Tales of a Teacher: Fiona Dunbar

by Hina Ahmed. This is the second of three Centre for Teaching Excellence Teaching Stories that will appear in the Daily Bulletin this week.

When asked what motivated her to pursue teaching, Fiona Dunbar replies, “You might say it was in my genes.” With a mother who is a science teacher, and a grandmother who was a teacher and principal in rural Ireland, a passion for teaching runs in Dunbar’s blood. Dunbar, who has been a lecturer in Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics since 2005, knows that Math is often seen as a formidable field, but she firmly believes that you do not have to be a “mathie” to understand and even enjoy it.

Committed to ensuring that her students fully understand concepts and that she can be a supportive mentor throughout the process, Dunbar strives to accommodate her students’ needs. She understands that most students work on assignments in the evening, which is what inspired her to start holding office hours on Piazza – an online discussion forum – on the nights before major assignments are due. This allows the whole class to see practice questions as well as responses from other students and the instructor, creating an effective and collaborative online learning community. With each question being viewed by an average of 50 students, Piazza has proven to be a successful forum for her class.

Believing that effective instructors need to be life-long learners, Dunbar takes feedback from her students very seriously, and has adjusted her teaching methods as needed. By providing skeleton notes to students prior to lectures, she is able to use class time to go through difficult examples and solve problems with her students to ensure that they really grasp the concepts. “My job is to break the material down into manageable pieces and then connect them together step by step,” states Dunbar. As one student remarked about Dunbar’s calculus course, “I used to dread going to math but I always look forward to her lectures. They're fun, and you'll reach an epiphany every time she explains something.”

The delight that students take in Dunbar’s courses is perhaps not surprising considering her pedagogical approach. “Teaching,” she says, “is a performance. And I’ve spent my whole life performing.” With her ARCT in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Dunbar sees teaching as an expressive art where you need to stay passionate and inspired.

Dunbar also spreads her passion for math beyond the university community. In 2009, she created a workshop for grade 9 girls called “Think About Math” in order to encourage them to consider furthering their education in mathematics. The success of this program led to the creation of an annual workshop that brings high school girls together with the University of Waterloo’s math alumni. Dunbar has also been long involved with Waterloo’s Women in Math committee, and is the Chair of the Euclid Math Contest committee. Her interest in math education is also apparent in her involvement with the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC). As a CEMC member, Dunbar visits high school students and informs them about math contests and interesting areas of math that they can pursue as a potential career path after high school.

As one of Dunbar’s first-year students affirms, “Having such a personable and dedicated instructor is a true blessing.”

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WaterlooWorks meets SYDE 348

By: Stephanie Tortorici

This term, WaterlooWorks is being reviewed by students in a Systems Design engineering elective course that focuses on principles of usability and user experience. Students from engineering and kinesiology work in teams to apply the techniques learned in class to analyze and assess WaterlooWorks’ functionality and ease of use from employer and student perspectives.

The students are using a test environment of the WaterlooWorks application, where initially they will act as employers, registering and posting a job. They’ll then search and apply for jobs as students, and, in the final few weeks of the class, return to their employer personas to screen applicants and select interview candidates.

The students present their findings at two points in the term – the first of which took place during the first week of February. The findings and recommendations presented by the students were very well crafted and the WaterlooWorks team was thoroughly impressed. Students commented on the results of their first two data collection activities, assessing the system from an employer perspective. It was interesting for the WaterlooWorks team to hear the students’ innovative and creative redesigns to areas of the system that have already been identified as areas that CECA is looking to enhance. The next set of presentations will take place at the end of the term, and students will disclose their findings from their experience in the system as a student. In addition to sharing these results with the vendor responsible for the WaterlooWorks software, an update will be posted to our student panel Facebook group summarizing the feedback and all that we've learned from the students' presentations.

For the WaterlooWorks team, taking part in an experiential learning-focused class has many benefits. Stakeholder engagement is an important component of the project, so we’ve been actively looking for a way to engage students in a hands-on method throughout the project while maintaining the integrity and security of the platform. This also lets us get insight from students who are talented in this space on how to improve and enhance the system that they, and students like them, will be using.

For more information about the project, join the student panel on Facebook or visit CECA’s systems strategy website.

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From the Ring Road to Broadway

by Jacqui Kaiser. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on the Department of Drama and Speech Communication website.

The University of Waterloo is known as one of the top universities in Canada, especially for Math and Engineering. But few people realize that UWaterloo has a Department of Drama and Speech and Communication that also has a great reputation.

In high school, I knew I wanted to pursue theatre, and UWaterloo’s program appealed to me instantly because it offered a well-rounded approach that allowed students to explore all facets of the field, exposing students to many areas of theatre where they could build a career. Without knowing exactly in what direction of theatre I wanted to go, I took classes across the entire department including technical production, performance, theatre management, theatre history, and theatre criticism. Outside of coursework, I tried everything: I acted in shows, was a Stage Manager, a Line Producer, and I even traveled to Germany with one show on an exchange program!

While studying at UWaterloo, I became predominantly involved in original productions that were collaborative works, where a group of people created a piece of theatre as opposed to a single playwright composing a piece. The more I collaborated creatively with other classmates, the more I took on management roles such as stage managing and line producing. While learning a lot and still having a great time, I was developing valuable experiences in creative producing.

With graduation approaching, I sought out MBA programs that specialized in the Performing Arts. A professor connected me with a UWaterloo Alum who was in New York City studying Stage Management at Columbia University. Like UWaterloo, Columbia University has a well-known reputation: Columbia’s alumni includes 3 US Presidents, 43 Nobel Peace Prize winners, and 123 Pulitzer Prize winners. And much to the surprise of most people, Columbia University also has a theatre program! Columbia’s School of the Arts offers an MFA program in Theatre Management and Producing. The program offered courses in theatre Advertising, Budgeting, Producing, Law, and Marketing. However, the main differentiator between Columbia and other programs was that it was a theatre program at its core. It would allow me to take classes with directors and actors, ensuring that I stay involved on a creative level. Feeling confident with my course and hands-on experience from UWaterloo, I applied, and was accepted into the program along with eight other students. In August of 2006, I moved to New York City.

Fast forward to today where I work at one of Broadway’s top advertising agencies, Serino Coyne. I oversee the online media buying for some of my favorite Broadway shows including The Book of Mormon, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, and many others.

The University of Waterloo truly shaped the path to where I am today.

Read the rest of the article on the Drama and Speech Communication website.

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Research Matters VSH 2015

By: Office of Research

Explore research. Solve clues. Win prizes. Stay curious.

 Do you enjoy learning about Ontario university research? How about winning prizes? Join the Research Matters virtual scavenger hunt to solve research-related clues, win daily prizes, and be entered for a chance to win one of 21 grand prizes. Students are also eligible to win one of five grand prizes of $500!

The virtual scavenger hunt is part of Research Matters – a collaborative public outreach initiative among Ontario's 21 publicly assisted universities that explores how university research affects everyday life and builds bridges between university researchers and the public.

Along with contests like the scavenger hunt, Research Matters hosts events such as the upcoming Research Chairs Symposium and promotes the impact of research, including Waterloo research, on their website and through social media.

The sooner you enter the contest, the more chances you have to win. Good luck!

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Go CODE Girl and other notes

This Saturday, February 21, the Faculty of Engineering's Women In Engineering program presents Go CODE Girl, an event that provides "an exciting opportunity for girls in grades 9-11 across Ontario to learn about the exciting world of coding and software development, and discover opportunities in computing and engineering fields."

The day will consist of activities in CPH's Multimedia Lab, a lunch provided for all participants—the program is open to 40—followed by a parent and guardian showcase.

Women in Engineering (WiE) exists to support current female engineers and university students, while encouraging the next generation of women to pursue careers in engineering.

After a staggering 40 years with the Federation of Students, John "JJ" Jongerius is retiring from his role as the manager of Feds Used Books. Through the decades, Jongerius connected with many staff members and students throughout the University of Waterloo. On February 25, 2015, everyone who has had the pleasure of getting to know him is invited to a party at The Bombshelter Pub to wish him well as the next chapter of his life begins. The party will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Dave McDougall, djmcdougall@uwaterloo.ca. Read all about Jongerius' journey with Feds online.

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