Hello and welcome to another issue of Innovatus, a special issue of YFile that is devoted to teaching and learning innovation at York University.
Will Gage
It seems that February is delivering an entire winter in a few short weeks. This issue of Innovatus promises to ward off the chilly weather with a series of stories that showcase innovation and excellence in teaching and learning at York University. I hope you enjoy this issue, it is the largest one to date. I am delighted with how everyone has engaged with Innovatus. These are your stories, your triumphs and your innovations. Happy February!
Featured in the February 2019 issue of Innovatus
Mathematically inspired space adds a third dimension to equations
If you open a classroom door to find robots lurching drunkenly around the floor, you've undoubtedly walked into York University's Experimental Mathematics Space. The space, inspired by other science labs, was conceived of by Amenda Chow, an assistant professor in the teaching stream of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. Click here for the full story.
Doctoral student Minha Ha takes her teaching seriously
As a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at York University's Lassonde School of Engineering, Minha Ha’s work in the classroom has earned her a 2018 President's University-Wide Teaching Award in the teaching assistant category. Click here for the full story.
York teaching assistant excels in borderless classrooms
Even though she had previously worked as a teaching assistant, Reena Shadaan had an entirely new experience conducting classes online for students in a Kenyan refugee camp through the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program. Click here for the full story.
New course offers Lassonde graduate students core professional skills to excel in teaching
Teaching and Learning in Engineering, a new course taught by Jeffrey Harris, an assistant professor in the Lassonde School of Engineering, gives graduate students skills in teaching. Students are taught learning theories and are required to deliver mock lectures, implementing what they learn in class to better understand how to interpret, adapt and deliver information in an optimal way for undergraduates. Click here for the full story.
Sociology professors tackle student skills gap
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Professors John Paul Grayson and Robert Kenedy applied for and received a grant from the Academic Innovation Fund to develop an online course for students in sociology that gives them the critical skills needed for academic and career success. Click here for the full story.
Employer networking event offers advantage for internship students
Fifty York University students from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies got a leg up in the competitive search for internships by attending the YU Experience Hub's recent Internship Employer Networking Event. The Jan. 23 event brought six invited employers to campus to meet with internship-seeking students, both in a group setting and one-on-one. Click here for the full story.
A summer indoors equals a perfect internship for a graduating student
Spending his summer behind a desk at the Town of Richmond Hill municipal offices was the perfect placement for graduating student Neave Constantine, a mature student who will graduate this year. Not only did his placement confirm that he chose the right major, but it kept him out of the hot sun. Click here for the full story.
Innovatus is produced by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning in partnership with Communications & Public Affairs.
In closing, I extend a personal invitation to you to share your experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the Innovatus story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.
Sincerely,
Will Gage
Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning