Finally, the question of "who's got the keys to my Beemer" has been answered. In response to my call last week for goose photos, Bernie Rutter of the Faculty of Environment sent in this shot (circa 2010) of geese demonstrating their refined taste outside of Environment 2.

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CEL director to manage online consortium

by Janice Cooke, Centre for Extended Learning

Cathy Kelly, Director of Waterloo's Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), has been seconded to work with the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) to lead the development of a plan to establish an Ontario Universities Online (OUO) consortium.

The consortium’s goal will be to keep Ontario universities at the forefront in the use of technology to advance teaching and learning and improve students’ access to online courses and programs.

As Project Manager Cathy will lead the planning and development of all project elements and deliverables and chair the Steering Committee and Advisory working groups. Seven universities have dedicated resources to develop the detailed plan to establish the consortium – Waterloo, Brock, Guelph, McMaster, Ryerson, Wilfrid Laurier and York.

Cathy’s goal over the next several months is “to define a governance structure and budget for the OUO, refine its activities, and identify some quick wins.” She anticipates a number of meetings around the province, and hopes to engage as many of her colleagues at as many Ontario universities as possible in becoming involved with the success of this initiative.

Under Cathy’s leadership, CEL has become a leader in online education, with more than 240 courses, undergraduate degrees and certificates, and 14 masters programs available online or in development.

Aldo Caputo, Associate Director, CEL, will assume the Director’s role in Cathy’s absence and continue to advance Waterloo’s position in the online education space.

Read the full story on the Centre for Extended Learning's website.

 

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Collaboration is key in math competition

Over one hundred of Canada's most promising high school students and twenty teachers will be on campus tomorrow competing in the Canadian Team Mathematics Contest (CTMC), a challenging, collaboration-based contest.

The CTMC is organized by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), which aims to increase enjoyment, confidence and ability in mathematics and computer science among students and teachers in Canada and internationally. The event starts at 11:00 a.m. in DC 1351.

Each team will be given a set of problems and asked to collaboratively solve them in a short period of time. Since the students range in age and grade, part of the team's strategy involves assessing each members' strengths and tackle the problems accordingly.

Another four hundred students will be participating at their own schools.

Contestants will also be participating in a mathematical Relay event, where they must answer a challenging math problems, the answers to which their teammates need in order to solve the next problem in line.

Attendees will hear a talk by computer science researcher Jeff Orchard entitled “Mindreading: How Your Brain Stores Numbers”.

"The enthusiasm, friendly competition and drive for excellence at the CTMC are palpable," says a statement from the CEMC. "The model of the CTMC echoes a little-known aspect of careers in mathematics and computer science. Many researchers in these fields collaborate with each other, and with experts in fields such as medicine, forensics, environmental science and the like. The CTMC gives students the experience of working together on challenging mathematics problems: because, after all, there is strength in numbers."

The event concludes with a banquet at South Campus Hall.

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Staff conference gets underway today

The sixth annual staff conference is taking place today and tomorrow in the Humanities Theatre and the School of Accounting and Finance. With the theme of Connections, the conference will focus on the relationship between staff members' work lives, professional skills, personal well-being and the search for balance.

Workshop sessions include Willpower 101, Social Media, Intercultural Communication, Entrepreneurial U, Work Satisfaction, Hack the World Part III, and many more.

Keynote speakers this year include Dan Heath (How We Decide), Linda Duxbury (Work-Life Balance: Rhetoric versus Reality), Jan Wong (Out of the Blue: Workplace Depression & Recovery), Amber MacArthur (Relentless Adaptation), and Drew Dudley (Redefining Leadership).

 

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Tuesday's notes

With classes over and exams beckoning, the Student Life Centre is increasing the amount of study space available thanks to some well-placed tables and chairs in the Great Hall.

Feds Used Books has updated its extended hours for April and May. The bookstore will be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and will also be open on Saturday, April 13 and April 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. From May 1 to May 10 the store will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, and Saturday, May 4 and May 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

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