College Council Highlights: March 7, 2019
Humber College Council (HCC) held its seventh meeting of the 2018-19 academic year on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at the North Campus. To ensure the Humber community is informed of upcoming events, new initiatives and important issues, College Council reports the highlights of its monthly meetings. For more information or to provide feedback on the highlights, please contact marie.kyrinis@humber.ca. We apologize for the delay in posting the highlights.
Academic Update
Laurie Rancourt, Senior Vice President, Academic presented an update on changes to the academic division. The changes in the academic division are meant to support the commitments in the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. Humber is positioning itself as a leader in the development of programs, credentials, and pathways that enhance choice, mobility and access to higher education.
Major changes include, the transformation of eight schools to six faculties, a move to the 7-1-7 academic model starting in Fall 2019, a renewed focus on Indigenous Education, led by Shelley Charles, Dean, Indigenous Education and Engagement, and her team in collaboration with the academic division, as well as the continued goal of ensuring the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO’s) are embedded in every program.
Most of the structural changes will be complete in 2019 with the larger, strategic changes to take place in 2020-2021.
HRMS UPDATE
Lori Diduch, Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness, introduced Dawn Bassant, Director, Organizational Effectiveness, and Bhupinder Malhotra, HRMS-Change Agent, who provided updates on the Human Resources Management System (HRMS).
D. Bassant shared the HRMS project timeline and noted that communications will be sent in the next month detailing next steps and training dates. The new system gives managers increased opportunities to take action on behalf of staff in regards to time entry, and employees will be able to take action on their own behalf on various functions in the new HRMS.
The implementation team is currently building training content such as data scenarios, knowledge base training, and “get ready” videos in preparation for the “go live” date in June 2019. The HR department will be trained from April 15-26, followed by training for managers April 22-May 3, and general College training from May 20-31. “Go live” readiness will be assessed from June 3-7 with final reinforcement training taking place during this period. Managers may soon receive a learning path to determine what the training needs are and to assess readiness. Refresher training will provided from June 10 through to September 30.
B. Malhotra noted that the HRMS team has developed a central source of all knowledge and training called HRMS knowledge base. The knowledge base includes training information, job aids, training calendar, search functions, and videos and can be found at https://dwww.humber.ca/hrs/training.
National College Health Assessment (NCHA)
Jacqueline Anderson, Associate Director, Health and Counselling Services, provided a presentation on the National College Health Assessment results from the 2016 survey. The assessment aligns with the strategic pillar related to healthy and inclusive college communities, and challenges us to embed health and well-being into all aspects of campus culture. The 2016 survey was distributed to a sample of students with an 18% response rate.
The NCHA survey is a nationally recognized research survey that assists in collecting precise data about students’ health habits, behaviours, and perceptions. It helps educators optimize student success by embedding health and well-being into program planning and other aspects of campus culture. The results of the survey helped to make an impact on types of services available to students including: same day appointments in Counselling Services; the introduction of groups for stress and anxiety like “Healthy Minds for Stressful Times”; implementing a mental health nursing role in the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC); the introduction of Student Support and Intervention Coordinators (SSICs); IGNITE implementing a sleep lounge and soup bar; wellness consultations and educational programs in residence. A Health Promotion Coordinator role was also added.
J. Anderson noted that this year the NCHA survey will launch in spring to over 4,500 students, and there will be small incentives for students who complete the survey (draw for gift cards).
NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL: FAMILY LAW POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE
Alvina Cassiani, The Business School, introduced Susan Kelsall, Associate Dean, The Business School, and provided a presentation on the proposed Family Law Postgraduate Certificate Program. This program is designed to provide paralegals with the training needed to practice in the area of family law.
The proposed program is being developed in response to recommendations to the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) by Court Justices, as well as the Canadian Bar Association, the Paralegal Society of Ontario, lawyers, academics and others in the legal community who feel that the scope of practice for paralegals should be expanded to include family law. This program provides a career pathway for licensed paralegals, and will be innovative in its delivery model with modular courses, intensive weekend courses or full week condensed courses to support students who will likely be working full time. Employment outcomes are expected to be good.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (IDI): ENGAGING IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT HUMBER COLLEGE
Andrew Ness, Dean, International, introduced Nalini Andrade, Manager, International Development Institute, who updated Council on IDI’s activities and areas of importance. It was noted that Humber engages with international development because it allows us to engage faculty and students in projects, connects communities, increases community awareness, positions Humber as a leader, creates networks, attracts talent to Humber, builds reputation, and allows us to engage in applied learning.
At Humber, International Development focuses within five areas:
- International project management (e.g. Sulawesi Economic Development Strategy (SEDS), Indonesia, Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP), Kenya)
- Customized training (e.g. IDI Summer Institute, Science Techno Park: Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education in Indonesia)
- Applied research (e.g. The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH): Multi-disciplinary teams, applied research in Kenya)
- Experiential Learning (e.g. CanWaCH: Multi-disciplinary teams, applied research in Kenya)
- Local Community Engagement (e.g. International Education Week: Non-Profit Marketplace, International Development Week, Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit, World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Roundtable)
PANAPTO: HUMBER’S NEW ACADEMIC STREAMING SERVICE
Lisa DiBarbora, Systems Librarian, Humber Libraries, and Darren Richards, Manager, Creative Productions, Centre for Teaching & Learning, presented Panopto, a leading online video platform recently launched at Humber.
Humber recognizes that video streaming is a strong component in 21st century learning and have updated their online video platform to Panopto. Videos will be available at the user’s fingertips with connected video experience and does not require a 3rd party login. Faculty can engage with learners, discover videos, and create and share content with colleagues. Panopto will be integrated with Blackboard which will provide access to video quizzes, and grade centres.
There are a number of workshops available, beginning Monday, March 11, 2019; please see the CTL Calendar of Events for workshop listings.
The next meeting of College Council will be held Thursday, April 4, 2019 at the North Campus. For meeting highlights, supporting materials, or opportunities to provide feedback please visit the College Council website at humber.ca/wearehumber/staff/committees/college-council.