Staying on target with Graduate AIM

The Office of Academic Integrity is reminding faculty members that the mandatory online academic integrity tutorial, the Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM) is mandatory for all new students at the start of their first academic term.

“The purpose of the Graduate AIM is to give all new graduate students the same, basic understanding of academic integrity at the University of Waterloo,” reads the memo circulated yesterday by the Office of Academic Integrity. “This aggregation of information and resources will help students transition from the expectations of other institutions to the standards of academic integrity at the University of Waterloo.”

“Newly matriculated students will be receiving information by email from the Graduate Studies Office on Thursday,” writes Amanda McKenzie, manager of the Office of Academic Integrity.

The Graduate AIM, which went into effect in September, is an online course that students access through Waterloo LEARN that is managed by the Office of Academic Integrity in collaboration with the Graduate Studies Office. The Graduate Studies Office (GSO) and the Office of Academic Integrity manage student enrollment for the Graduate AIM, as well as all relevant email communications.

The Graduate AIM is comprised of a tutorial and a quiz. The tutorial has three primary sections:

1. Crediting Your Sources – plagiarism, citing properly
2. Collaborating With Others – inappropriate collaboration, intellectual property, patents
3. Acting With Honesty – cheating, fabrication, falsification

There is also information on university policies and links to many resources that the University of Waterloo offers related to academic integrity.

Students have until February 28, 2014 to successfully complete the course. If they do not complete the course, they will be unable to enroll in future courses.

Faculty are being asked to direct student questions to Amanda McKenzie at extension 38562, or encourage students to visit the Graduate AIM website.

 

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Holiday Breakin' 2: Electric Winterloo

To connect international and out-of-province students who are unable to travel home for the holiday break, volunteers working with the International Student Experience team have put together Winterloo, a series of fun, festive and traditional Canadian holiday events running from Friday, December 20 to Saturday, January 4.

Says the announcement from the International Student Experience: "Join us to meet new friends, experience Canadian culture and participate in activities in the Waterloo community."

But wait, there's more: Winterloo events are open to all University of Waterloo students and their families. Events include snow tubing, "A Night at the Museum" at the Waterloo Regional Museum, the Wonders of Winter display in Waterloo Park ,a holiday dinner, New Year's Eve celebrations and a games night.

Things kick off in the EV1 courtyard at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow.

With the campus closed over the December break, all students are required to move out of their on-campus residence. Students who need assistance finding short-term accommodations are encouraged to contact the Off-Campus Housing office.

 

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Prof talks about the challenges of deep learning

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

That was the message delivered by Gordon Stubley, mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor and Associate Dean, Teaching when he spoke to the university’s Senate on November 18 on the subject of deep learning.

Using mechanical engineering students in an upper-year fluid dynamics course as an example, Stubley shared his observations of how students are often limited by the prior knowledge they bring with them to their post-secondary studies. This prior knowledge presents professors with a challenge.

“In the second week of the course I ask my class to consider the flow of water when it flows from a pipe of one diameter to a pipe of a larger diameter,” Stubley said. “Over half the class will tell me that from the exit of the smaller diameter pipe to the entrance of the larger pipe the pressure of the water drops. Observation and theory both show that in actual fact the pressure rises.”

As Stubley explained, students should already know the answer, having covered the necessary principles of mass conservation and Newton’s Second Law of Motion in second and third year core courses.

Why then, in spite of this extensive coverage, do so many students fail to apply the principles and end up arriving at the wrong answer?

When Stubley asks his students why they believe the pressure drops, they point out that when the volume of a mass of gas expands, the pressure drops. “This is something they learned as one of the gas laws in their high school study,” Stubley says, noting that in fact it is true – in the context of a fixed amount of non-moving gas. Also worth noting is the fact that “given the academic strength we associate with our incoming students, it is reasonable to assume that they were very successful in their initial learning of pressure.”

“In essence, when confronted with a problem involving pressure and the appearance of expansion, they retreat to their initial understanding with its associated good feelings of success,” Stubley says. “However, flow cross-sectional area expansion is not the same as volume expansion, so their prior knowledge and good feelings are severely limiting to them.”

Students, Stubley argues, must give up this “rule based” knowledge and apply the broader principles until it becomes second nature to them. “Unfortunately, it’s a significant challenge to go through these transition steps. There will be a period of time between giving up their “rule” until acquiring confidence in the application of broadly applicable principles. During this transition period they will notice a temporary decrease in ability and understanding.”

According to Stubley, this period of uncertainty is unsettling, and makes it all too easy for students to give up on acquiring deep understanding.

Therein lies the challenge for professors. “What roles should we take on to ensure that our students overcome the challenge required to achieve the deep understanding that comes from having the confidence to apply broadly applicable principles?”

Stubley sees four actions that instructors should take:

• Providing motivation: “We have to demonstrate to our students in a clear manner that their “rule” based understanding is severely limiting and that it will be beneficial to their future learning and career aspirations to acquire the deep understanding we are promoting.”
• Setting high expectations. “We have to make it clear that we expect them to confidently and accurately apply broadly applicable principles in their work.”
• Providing opportunity for practice. “Confidence comes from practice over time and we have to provide relevant and authentic chances over an extended time for this practice to occur.”
• Providing encouragement. “To help avoid the “retreat” to a simpler but limiting understanding, provide encouragement by noting progress during formative practice and by celebrating the achievement of confidence.”

“Moving beyond this prior knowledge is an unsettling and challenging process for them and it is this challenge that makes our educational work so crucial,” Stubley concluded. “It is work, however, that is well worth celebrating.”

 

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Thursday's notes

The Finance-Student Accounts office is closed today from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Plant Operations is reporting that Rooms 223, 227 and 228 in the Physics building will be without fan coil system service on Friday, December 20 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. as new valves for the fan coils are installed.

 

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