August 2, 2023

Aurora College has officially been approved by the Government of the Northwest Territories to begin the process of becoming a polytechnic university. Aurora must first undertake a quality assurance process with Campus Alberta Quality Council to ensure that its programs meet the appropriate standards and that students are offered the supports they need to be successful. Aurora will need to demonstrate that it has the appropriate governance structure, that there are policies in place regarding academic faculty and instructional staff, and that its physical spaces will support its proposed programs. “This is an important initiative and I look forward to continuing to support its progression,” said NWT Minister of Education, Culture and Employment RJ Simpson.

Sault College and Vancouver Island University have partnered on a new pathway for culinary students. Under the agreement, eligible graduates from Sault’s Culinary Management diploma program will be able to continue their studies at VIU and complete a Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree in two or three years. Students will also have the opportunity to study abroad, learn at an international field school, complete a minor, and/or participate in co-op opportunities during their studies.

In a new research paper from Statistics Canada, Klarka Zeman examines how young graduates move from high school through postsecondary education and into the labour market. In the first step”graduating from high school into postsecondary studies”Zeman notes that about 89% of youth complete their studies within five years of starting grade 10 and about half go on to college (13%), university (33%), or an apprenticeship (3%). Once in postsecondary education, persistence varies between program types with about 57% of students in two-year career, technical, and professional training diplomas graduating after four years and 74% of four-year bachelor’s degree students graduating after six years. Upon graduation, Zeman notes that students tend to experience lower unemployment rates with more years of education, and in times of economic shock, university graduates experience a lower unemployment rise than those who graduated from colleges or the trades.

Durham College’s Barrett Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture and the Town of Ajax have launched the Food Literacy Innovation Zone. This initiative addresses supply chain and food security challenges by educating community members about nutrition and how they can incorporate local food into their lives. The Zone will be located at the Barrett Centre Ajax Urban Farm and will showcase three garden models that community members could use to grow food at their homes: A pollinator garden, a home garden, and a balcony garden. The partners will also launch the Barrett Centre Community Portal this fall to share food literacy resources and materials.

Assiniboine Community College has announced that it will be offering its rural rotating Practical Nursing site in Beausejour, Manitoba starting in 2025. The program will provide a way for those who are interested in pursuing a nursing career to access training without leaving their community. “Our rural rotating training sites are integral to our work to address the growing needs in healthcare,” said ACC President Mark Frison. “These sites also help keep learners in these communities to close the labour gaps all across the province.”

In a recent article, Alexandra Frost highlights a newer term for educational delivery: Bisynchronous classes. Frost explains that common teaching modalities include in-person; hybrid; HyFlex, in which students choose their mode of participation; bichronous or bisynchronous learning, which relies on online learning tools and technology only; and simulcast or synchronous remote learning, where students and the instructor gather online. While many learning modalities are defined by location and time, terminology like bisynchronous learning modality is also partly defined by the extent to which learning is mediated by technology. Frost touches on some of the benefits, drawbacks, and considerations for the newer bisynchronous learning model, before concluding that change is ongoing in the sector and that more learning models are on their way.

The University of Prince Edward Island has received an eagle feather from the Native Council of PEI in recognition of its efforts toward reconciliation. The eagle feather is a high honour that symbolizes respect, honour, strength, courage, and wisdom and recognizes UPEI for its work toward reconciliation. UPEI has made a variety of changes including creating a Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies, launching an Indigenous course requirement, and planning to build its Indigenous studies program. “Large changes have been made at UPEI and it is part of our home now. We are welcomed,” said Chief and President of the Native Council Lisa Cooper. “Seeing our ideas and recommendations come to fruition has been a dream and now it is our reality.”

A flurry of new terminology for online learning has made it difficult and confusing to communicate with students, staff, faculty, and industry, writes Lisa Springer (The Jewish Theological Seminary). “There are so many words to describe the modalities of online learning,” explains Springer. “For example, the often-used terms hybrid and blended sometimes mean the same thing and sometimes mean distinct things. [“¦] They are often used in multiple ways at the same institution”sometimes even in the same department.” While standardization is tempting, Springer asserts that this is not likely to happen and would be undone by the ongoing evolution of online learning. Instead, Springer touches on the benefits of always offering definitions or explanations when using a term or acronym and taking a moment to acknowledge the confusion and anxiety that can surround terminology changes.

The University of British Columbia’s subsidiary SafeCoat Medical Inc has been acquired by Asep Medical Holdings Inc. The two parties also entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the use, development, and commercialization of a medical device coating technology. The coating kills bacteria and prevents dead bacteria from binding to the medical device’s surface, which helps to prevent infections from medical devices. Asep Inc will hold 88% of the issued and outstanding shares of SafeCoat, with the remaining 12% owned by UBC and the non-waiving inventors of the technology. Under the 20-year license agreement, UBC will receive gradually-increasing annual fees from SafeCoat as well as royalties from Asep.

Memorial University and CUPE Local 1615 have ratified a new four-year agreement. The union members–which include over 700 administrative, technical, and support employees–will gain an 8% wage increase over four years as well as improvements to pay and benefits. The union members’ salary floor has been increased, the number of steps on the wage scale has been reduced from 36 to 18, and a new salary supplement benefit for those on parental leave and a one-time retention bonus have been introduced.