With May receding, and the solstice interregnum fast approaching, we are already well into the summer semester.

Student Success and Online Learning: Much of our focus in these weekly updates has been on helping faculty make the pivot to remote and online teaching. This week we wanted to acknowledge the student side of the equation: the challenge of learning online. One of the most important things you can do as an educator in the online environment is to lead your students into an understanding of what it takes to be successful learning in an online context. The one-pager of resources we have attached to this update was created by our own Arts Academic Advisor, Christina Fung, for precisely this purpose. We hope you will spend some time with the suggestions she has compiled and consider furnishing the students in your classes with some of these resources. We have also appended, for you, a resource sheet that provides wayfinding and guidance to students who find themselves struggling in the online milieu. 

Caps and Gowns: Next week is officially KPU Spring 2020 Convocation. KPU’s tribute to its graduates will be viewable here. Meanwhile, we have heard from several departments who are planning events for their own graduating cohort! If you haven’t already, please do consider hosting an event on Teams, sending a special text or video messages to students, or creating a standard message for use on your department’s or program’s social media platforms. You can see which members of your cohort are graduating here. And if you’d like help with organizing a “virtual” celebration, please contact Samantha Dutton-Jones. If you are feeling nostalgic for the real thing, you can stroll down memory lane here.

Education Assistant Program and Innovation:  We would like to extend a big round of applause to the EDAS Department, and especially to the Chair, Victoria Johnston-Hatch, for all her work in formulating a creative online solution for their program’s recruitment process and its mandatory components, particularly the information session, which usually takes place in person.  Over the past several weeks, Victoria has worked tirelessly on this initiative.  As shared by Victoria: “The EDAS program has been working with IT and marketing to develop an asynchronous information session to be hosted online. This session will provide program and admission information as well as meet the program entrance requirements. We look forward to assisting in establishing new and more flexible options for our students.” 

Truth and Consequences – Academic Integrity Online Workshop: We are gearing up for the online workshop for Arts faculty entitled “Helping Students to Avoid Violations of Academic Integrity,” which will be hosted by Kristie Dukewich on June 9, from 10-11 AM.  This session will take place via Microsoft Teams.  Please watch for more information about this event in the coming days.  For those interested in attending, RSVP to ArtsEvents@kpu.ca 

Death and Taxes: Just to clarify, the Wednesday, May 27th message about the T2200 tax forms pertained to the 2019 year, not to this current pandemic environment. 

Plaudits and Kudos: This year’s Open Pedagogy Fellowship winners from Arts are Constanza Rojas-Primus (Languages and Cultures), David Sadoway (Geography), and Dorothy Barenscott (Art History). These fellowships support faculty in designing “renewable assignments” and “authentic assessments” that “help students become agents of change in their communities.” The faculty teams design their course assignments over the summer and deploy them over the following academic year. A student showcase in the Spring provides an opportunity for the wider university community to appreciate the students’ contributions.  Congratulations, Constanza, David, and Dorothy!

Coming Attractions and Acclamations – Dean of Arts Teaching Award: Next week, please keep an eye on your inboxes as the Dean’s office will be sending out two announcements – via PowerPoint presentations – to celebrate the Dean of Arts Teaching Award.  Join us in recognizing the teaching excellence of the shortlisted nominees and award recipients for 2020!  This year there were over 30 nominations for this award, which speaks volumes regarding our Faculty’s dedication, skill, and creativity in connecting with and inspiring KPU students!

Congrats and Approbations!: Here are your newly appointed Educational Consultants for 2020-21: in Course Design Gillian Sudlow (Academic & Career Preparation), Laurel Tien (Nursing), and Nishan Perera (Marketing); in Universal Design for Learning, Jennifer Hardwick (English) and Seanna Takacs (Accessibility Services); in Intercultural Teaching Practices, Christina Page (Learning Centres); and the most illustrious Gordon Cobb (Music) in Educational Media. These faculty members receive a 50% release to support their peers and help advance specific priority areas for teaching and learning. 

We have been heartened by the resolve you have shown and by the energy and enthusiasm you have brought to your work; and, we have been inspired by the sundry, dynamic and diverse ways you have found to transmute and transmit your pedagogical passion through the ether.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Diane, Greg, Shelley and Wade 

Photo credit: Ethan Hrabovski