The Humber Learning Outcomes (HLOs) were officially launched in March 2020, just days before the College closed most of its campus activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we have been busy navigating the impacts of the pandemic and working with departments across the College to implement the HLOs in ways that will ensure our learners are able to articulate and demonstrate their HLO achievements.
Why is this important? The HLOs are part of Humber’s 2018-23 Strategic Plan under the Career-Ready Citizens strategic pillar. They support Strategic Priority #1: Integrate core, 21st century global citizenship and employability skills into all program curricula. The HLOs represent institutional learning outcomes - fundamental skills and mindsets that transcend individual programs and disciplines and are globally recognized as essential to graduates’ success in work and life, enabling them to contribute to their communities locally and globally, as professionals and citizens. The HLOs were identified through extensive research and in collaboration with Humber students, faculty, staff, and industry and community partners.
Since the HLO launch, we have continued to evolve our team and would like to share some announcements and updates with the Humber community.
HLO Team:
Vera Beletzan, Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning - continues to serve as the HLO strategic initiative lead, while Lisa Salem-Wiseman and Sarah Nieman are leading the implementation of the HLOs across the Humber community.
Lisa Salem-Wiseman, Associate Dean and Special Advisor, Humber Learning Outcomes - Joining the HLO project in January 2022, Lisa has been meeting with Academic Division leaders to pilot an updated HLO implementation process with programs across all six Faculties. She will be actively involved in the ongoing strategic leadership of the HLOs.
Sarah Nieman, Project Manager, Humber Learning Outcomes - For more than four years, Sarah has been instrumental in all components of the research, development and launch of the HLO framework. She is currently focused on finalizing faculty toolkit resources and planning the next implementation phase for the HLOs. Along with Lisa, she also works closely with other strategic plan leads to maximize the impact of the HLOs with areas such as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Internationalization, Sustainability, and more.
Here are some key achievements and upcoming plans from the HLO team:
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Faculty from more than 30 programs across all academic Faculties have engaged with the HLOs, supporting the development of an intuitive implementation process that will be piloted in upcoming semesters.
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The HLOs are an essential part of the International Graduate School’s Community and Industry Engagement course; more than 600 students have drawn connections and reflected on their skill and mindset development through this programming.
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The six courses in the 2022 Global Summer School piloted the HLOs in their curriculum; more than 200 Humber and non-Humber students from around the world were encouraged to think differently about the skills that they learned.
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The HLO team is developing faculty toolkits for the HLO mindsets that will support faculty teaching practices. These toolkits will be available on the Innovative Learning website in Fall 2022 and will provide all faculty members with an opportunity to learn more about the HLOs as well as contribute to and improve these essential resources.
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Starting in Fall 2022 and continuing through the academic year, the HLO team will communicate with all faculty members regarding the next implementation phase of the HLOs. By 2024, it is anticipated that all courses across Humber’s programs will incorporate the HLOs into their curriculum.
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The HLOs website will provide information on the project’s upcoming plans and achievements.
Faculty members who are interested in deeper work with the HLOs are encouraged to speak with their Associate Dean.
Lisa and Sarah continue to provide presentations and workshops to showcase the importance of the HLOs for Humber, and for Humber students and alumni as they enter the workforce. We will also be offering sessions for individuals to learn more about the HLOs through the CIL. For more information, please contact Sarah Nieman at sarah.nieman@humber.ca.
To all Humber faculty, staff, and students who have participated in HLO development to date, thank you! This is truly a collaborative project, and the work is shaped by us all.
Sincerely,
Vera Beletzan
Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning
Strategic Initiative Lead, Humber Learning Outcomes