activity data in your export? prompt, select:
   1. No to export only the course content. This is the most common choice, used to copy only course content.
   2. Yes to create a course archive including all student submissions. (This section does not work as intended; we recommend you select 'No' for this question, as student submissions will not be exported.)
      
      When the file is ready, the status will change to display the file name (eg. ArchiveExFile_CourseName.zip) under Manual. Also, Blackboard may send an email or send a message when the export process is complete.
4. To download the file to your computer, select the file name. Depending on your browser settings, the file may automatically download to a specified folder, or you may be prompted to save it. (CAUTION: Do not open the ZIP file after its been downloaded—doing so may corrupt the file.)

Need support? The Innovative Learning Support Centre is here to help.

Question: I'm having an issue adding the Respondus Lockdown Browser to my test. What can I do?

Answer:

If you are encountering issues with adding Respondus Lockdown Browser to a test, please make sure that the test name does not include special characters (icons, photos, emoticons, etc.). If it includes any of these characters, the Respondus Lockdown Browser Dashboard will fail to open!

If students are encountering issues accessing the Lockdown Browser, and you copied the test from a previous course, you must go into the new course, access each of the test settings, and select the Respondus LockDown Browser option. This will redirect you to the Respondus settings page; without completing this step, students will not be able to take the exams in the new course, as the Respondus settings do not transfer from one course to the next after copying.

Follow these instructions to learn how to enable and add the Respondus Lockdown Browser to your test.

Need support? The Innovative Learning Support Centre is here to help.

Question: What’s the difference between an Accommodation, Exception, and an Exemption in Blackboard? How do I give a student an Accommodation, Exception, or an Exemption?

Answer:

• An Accommodation (learn more about setting up Accommodations in Blackboard by following the instructions in this resource) is course-wide and applies to due dates and time limits for all assessments in your course for a specific student.
• An Exception (learn more about setting up Exceptions in Blackboard by following the instructions in this resource) applies to a specific assessment for a specific student, where you can change the visibility dates, or the number of attempts for that student, to allow them to resubmit an assessment. (If the student already has the Accommodation that covers the Exception you want to apply, you do not need to set it again.)
• An Exemption (learn more about setting up Exemptions in Blackboard by following the instructions at the bottom of this resource) applies to a specific student to be exempted from a specific assessment, meaning they will not need to complete the specific assessment.

Need support? The Innovative Learning Support Centre is here to help.

Question: How do I add an instructor or course builder into my Blackboard course?

Answer:

Instructors are added to live Blackboard courses by the Faculty Scheduler in Banner or Destiny One. Once they are added through Banner or Destiny One, access is immediate. Associate deans can request the instructor be assigned through their faculty scheduler. Only faculty who are assigned teaching contracts can be assigned "instructor" status in Blackboard.

The Innovative Learning Support Centre can only add instructors to courses from a previous semester only with approval from an associate dean for the purpose of accessing old course content.

The Innovative Learning Support Centre can manually add users to current courses with the Course Builder role.  With this role, they will be able to access the course but are limited in functions (for example, they will not have gradebook access). However, they still can perform a course copy!

If you want to request to be added as an instructor or course builder, follow this link to the Innovative Learning Support Centre's Blackboard Administration form, where you can complete a Support Request.

Need support? The Innovative Learning Support Centre is here to help.

Continuous Professional Learning is thrilled to announce the launch of a new, tuition-free program for those seeking training or upskilling for a career in the green economy with the Electric Vehicle Essentials Training and Employment Program!

In partnership with Thrive Wellness, and supported by the Skills Development Fund, this fully funded program offers learners: 

• A Humber certificate plus four micro-credentials with sharable digital badges;
• Flexible, accelerated training—complete in as little as three weeks this summer;
• Preparation for rewarding careers in Canada’s clean tech and green economy;
• 12-month access to employment supports and connections to industry on the Thrive Wellness platform.

Don’t miss your chance to future-proof your skills, or those of students or graduates you support. Applications are open now.

For more information about this or other programs at CPL, reach out to Erika Wright at erika.wright@humber.ca.