Teaching Fellows settling in

by Donna Ellis, director, Centre for Teaching Excellence

Waterloo’s Teaching Fellows are now in place and have started into their new roles within their respective Faculties.  Pictured above are Rohan Jayasundera (Science), Kelly Anthony (Applied Health Sciences), Mary Louise McAllister (Environment), Shannon Dea (Arts), and Gordon Stubley (Engineering).  Two additional Fellows – Cyntha Struthers (Math) and James Skidmore (Arts) – are currently on sabbatical but will join their colleagues within the next year.

The Fellows program was initiated by Geoff McBoyle in response to a recommendation from the task force report released last year called Innovative Teaching Practices to Promote Deep Learning.  The Faculties have customized the role according to their needs, but the Fellows have some similar goals to strive towards:  facilitating instructor success and innovation, establishing communities of practice regarding teaching and learning, and working collaboratively with the Centre for Teaching Excellence. 

“A University has two core functions – teaching and research. The Teaching Fellows, as leaders in teaching practice, will share with their colleagues best practices and innovative teaching approaches that hopefully will assist student learning.  The Teaching Fellows I am sure will do their best to raise teaching quality and student learning to a new level within their Faculties” said McBoyle. 

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Canadian wellbeing on decline, says report

a news release from the media relations office

The recession hit Canadians harder than economic numbers such as GDP have indicated and the decline in our wellbeing continues despite subsequent economic recovery, says the Honourable Roy Romanow, advisory board co-chair for the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), housed in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.

With the release of their second composite index, the CIW reports a 24 per cent drop in Canadian wellbeing between 2008 and 2010.  Further, from 1994 to 2010, Canada’s economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by a robust 28.9 per cent, while improvements in Canadian wellbeing over the same 17-year period saw only a small 5.7 per cent increase.

The CIW report: ‘How are Canadians Really doing?’ tracks 64 separate indicators within eight interconnected domains central to the lives of Canadians: Community Vitality; Democratic Engagement; Education; Environment; Healthy Populations; Leisure and Culture; Living Standards; and Time Use.

The report shows that since 2008 we have experienced a significant drop in our standard of living along with further declines in the health of our environment and our ability to participate in leisure and culture activities.  Even growth areas such as health and education began to show signs of weakening.

“The recession and sluggish recovery have taken a big toll on Canadians,” says CIW co-chair, the Honourable Monique Bégin. “The deterioration in job quality and economic security, soaring long-term unemployment and persistent income inequality speak to the growing unease felt coast to coast. Our governments must recognize this reality as they make decisions on how to steer us forward, particularly given predictions of an extended period of weak economic growth.” 

According to the report, not all is doom and gloom. Violent crime is at its lowest level since 1994, dropping every year since 2001 and property crime, also at its lowest level, is down 48 per cent from 1994. The percentage of Canadians who feel safe walking after dark is at its highest level since that year. Canadians continue to report an increased sense of belonging to their communities.

“Despite the recession, our sense of community vitality continues to grow – this speaks to who we are as Canadians,” says Romanow. “We recognize our survival and progress depend on our ability to come together and remain united around shared values. Understanding how Canadians are really doing is critical for any government making decisions on how we move forward in our recovery.”

Read more about the CIW or to view short video and infographic are available on the CIW website.

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Warrior football victory and other notes

The University of Waterloo Warriors football team won their first victory at Warrior Field since 2009 against the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, October 20, beating them 48-29 and ending the season with a 2-6 record. The Athletics website has a detailed summary of the game. Congratulations all around!

The Waterloo Store in South Campus Hall will be holding a sidewalk sale today and tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the SCH concourse. UW hoodies, t-shirts, gifts, and more will be available.

Students, faculty, and staff who are considered a "high risk" for contracting influenza are able to get their flu shots at the Health Services clinic on a walk-in basis between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. today, as well as Thursday, October 25 at the same time. The flu clinics for the university community's "healthy population" will run Wednesday, November 14 through to Friday, November 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Student Life Centre.

If you're thinking about doing a Bachelor of Social Work degree, you might want to attend the BSW admission information session taking place today from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Dunker Family Lounge at Renison University College. The session will cover admission requirements and the admission process, and the BSW's academic and field education program. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Ann Dennis via email or by calling 519-884-4404 ext. 28644.

And time is running out if you're interested in checking out the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Alumni Survey of Keith and Winifred Shantz Internship Award recipients at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG). The exhibition (see above), entitled "POST," features recent work by eleven MFA alumni, and is dedicated to the memory of Win Shantz. The exhibition closes on Saturday, October 27. The gallery, located in East Campus Hall, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or by appointment.

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