Announcements

When:
December 5, 2024
Contact:
Leah State

As part of our transition to a social model of service delivery, Accessible Learning Services (ALS) is introducing important updates with respect to how students renew their Accommodation Letter and how it is shared with faculty. These changes will ensure access to Accommodation Letters for both students and faculty in a timely manner. Changes will take effect January 2, 2025.

Please note: This update only affects students who are renewing their Accommodation Letter. If a student is receiving their Accommodation Letter for the first time the current process remains unchanged. Faculty will continue to receive email notifications prompting them to check the ALS Faculty Portal.

Key changes you need to know:

  • Real-time email notifications: Faculty will now receive an immediate email notification when a student renews their Accommodation Letter through the Student Portal.
  • Student number will be on the subject line: The subject of the email will include the student’s student number, making it easier to identify the letter.
  • Course details: Each email will list the course for which the student is registered.
  • Direct link to the letter: The email will contain a URL link directly to the Accommodation Letter in the ALS Faculty Portal, allowing for easy access.
  • Email Confirmation Reminders: Faculty will be asked to confirm they have viewed the letter. Faculty will receive automated email reminders until they confirm receipt of a student’s accommodation letter in the Faculty Portal.

We expect these changes to make the process for accessing Accommodation Letters smoother for faculty and students. Should questions arise during this time of transition, please contact our office at accessible-learning@humber.ca.

When:
December 4, 2024

As the first point of contact and operator for Humber Polytechnic, the Office of the Registrar’s Contact Centre is pleased to announce that call handling will be moving to an exciting new platform to better serve the needs of our students and the institution.  

Beginning December 9, 2024, the Contact Centre will move to Amazon Connect, an omnichannel product that will allow us to engage with students in a more streamlined way. Supporting Humber’s Digital Campus plan, the implementation of this system will put people first, enhancing human connection through simple, consistent and personalized experiences. 

Students or other enquiries calling 416.675.3111 will experience a more efficient journey through a redesigned call tree, getting to the information they need more quickly.  

Some of the highlights you can expect with this new platform: 

  • Call flows will be AI-enabled, using Amazon Lex bot speech activation. 
  • Callers will be able to tell us what they are looking for (e.g. full-time programs, how to apply, financial aid, campus tours, public safety, technical support, etc.) to be directed to the information they need. 
  • When calls come from an SMS-enabled device, helpful information can be pushed directly to their phone. For example, someone calling about Continuous Professional Learning can get a link to the CPL website or enquiries about campus tours can get a link to book a tour! 
  • If at any point the Lex bot is not able to recognize the request, the caller will smoothly move to menu options to assist with their enquiry. 

Amazon Connect is a platform that is future-proof. Benefits include: 

  • Calls will still be directed to departments operating 24/7 such as ITS or Public Safety, even outside of regular Contact Centre hours. 
  • More flexibility and ability to record customized hold messaging to better assist callers. 
  • A more technically stable system with the capability to scale up during peak periods and scale down at less busy times 
  • Ability to provide excellent analytics and insights that can improve the experience for students and customers. 

We are looking forward to the implementation of this new platform! 

The call centre will experience an outage of about one hour on December 9 as the new platform is brought online.  

The Contact Centre will continue to be available by email at enquiry@humber.ca or through chat with the Hawk bot at humber.ca.  

Please note that while the new system has been programmed for frequently asked questions, it will continue to evolve according to the request received. We recognize there may be an adjustment period, so we invite you to report any issues or misdirected calls to Colleen Reinsborough, Manager, Contact Centre, at colleen.reinsborough@humber.ca.  

We will continue to seek opportunities to offer exceptional service and enhance the student experience, 

Contact Centre, Office of the Registrar  

When:
December 4, 2024

To all members of the Humber and University of Guelph-Humber communities,  

As we experience colder temperatures and snow in the coming weeks, we would like to share information about the impact of severe weather and/or campus closure on Humber’s operations.  

Only in-person classes and assessments being held on campus will be affected by inclement weather and (physical) campus closure. Inclement winter weather is not expected to impact current online classes, courses, or programs or most faculty and staff who are working remotely.  

All Humber online classes and assessments will continue regardless of weather conditions or if Humber campuses are closed due to severe weather. If inclement weather affects online class delivery, such as a power outage or internet disruption, Humber will assess the impact on online classes and will confirm if they are to continue as scheduled.  

If any in-person classes, assessments or exams are cancelled due to severe weather/campus closure, the professor of that class will contact their students to make alternate arrangements for coursework.   

Employees who regularly work on campus, and who are unable to attend campus due to severe weather/campus closure should contact their supervisor.   

All Humber faculty and staff working remotely will continue to perform their normal responsibilities, even if the physical campus is closed due to inclement weather.  

Overall, during the winter season, we are planning to be open each day and to operate as normal. If an institution-wide or specific campus closure is required due to severe weather, an announcement will be posted on humber.ca, our main FacebookX and Instagram channels, and Humber Updates, as well as Guelph-Humber channels, guelphhumber.caInstagram, X and my.guelphhumber.ca by 5:30 a.m. for morning classes, and 3:30 p.m. for evening classes, or as soon as possible. Unless a closure notice is posted as above, please consider Humber and Guelph-Humber to be open.  

For students who have in-person classes, if you think the roadways near your home or your respective campus are unsafe due to severe ice or snow, please call or email your instructor if you decide not to come to class. For employees who think it is unsafe to travel to campus because of severe ice or snow, please contact your supervisor.  

You can sign up to receive notification of Humber campus activity, including closures by downloading the Humber Guardian App available from your phone's app store. Be sure to enable push notifications in both your main system preferences as well as in the app to receive emergency notifications.   

Humber will also inform GTA media of a campus or institution-wide closure. For Downtown Campus students and employees, please note that separate announcements will be sent to you, as the weather downtown is not always the same.  

If a physical campus closure occurs, students scheduled to be in-person at external organizations for an internship or placement, or for other Humber-related activities, will follow the protocol of the external organization with respect to cancellation of activities or closure of the facility. It is the student’s responsibility to advise their external placement advisor or supervisor of any situation that prevents them from attending their placement or work.  

For more information, please view the Severe Weather Closure Procedure.  

Finally, this time of year also marks the return of flu season and an increase in other contagious illnesses as more people gather indoors. Humber reminds all staff and students that if they are feeling unwell to remain at home to help prevent the spread of infections and keep each other healthy and safe. If you are unwell and stay home, please contact your supervisor or instructor accordingly.  

We wish you a safe and warm winter season. 

When:
December 4, 2024

Approximately 10 to 15 per cent of post-secondary learners live with a visible or invisible disability. Many learners with disabilities have functional limitations impacting reading and require text-to-speech as an accommodation. This may or may not be specified on the Accommodation Letter as an accommodation.

Below you will find more useful information as an introduction to text-to-speech:

  • In addition to being a convenient tool built into our phones, tablets and computers and more, text-to-speech tools are essential to learners experiencing disability-related functional limitations in areas such as reading comprehension, processing speed, decoding and attention.  
  • Learners who are unfamiliar with text-to-speech options, may be referred by an Accessibility Consultant to meet with an Accessible Learning Advisor to receive training based on the functional limitations.  
  • Text-to-speech support is available in devices and software you use every day. Please check out the links below to learn more about how to access text-to-speech: 

Have you ever heard a learner refer to the use of Read and Write software? Learners can access it for free.

In addition to built-in tools, all Humber and Guelph-Humber students and staff can access Read and Write software free of charge. This tool can be installed on Windows and Mac computers or used as an extension in Chrome or Edge web browsers. Please view the instructions below for how to install this software/extension: 

For more information on these and other assistive technology tools, please see this link for our Assistive Technology Resource Booklet.

Visit our ALS Information for Faculty website to learn more about accommodating learners with disabilities.

When:
December 4, 2024
askHumBee bumble bee logo

askHumBee works best with keywords!

Try typing words like “Pensions,” “Benefits,” or “Sick Balance” for quicker answers instead of full questions like, “What is my Sunlife Benefits Medical Coverage?”

You can help shape askHumBee. Use the “Submit Feedback” feature to share ideas for new questions or provide feedback on existing features.

Together, we can make askHumBee even better!

When:
December 4, 2024
Posters/Attachments: Event Poster
A promotional flyer for the "Longo Family Be Your Own Boss" program, organized by the Humber Polytechnic Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship.

We encourage instructors to share this opportunity with their students.

Students are invited to join the Longo Family Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) series for a comprehensive seven-week workshop designed to help you refine and develop a business idea into a viable opportunity. The Longo Family BYOB series will guide you through identifying problems to solve, understanding who benefits from your idea, evaluating its feasibility as a business, and much more.

This program is perfect for anyone eager to learn and apply tools for assessing which ideas have the potential to address problems and transform them into successful business ventures. Plus, participants will have the chance to compete for a share of $40,000 in funding to bring their ideas to life!

The Longo Family BYOB workshop series will take place in person at the North Campus from January 16, 2024 to March 6, 2024, and at the Lakeshore Campus from January 14, 2024 to March 4, 2024. Each session will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Further details about each workshop are provided below.

Participants must attend at least five of the seven workshops to be eligible for the final competition. This requirement ensures a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, preparing you for the opportunity to compete for a share of $40,000.

If you have any questions about the Longo Family BYOB workshop series please reach out to our team at cfe@humber.ca.

For more details and to register for the program, visit the event webpage.

When:
December 4, 2024

A reminder to all that our certified Pedorthist Janice Laberge is available at the North Campus every other Wednesday.

Please contact the Athletic Therapy Clinic to book an appointment at athletictherapist@humber.ca.

2024 benefits will be ending soon. For Sun Life member benefits you are eligible for one pair of orthotics and four pairs of compression socks.

Please note: A valid doctors note is needed to submit to insurance for reimbursement. You are still able to see Janice but will need a note to submit your claim. 

When:
September 4, 2025
Contact:
Rozlyn Aaron Mead
Dayanna and Rozlyn at IES

This August, Architectural Technology student Rozlyn Mead and Interior Design student Dayanna Lopez Buitrago represented Humber Polytechnic at the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Annual Conference that took place August 15-17 in Anaheim, California, after being awarded competitive scholarships to attend.

The experience was both inspiring and educational. Highlights included a private tour of the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, featuring presentations from the project’s architect and lighting designers, where students gained first-hand insight into the integration of lighting and design at a world-class destination. The gala also offered valuable networking opportunities with industry professionals, exposure to innovative new lighting products, and the chance to celebrate excellence in the field through the prestigious Illumination Awards ceremony.

This opportunity not only expanded Rozlyn and Dayanna’s professional networks but also deepened their understanding of the evolving role of lighting in architecture and interior design.

When:
December 3, 2024
Posters/Attachments: Event Poster

With the 2024 holiday period fast approaching, please be advised of Financial Services holiday payment processing dates indicated below: Please note that this is not related to payroll dates (employee payments). 

Payment Run Dates for December 2024:

  • Thursday, December 5 – Regular payment schedule
  • Thursday, December 12- Regular payment schedule
  • Tuesday, December 17 12 p.m. - Last day to email invoices to Accounts Payable accounts.payable@humber.ca for invoices to be paid (depending on the payment terms) this calendar year.
  • Thursday, December 19, 2024 - Last payment run of the 2024 calendar year.
  • If you are aware of any vendors that require payment prior to Dec 31 due to their year-end, please ensure invoices are emailed to accounts.payable@humber.ca no later than Dec 17, 2024.

Holiday Period – College Closed December 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025

  • Thursday, January 2, 2025 - First run of the 2025 calendar year, which will lead into the regular weekly Thursday payment run schedule.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Staci Lindsay, Manager, Accounts Payable at staci.lindsay@humber.ca   

When:
December 3, 2024

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

Question: How do I create a Test in Blackboard?

Answer:

Follow these step-by-step instructions:

  1. On the Course Content page, select the plus sign > Create. The Create Item panel will open on the right.
    Plus sign icon that appears between content items in the Course Content area.
  2. On the Create Item panel, scroll down and select Test. The New Test page will open.
    Test option on Create Item panel, underneath the 'Assessment' heading.
  3. On the New Test page, name your test.
    An arrow pointing to the pencil icon, which you can click to change the name of the test.
  4. To add a new question, select the plus sign and choose the desired question type.The plus icon on the test screen, where you can create test questions.

Please keep in mind that by default, students can see test questions with their answers, as well as the correct answers, immediately after submission. To change this setting, click the gear icon in “Test Settings”, and go down to “Submission View”. By clicking on this option, you can change the settings related to assessment results viewing to ensure students don’t see the correct answers immediately after submission.

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:

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

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.

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


Question: How do I grade final assessments using the Gradebook in Blackboard?

Answer:

There are 3 main methods to use the Gradebook for your midterms is:

  • Method 1: Using the overall grade column as your midterm grade. This should only be used when you’ve already created all course assessments. To do this, please complete the following:
    • Set up the Overall Grade as a weighted total.
    • Ensure that you only grade items that contribute to the midterm grade.
    • The grade displayed is the midterm grade. You can enter that grade into Banner. As you continue to grade items throughout the semester, the Overall Grade will update to reflect the students' current grade.
  • Method 2: Creating a manual calculation column within Ultra to calculate midterm grades.
    • Learn how to add a manual grade column.
    • Choose either “Add Calculation” or “Add Total Calculation“. The Total Calculation column mirrors the Overall Grade column, enabling the easy calculation of the lowest/highest grades.
    • Once you name the column, you can set the calculation to add or multiply grades or set a value for the midterm, learn more.
  • Method 3: Downloading a copy of the Gradebook into Excel and calculating the grades from there.

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


Question: How do I drop the lowest grades from a grade category?

Answer:

You can drop the lowest score from a specific category or subset within a category. To achieve this, navigate to the Gradebook, select ‘Overall Grade’ for editing, and then choose the category from which you want to drop the lowest score. Click on ‘Edit calculation rules’.

Edit calculation rule from Overall Grade

This opens a side panel that allows you to drop the lowest or highest scores.

The same function is also available if you create a Total Calculation column from the Gradebook.

For more information, please visit the Anthology website.

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

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