August 24, 2023

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology has received more than $2.5M from the Government of Canada to establish the Alternative Construction Technologies Centre. This new facility will house specialized equipment and laboratories that small- and medium-sized businesses can draw on as they develop, test, and commercialize new products and services. The aim of this centre will be to lower the cost of construction projects so that they can be completed faster and with reduced environmental impact. “This investment in smart manufacturing and materials will create vital new opportunities to collaborate with industry in their efforts to advance faster, greener and more affordable home construction,” said SAIT President Dr David Ross. The centre will be fully operational by 2025.

As the Government of Canada explores options to address the ongoing student housing crisis, a potential government-imposed cap on international students is on the table. “The international student program […] serves Canada’s interests, it contributes tens of billions of dollars to our GDP, and it provides a pipeline of young and talented people who will be Canadian one day, but the people who come need to be better supported,” said Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser. In response, both Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada expressed that international students should not be blamed for the housing crisis. “Solving the housing crisis will require collaboration among all levels of government and we are looking to the government to support community partners, like universities, who can deliver the housing Canada needs,” said Universities Canada Interim CEO Philip Landon.

Memorial University, the University of Calgary, the Ottawa Hospital, SickKids, and Women’s College Hospital have partnered on the development of a portal to help those living with chronic pain. The Power Over Pain Portal provides youth and adults with free, evidence-based virtual resources, such as self-directed courses and one-on-one counselling. The portal will also allow users to track their progress as they gain a greater understanding of their pain and how to manage it without waiting to access care. “In essence, the portal helps people who live with pain find the resource that best addresses their immediate concerns during their time of need”basically, the right care, for the right person, delivered at the right time,” said Memorial Associate Professor Dr Joshua Rash.

Universities Canada has recently established the Flight 302 Legacy Award, a new scholarship that honours the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 tragedy. In tribute to the passengers on the flight who were en route to a United Nations environmental conference, this scholarship program will have a special focus on providing support to students in the fields of environmental preservation and humanitarianism. Transport Canada will provide $2.5M to support the scholarship program over a five-year period, which will be used to create over 40 non-renewable scholarships–valued at $10K each–annually.

Cégep de Sept-Îles has opened a new open-air classroom for its mineral technology program near Lac d’Aigle after acquiring claims to an area. With this new space available, various classes in the program wil be able to hold field trips and take part in hands-on learning activities such as mineral identification, wildlife protection, and hiking trail development. By participating in these activities, students will develop skills in data collection and research documentation, as well as bolster their understanding of geology. Sept-Îles states that it is the only higher education institution in QC with active claims.

York University’s School of Continuing Studies has launched a Certificate in Customer Success Management. The five-week program allows aspiring or current customer success managers to upskill, pursue new roles, and/or advance within their organizations. Students will take part in experiential learning, including workshops and real-world simulations taught by leaders in the field. “In our research phase for the Certificate in Customer Success Management, we spoke with Canadian leaders in the industry, and what they told us is there is little formal training in this field,” said YorkU Interim Assistant VP of Continuing Studies Christine Brooks-Cappadocia.

As postsecondary students head back to school, many are still struggling to find suitable, affordable housing. CTV News reports that several rental scams have been reported in Waterloo’s university district this month. The Waterloo Regional Police have advised would-be renters to limit the amount of personal information they provide in transactions and to be suspicious of deals that appear “too good to be true.” In Halifax, many students shared that they are facing low vacancy and high rental rates. In a statement, Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association VP of Advocacy Anubhav Gupta explained that the situation is especially difficult for international students, who may not yet be aware of their rights as renters in Canada and are therefore more vulnerable to rental scams.

Trent University Senior eLearning Designer Terry Greene has penned a reflection on his experiences integrating podcasts into his pedagogy. Greene worked with Trent Assistant Professor Dr Erick Laming to design a criminology course that replaced pre-recorded lectures with podcasts and provided students with separate audio files, complementary slides, and transcripts. Greene writes that this format boosted the accessibility of the course, allowing students to absorb information in the best way for them and search for key terms throughout the content. “It’s not just about professors imparting knowledge to students,” said Greene. “Education should foster a multidirectional flow of ideas, experiences, and insights.”

Marketers in higher education can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to make their work more impactful, but AI’s utility will rely on the individual’s understanding and appropriate use of the tool, explains Lauren Benning-Williams (George Washington University) in an interview with . Benning-Williams discusses how AI can be leveraged to respond to the demand for instantaneous feedback on marketing campaigns, provide customized experiences, and improve overall return on investment. However, overreliance on AI tools brings quality, accuracy, and socioeconomic risks. To make the best use of AI, Benning-Williams encourages marketers to learn more about AI, talk to faculty at the institution who are conducting related research, and garner a full understanding of the team’s capacity and the institution’s needs.

In a recent article, Tehosterihens Deer discusses the culture shock that Mi’kmaw students often face when moving to study postsecondary education. Deer highlights the experiences of students and staff at Saint Mary’s University. Deer discusses SMU student Sósep Hatfield’s experience with travelling to Halifax from the Pictou Landing First Nation and his struggles with the isolation and stress that comes with living and studying in a new location. Hatfield notes the differences between what he was learning in his classes and the way Indigenous businesses operate. SMU Professor and former Indigenous advisor Raymond Sewell said that he reminds students “that their traditional knowledge is just as valuable as any other knowledge,” and noted that more work should be done to help students experiencing culture shock.