Humber’s Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) would like to highlight a passionate social innovation researcher and faculty member Dr. Soheila Pashang as our Faculty Rock Star of the week.   

Soheila has spent more than 14 years teaching and researching social justice. As a professor in the Faculty of Social & Community Services (FSCS) at Humber, she is committed to teaching, learning, and expanding the conversation around diversity. Soheila notes, “Diversity is considered a sensitive topic, but it should not be. It is part of our reality in life.” Her commitment to diversity ignited her latest research, Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching Diversity in Classrooms.

The research is a prominent example of Humber College’s dedication to supporting research projects under the umbrella of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), now incorporated into the family of Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation. With funding from SoTL’s then-Teaching Innovation Fund (now restructured and replaced as the Seed and Cultivate Research and Innovation Funds), the research project started in 2018 and became a collaborative, multi-year endeavour.  

Learn more about Soheila and the research project, “Faculty Rock Star: Soheila Pashang, PhD Sheds light on her research team’s project: Pedagogy and Practice: Teaching Diversity in Classrooms.”

The Math & Writing Centre presents free Academic Integrity and APA Workshops. All Humber and Guelph-Humber students are welcome.

If you work with students who may benefit from this opportunity, please let them know about it and share the attached posters.

Please note the following schedule:

Academic Integrity Workshops

Available every week from February 15 to April 15 except Reading Week:

• Tuesdays at 12 p.m.
• Wednesdays at 4 p.m.
• Thursdays at 12 p.m.

APA Workshops

Available every week from February 15 to April 15 except Reading Week:

• Mondays at 12 p.m.
• Tuesdays at 2 p.m.
• Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
• Thursdays at 11 a.m.

To sign up, students can follow these steps:

1. Register in our online booking system at www.humber.mywconline.com
2. Select the Writing Support Winter 2022 schedule
3. Click on one of the APA or AI Workshop slots (after February 14)
4. Fill out the form
5. Click on “Create Appointment"

If students need help signing up, they can visit our Virtual Front Desk or write to us at writingcentre@humber.ca.

Thank you.

Enhancing Institutional EDI Knowledge of Disability and Academic Accessibility:

• 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.

Humber College has been awarded support from the Fund for Innovation and Transformation for the Entrepreneurship + Digital Livelihoods + Creative Arts Socio-economic empowerment of refugee women in Kenya initiative. With a total value of $198,692, the testing project will run for 12 months to address the entrepreneurship and digital problems refugee women face in Kenya.

Humber’s International Development Institute (IDI), with support from Humber’s Faculty of Business, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Faculty of Media and Creative Arts, will work with CAPYEI aiming to address three challenges in Kenya — women’s access to livelihoods and entrepreneurship opportunities, opportunities to commercialize artistic talents, and overcoming obstacles posed by COVID-19.

Through this project, IDI and CAPYEI will impact refugee trainees and local male and female artists by giving them the tools needed to participate in online economic opportunities and generate self-sufficient income.

For more information and how to get involved, contact:

Clarisse Estebar
Program Specialist at International Development Institute
clarisse.estebar@humber.ca