August 11, 2023

Fanshawe College has received a $5M donation from donor Diane Blake to establish a Centre of Excellence for Extended Reality (XR) in Health Care. The centre will be a hub for innovation and collaboration in health care education that will bridge the gap between XR technology and the health care sector. Experts and students from various programs”including engineering, computer science, and gaming”will develop XR training programs that draw on virtual, augmented, and/or mixed reality to simulate real-life medical scenarios. “The integration of new technologies into traditional program modalities will give more students the opportunity to learn, practice their skills and enter the job market ready to excel,” said Blake.

The University of Prince Edward Island’s Board of Governors has issued an update on its progress since receiving the Rubin Thomlinson report. As part of its effort to make amends, the Board has permanently released complainants Dr Wendy Carroll and Erin Casey from their non-disclosure agreements, stating that the university will “not prevent them from having their voices heard.” UPEI board chair Shannon MacDonald also apologized for the impact that UPEI’s response had on their professional and personal lives. “After 11 years of silence, we feel heard,” said Carroll and Casey in a statement. “We’ve reclaimed our voices. We’re optimistic about using them to continue this conversation.”

Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities has announced a new initiative to support podcast creators. The faculty will be hosting the Podcast Learning Network (PLN) event series for students, staff, and faculty who are podcast creators or are interested about podcast opportunities. PLN will offer workshops, panel discussions, and guest speakers throughout the academic year covering topics such as interview questions, audio recording and editing, and branding. “The goal is to build capacity for knowledge mobilization through podcasting, and to enhance audio storytelling at Brock,” said Brock Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Officer in the Faculty of Humanities Alison Innes. “We are creating a learning community where ideas and experiences can be shared while gaining knowledge from visiting experts.”

Memorial University has issued a statement responding to the recent public discussion about the Student Wellness and Counselling Centre (SWCC). Memorial states that the centre “is not at risk of closure or decreased services,” and that the SWCC has reported no waitlist for initial appointments for mental health services. The university asserts that the faculty complement to the SWCC has remained stable for the past decade and that the accredited Doctoral Residency in Professional Psychology Program is going through the re-accreditation process. “We are committed to adequately resourcing the SWCC in order to provide a high-level and wide range of services for our students,” states Memorial.

Interest in studying abroad has declined among Chinese students in recent years, reports . Popular destination countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have seen year-over-year declines in the number of new Chinese students coming to study. Ye Liu (King’s College London) explained that factors such as increasing anti-Chinese sentiment in some countries and mounting geopolitical tensions may be discouraging travel abroad. Meanwhile, universities in China and Hong Kong have become more attractive study destinations themselves, enabling students to secure a good education while staying closer to home. However, growing student cohorts in China’s international curriculum schools indicate that interest in studying abroad could be reigniting.

The University of Toronto’s Data Sciences Institute (DSI) has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Frontier Data and Tech team to complete joint research and training focused on complex challenges involving children. The partners will develop a tool to predict student dropout rates using data and artificial intelligence, as well as creating early warning systems in education to support students and schools that may be at risk. “By combining our community’s expertise in data science with UNICEF’s commitment to driving results for children globally, we have the opportunity to make a profound impact,” said U of T DSI Director Lisa Strug.

North Island College, the City of Port Alberni, and Synergy Enterprises have partnered to launch a program focused on reducing construction waste and circular economy principles. Students in NIC’s Building Salvage and Deconstruction program will gain practical work experience participating in site redevelopment at the 43-acre Somass Lands property. The program is fully funded for eligible students, and students can access financial support to help eliminate barriers such as transportation and daycare costs. “The program will help the City of Port Alberni more effectively manage its resources as the buildings are deconstructed, while also providing new training for students,” said NIC Continuing Education and Training Director Bob Haugen. “It’s a win-win.”

Mount Saint Vincent University’s Centre for Women in Business has made its Specialized Program in Cooking Entrepreneurship (SPICE) a part of its core offerings after experiencing overwhelming interest in the pilot. SPICE is a free program for historically under-represented Nova Scotian women who are interested in creating fully compliant food businesses. MSVU will also be growing the SPICE program to include a “mini SPICE” workshop that covers the key learnings of the larger course. “The road to success for underrepresented women with food businesses is filled with pitfalls,” said SPICE program lead Natalie Frederick-Wilson. “We wanted to change that pattern by providing these women with information, training, access to mentorship, resource support and connection to food industry insiders, to allow them to become”¯confident and informed decision makers.”

The University of Regina is celebrating the completed restoration of the College Avenue Campus Frog. The frog was made as part of a class project in 1971 and needed restoration from years of wear and tear. “Parts of the exterior had basically cracked and fallen inside,” said URegina Curator of the President’s Art Collection Alex King. “It was at that point that we decided to do this project and to renovate it. So now it’s filled with foam so it’s much more stable, and it has a partly new concrete exterior with mosaic tiles.” URegina held a community celebration to recognize the completion of the project.

The University of Guelph and Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) have partnered to expand distance learning opportunities for the Dairy Herdsperson Apprenticeship (DHA) program. The program will be expanded to offer hybrid and distance education options for students who may be working on farms or unable to study full time. The program covers topics such as animal health, farm equipment operation, and herd maintenance and nutrition. In addition to completing classroom training, students will complete 5,520 hours of on-farm training. The program is expected to be available for in 2024.