When COVID-19 forced Universities around the world to shift to a fully virtual setting, the University of Windsor turned to students to make this pivot on campus possible.

This summer, 41 students across all academic disciplines were hired to assist in the Office of Open Learning; the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL); and the Student Success and Leadership Centre.

Together, these diverse and cross-disciplinary teams played a key role in the University’s transition to online classes, online academic support, and much more.

These work-term placements were funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP), through its TECHNATION (formerly ITAC) Career Ready fund.

“The SWPP program was previously only for off-campus employers,” said Kristen Morris, Manager of Co-operative Education and Workplace Partnerships. 

“This funding opportunity — with up to $7,500 per student of funding now available for post-secondary institutions — not only gave our partners across campus access to needed student talent, but at a time when COVID-related complications in the job market were leading to cancellations of work terms, we were able to add 41 new positions for students across all disciplines.”

The placements have allowed the University to fill necessary gaps, while giving students meaningful work experience. Some students were even paired with specific faculty members in order to provide support during this challenging transition period.

In her position as Online Learning Assistant, third-year business co-op student Sanober Ali shared best practices with the Faculty of Nursing, created scripts based on the University’s eBook, Learning to Learn Online, and produced short videos to assist students in their transition to online learning. 

“I felt lucky to be a part of the University of Windsor's transition to online learning by being able to assist faculty and students with the resources they need to ease the transition,” Ali said.

"Staff members created an extremely warm and welcoming environment and it was a pleasure working with them and the other co-op students. I was able to amplify my verbal and written skills by maintaining contact with faculty and co-workers along with hosting a workshop.”

Morris said that the University and its IT department have used the available funding to hire more students this fall in a continued response to ongoing operational needs.

“This has brought out the amazing benefits of putting cross-disciplinary teams in place and has shown how employers can utilize students to assist in transformational projects. The University of Windsor Co-op and Workplace Partnerships Office is currently supporting its students in the Winter 2021 work term job competition. Students are competing in continuous rounds to determine their work term placement this coming winter.”

Judy Bornais, Executive Director of the Office of Experiential Learning, said  it was a "win-win situation" providing meaningful work opportunities for students while helping make the transition to online learning more successful for students and faculty.

“We are fortunate to have been able to secure over $150,000 from the SWPP funding this summer and look forward to continuing to search for sources of funding to support our students and employer partners," Bornais said.

The University of Windsor announced Wednesday the additional investment of $700,000 into three scholarships and experiential learning programs designed to relieve some of the financial strain experienced by international students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This total investment into incremental financial support for international students in 2020 now exceeds $1.2 million.  

“We know that international students have experienced difficulties as a result of the pandemic. From getting funds out of their home countries to the loss of part-time jobs, co-op placements, and other financial pressures” said Chris Busch, Associate Vice President, Enrolment Management. 

“Fortunately, our domestic students have been able to access specialized government funding to help at this difficult time, but international students do not have access to similar supports and continue to face disproportionate challenges to their financial security.” 

The University is grateful for the support of all the donors who have answered the call to action during this pandemic. The recent addition of a $100,000 in donations will allow even more of our international students to receive assistance during these unprecedented times. 

Newly announced supports include: 

• A needs-based scholarship of up to $2,500 available to all returning international students with demonstrated financial need. The scholarship expands on a newly established International Student Bursary;  
• On-campus faculty and departmental co-op placements for approximately 80 international students in course-based Masters programs; and, 
• Funding of 50 additional positions for International Students in the University’s Ignite Program, a paid, part-time, on-campus experiential learning program. 

“International students bring a great deal to our campus and to our Windsor-Essex community through their knowledge, expertise, and creative activity,” said University of Windsor President and Vice-Chancellor Rob Gordon. 

“This investment will go a long way to ensuring that our students will continue to do their best work in our labs and classrooms without some of the financial worries they have been experiencing over the past six months.  Much of this funding supports work-study programs that provide valuable applied learning opportunities and meet on-campus needs. Both our international students and the University community benefit. We see this as an ideal solution to a considerable challenge faced by our international students.”  

For more information on the initiative.

To support the program.

Lancer volleyball all-star Lexi Pollard has signed a professional volleyball contract and will play overseas with the AO Markopoulo Revoil this season.

AO Markopoulo Revoil is in Markopoulo, Greece and plays in the A1 League, the highest division of volleyball in the country.

With the Lancers' 2020-21 season delayed due to COVID-19, and the University of Windsor's classes being taught online for the entire academic year, Pollard and head coach Lucas Hodgson felt that all the cards were falling into place for her to start her professional career a year early.

"I've grown in so many ways through Lancer athletics on and off the court and I can't wait to bring all the tools my coaches and teammates have taught me to the Greek league and wherever that takes me after," said Pollard. "After months of being off the court I'm so ready to get back competing in the sport I love."

"We are very excited to see Lexi reach her dream and goal of playing volleyball professionally," Hodgson said." Her drive and determination helped her get here and she will be a great add to the team she is headed to. We will miss her and wish her the best this year."
 
"My heart breaks a little that I don't get to have a senior year with the Lancers. But in times of uncertainty you just have to go with your gut," Pollard reflected. "This place has been my home for four years and it'll be tough leaving the amazing people I've gotten so use to here."

GATAcademy is a project of the GATA Network, a distributed network supported jointly by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Teaching and Learning. Timed for the beginning of every Fall semester, GATAcademy is the University's largest event for graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants to explore opportunities for personal and professional development. In response to COVID-19, GATAcademy was modified to be held completely online and extended as a week-long event from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.

“Graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants are essential assets to the university culture, helping to foster connections and mediate the experience between students and instructors. They play a pivotal role in student success and student experience,” says Patti Weir, Dean of Graduate Studies. “I could not be more proud of the work the network does to support each other.”

There were over 450 unique registrants, including GA/TAs as well as those more broadly interested in teaching and learning. Workshops were recorded and will be made available to accommodate GAs/TAs across campus in their transition to supporting online teaching.

"Now, more than ever, our roles as GAs and TAs require the ability to be flexible and adjust to changing circumstances. The interest and turnout we've seen this year from students who are driven to learn and adapt to the demands of online learning have been encouraging," says Elizabeth Ismail, GATA Network Coordinator.

The following topics were included at GATAcademy 2020: 

• Being a GA/TA Online
• Using the Virtual Classroom
• Supporting Teaching and Learning in the Blackboard Environment: Tips for GAs and TAs
• Leading Effective Online Discussions
• Running Effective Science Labs/Tutorials - Online and In-Person
• Leading Effective Labs and Tutorials in Engineering
• Planning Effective Lectures to Enhance Student Engagement
• Do I belong? Recognizing and Managing Impostorism
• Making the Grade as a GA/TA: Assessment and Feedback
• Using your GA/TAship for Employment and Career Development

— Laura Chittle and Elizabeth Ismail

The Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic have created a task force to examine the current SET practices at UWindsor, which was last reviewed and revised back in 2004.

This task force aims to seek input from multiple channels to make evidence-based, data-driven recommendations about updating the current SET form.

The UWindsor teaching and learning community is included as part of the task force consultation because the task force recognizes our instructors and students are key stakeholders of SET practices.

Seeking the joint effort of the UWindsor community, the SET task force has just rolled out a campus-wide survey this past Friday, Sept. 18, which invites faculty and instructors to share their experiences and opinions with the current SET form and process.

The participation and feedback provided by instructors in this survey is critical for the SET task force because these data can provide an up-to-date view about SETs at UWindsor from an instructor perspective.

The Task Force plans to also gather student input and is in the process of summarizing the current literature and gathering information about how other institutions run their SET process and what measures other institutions have taken recently to improve.

All of this information will be used to make data-based recommendations for improving the current SET survey, reports, and all associated processes. The goal of the Task Force is to make recommendations that result in a new SET survey, reports, and processes that instructors will find as a useful source of information to inform their teaching practices.

Please visit https://www.uwindsor.ca/provost/SET to learn more about the SET task force and stay tuned.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, this school year may prove challenging for parents and pupils.

The September 2020 edition of Workplace Wellness E-Digest, published by the Department of Human Resources’ Office of Employee Engagement and Development, provides tips to reinforce study and homework habits and encourage your child’s love of learning.

A webinar Wednesday, Sept. 23, will present practical strategies for UWindsor faculty and staff to help students of all ages cope with their new school realities. Find registration details for “Helping Our Kids Cope with COVID-19 Return to School Stress” on the professional development website.

The newsletter also offers information on how to ease the anxiety many are experiencing as lockdown measures lift, and how to prevent unwanted behaviours by pets caused by a change in routines. Read the Workplace Wellness E-Digest.

Members of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres will bring women across the province together for an online Take Back the Night event on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Take Back the Night movement aims to end all forms of sexual violence. It usually takes the form of a march and a rally to raise awareness of issues around gender-based violence and to call the community to action.

This year, sexual assault centres have put together a two-hour video and invite participants to watch its premiere at 5 p.m. Thursday. Get the viewing details on the coalition’s website.