International Education Week is celebrated November 18 to 22, 2024. Every day this week, the Library will feature resources that profile international voices, stories, and languages.

Transparent Language Online is an interactive language learning tool that includes vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar lessons on over 120 languages from around the world. Learn Dutch, Tamil, Ukrainian, Bororo, Hindi, Hmong, Yoruba, Farsi, and many more.

Start learning through the Library online or with the app.

In September, Respondus was disabled from Blackboard due to required updates from the vendor. We are pleased to share that the Respondus Lockdown Browser will be enabled in Blackboard on Monday, November 25.

Humber ITS and Innovative Learning have been closely monitoring this situation with Respondus since the tool was temporarily disabled in September 2024. ITS can now verify that the required software updates meet Humber's requirements and have cleared the tool to be re-activated in Blackboard.

We thank you for your patience and understanding of this situation. For when Respondus returns on November 25, here are some helpful resources to set up Respondus for your assessments:

• Using the Respondus Lockdown Browser
• Enabling, Installing and Starting the Respondus Lockdown Browser in Blackboard for Instructors
• Enabling, Installing and Starting the Respondus Lockdown Browser for Students
• There are some alternatives to the Respondus Lockdown Browser here, as well! 

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

The end of daylight savings time means the sun sets much earlier in the day. With less daylight hours, there is an increase in road hazards for both pedestrians and drivers, particularly during the late afternoon and evening. The City of Toronto notes that the number of collisions involving pedestrians is about 30 per cent greater during the evening commute hours from the months of November to March. Whether you are a driver, pedestrian, or cyclist, we all play a role in roadway safety.

When driving on or off campus, keep these safety tips in mind:

• Obey speed limits and stop signs.
• Approach all crosswalks, intersections and transit stops with caution; always look out for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers.
• When making a turn, slow down, look in all directions and signal.
• Use your vehicle’s visor to reduce glare from the setting sun.
• Avoid distractions: store your cell phone away so you are not tempted to use it while driving.
• Pay extra attention when reversing your vehicle.

As a pedestrian walking along roads and in parking lots, practice the following:

• Obey signs and signals, and follow the rules of the road.
• Always walk on sidewalks and designated walking paths.
• Use designated crosswalks and look both ways before crossing. Make eye contact with any drivers in the area before stepping onto the road.
• Be mindful of curbs and other tripping hazards.
• Avoid distractions: avoid cell phone use when walking.

REB Protocol 0410 (Bridging the Gap: Investigating the Role of GenAI in Building a Culture of Effective Assessment) was approved by the REB on October 22, 2024. The participant recruitment methodology approved by the REB includes the use of the Communiqué to publish a survey link along with an invitation for interested participants to complete this survey.

The first Communiqué posting with a link to the survey was published on Monday, November 11, 2024. The Research Team advised the REB that on November 12, 2024 it discovered that there was a technical issue with this survey link as a result of which participants would have been able to view responses submitted by other participants. Although this would raise data privacy concerns, the REB has been assured that no actual participant data was compromised as no responses had been submitted to the survey.

The Research Team further advised the REB that upon becoming aware of the issue it immediately adopted corrective actions. These actions consisted of the creation of a new survey link and the disabling of the previous survey link. Future postings in the Communiqué related to this project will contain the new and secure survey link. The REB is satisfied that as a result of these corrective actions, there is now no risk of participant data being compromised.

The REB wishes to note that the actions of the research team in this instance are consistent with best recommended practices. Upon becoming aware of the issue, the team notified the REB and independently adopted the necessary corrective actions. The REB commends the team on these efforts and wishes to remind the Humber research community of the importance of constant monitoring of data gathering and data analysis activities in order to ensure that potential problems are quickly identified and addressed. Researchers should, as in the present case, make immediate contact with the REB to advise of any issues experienced during the execution of the research which might create a risk of harm for research participants.

Should any member of the Humber community have questions on this matter, kindly make contact with the Chair, Audel Cunningham at audel.cunningham@humber.ca.