UNews - Heidi Macdonald

U of L launches Centre for Oral History and Tradition

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 17:29:59 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has launched a new institute aimed at ensuring southern Alberta’s oral history is preserved and accessible.

The Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) will not only advance research disciplines pertaining to oral history in the academic world, but also collaborate with community organizations across southern Alberta to help preserve, study and understand the region’s oral history.

The de Grandmaison oral history project is an example of the work that the Centre for Oral History and Tradition will undertake.

“The Institute will strive to preserve and analyze oral history sources,” says Dr. Heidi MacDonald, director of the new centre. “Oral histories contain valuable information that is often not available in any other form. Preserving these narratives is critical to understanding many fields of study. Our research will have an enduring relevance well into the future because the oral histories we capture will be studied for many more generations.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty and graduate students involved in the institute have expertise in such areas as employment, health, sport, gender, religion, culture and local history. Together with community partners, including the Galt Museum and Archives, the centre will provide workshops and other support in order to identify, establish and assist oral history projects undertaken in southern Alberta. The centre is also committed to ensuring these projects are made available to the public.

“We want to be a portal for the dissemination of oral history to other researchers as well as provide a place where this knowledge is available to the people of southern Alberta and beyond. In addition to sharing the research we at the centre are interested in, we want to build this capacity with community groups that have an interest in preserving their own oral histories,” says MacDonald.

Collecting and preserving oral histories is becoming increasingly important. MacDonald says information is continually becoming more transient, which will have implications for the future. For example, fewer people keep diaries, and in the workplace, e-mails are easily deleted.

“Sources that historians have traditionally used are becoming rare. Far less information is hitting paper today compared to even a decade ago,” says MacDonald. “In addition, oral histories can provide personal insights that expand on more standard histories.”

The announcement of the COHT was made at the Galt Museum & Archives. The event included a display demonstrating an oral history project undertaken by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives, an initiative that supports the gallery’s vast Nicholas de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts.

As an itinerant painter, de Grandmaison often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His unique lifestyle, character and attitude having left a plethora of interesting experiences that augment the context of his paintings. These stories complement the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's de Grandmaison collection.

The U of L is home to 12 different centres and institutes that foster and promote research expertise and capabilities as well as provide a platform for trans-disciplinary research.

The U of L’s Vice-President (Research), Dr. Dan Weeks, says these centres and institutes facilitate the formation of unique and creative research and teaching partnerships inside and outside of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s initiative to create new centres and institutes allows for greater collaboration among researchers and makes research more publicly available. The Centre for Oral History and Tradition will make an incredibly positive contribution to southern Alberta communities through its work,” says Weeks.

RRP finds success points

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:05:22 +0000

It’s been nearly three years since the Recruitment and Retention Project team was established, and over that time a number of student-focused initiatives have been put in motion. To date, there have been 13 projects delivered or in the process of being delivered.

Responding to the needs recommended by student associations, units on campus, as well as many learner focus groups, this collaborative team has provided a rich environment of ideas to be acted upon in the pursuit of serving learners, helping create a real sense of community and support on campus that aligns with President Dr. Mike Mahon’s vision of a destination university.

“The RRP team’s energy, dedication and commitment in guiding and delivering these innovative projects focused on the recruitment and retention of our students is outstanding,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Provost and Vice President (Academic), Dr. Andrew Hakin.

Student success is at the heart of the RRP team's mission.

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ opens the Fall 2013 Semester, four more projects are moving forward, all examples of the co-operative effort that has been a hallmark of the RRP mission:

• The introduction of an online graduate application process under the leadership of Alice Miller (Admissions) has put to rest a timely, labour-intensive paper application system and help streamline the manner in which students apply for graduate school.

• Predictive Modeling, under the leadership of Mandy Moser (Institutional Analysis) for early intervention with an applicant to enrolment model, as well as a student retention model to aid Faculties and campus services to direct their future actions with greater efficiency and effectiveness, thereby increasing the likelihood of student success.

• The business case and analysis for new housing led to the opening of Mt. Blakiston House this fall, the newest campus residence building, directly targeted at retaining learners into their second year and beyond, all the while freeing up additional rooms for first-year learners.

• With the guidance of James Graham (New Media), the innovative online virtual campus environment created by the RAVE project will be introduced this fall, allowing users to virtually visit campus in a 3D environment. It allows peopl to get a look at all of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s facilities and services, granting users a sense of the campus community available to them.

“The entire Recruitment and Retention project has been very collaborative from the beginning,” says Heather Mirau, director Integrated Planning. “The RRP team and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community have all been fantastic, and the spirit I’ve encountered while working on these projects has been fabulous. It’s the students who benefit from this work, and that has been the goal of this project from day one.”

Mirau credits the success of the Recruitment and Retention Project due to the strong support from students, faculty and staff, and senior leaders. Much change has taken place in just a few years with nine initiatives piloted (four more are in the process of being delivered), which is testament to the broad support the project has received.

“I look at the Game Day Shirt project under the leadership of Trevor Flexhaug that grew out of work from the Enhancing Community & School Spirit subject matter team,” says Mirau. “The project team thought a great way to enhance Pronghorn pride on campus would be to encourage faculty, staff and students to wear Game Day Shirts on the day of Pronghorn Athletics games. It started small and now we have a number of campus units requesting shirts so that they too can take part.”

While some of the projects are focused on pride building, others are academically focused, such as the introduction of the Liberal Education 2850 course. Described as “Mapping Self, Career, Campus, Community”, the course was introduced as a pilot for the Spring 2013 semester and went over extremely well with students. Designed to help students with the transition to university life, it provides an active learning component focussing on the U of L’s student resources, including those that are imperative in supporting student success from their first semester through to graduation.

“It was very encouraging to see the positive comments students had for the LBED 2850 class,” says project team leader, Dan Kazakoff (Management). “It was evident that many students appreciated the exposure to the value of our liberal education foundation and the many support services that are at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge to help them reach their goals. The key in the future will be to learn from the pilot class and expand the number of first-year students exposed to such an endeavour. A big thank you to Dr. Jan Newberry who taught the pilot class.”

The reworking of the Writing Centre within the Academic Writing Program provides students with a wider base of support within a multi-disciplinary approach.

“The greater level of support and expertise now enables writing skills and methods to be targeted to the various disciplines and needs of students,” says Dr. Cliff Lobe, coordinator of the Academic Writing Program.

The academic support project led by Dr. Heidi MacDonald (History) provided further emphasis on tutoring and learning strategists. This project resulted in several professors piloting the very successful visit from campus service professionals to their classes and the establishment of the 24-hour Collaborative Learning Centre (W650).

Other initiatives established through the Recruitment and Retention Project include the Learning Circles pilot project under the leadership of Dr. Craig Milner, the introduction of a Campus Information Services outlet, a campus service web page design, a services for students web page providing one online location for student support connections, and a Fun With Math program created through the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science with leadership from Dr. Hadi Kharaghani. Other project proposals have received approval for delivery over the next year.

“There’s been a real emphasis on talking to our learners and finding out what supports they need to be successful,” says Mirau. “We are trying to give them every opportunity to find that success. It starts with getting them engaged with our community the day they walk through the front door and then reinforcing those supports as they work their way through to graduation.”

For a look at the RRP team and for more on the project, visit www.uleth.ca/recruitment-retention.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes faculty excellence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:21:16 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honoured faculty and postdoctoral fellows across campus who received academic research awards of distinction, secured research funding or published their research findings in the last year at Thursday's Celebrating Research Reception in Markin Hall.

The U of L also recognized those who had books published within the last calendar year.

Below is a list of the awards presented.

Research Awards: External

Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation (ASTech) Award: Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness
Kristy Burke | Conference & Event Services

American Oil Chemists' Society Timothy L. Mounts Award
Roman Przybylski | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Campus Alberta Innovates Program (CAIP) Chairs
Chris Hopkinson | Geography, Terrestrial Ecosystems Remote Sensing
Greg Pyle | Biological Sciences, Aquatic Health

Canada Research Chairs
Louise Barrett | Psychology, Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour, Tier 1
Stacey Wetmore | Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computational Chemistry, Tier 2

Canadian Insolvency Foundation Lloyd Houlden Research Fellowship
Gordon Hunter | Management

Confederation of Alberta Faculty Association (CAFA) Distinguished Academic Award
Trudy Govier | Philosophy

Pat Clifford Award for Early Career Research in Education
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program

Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal
Reginald Bibby | Sociology
Peter McCormick | Political Science
Richard Mrazek | Education

World Council for Curriculum & Instruction Distinguished Leadership Award
Peter Heffernan | Education

Research Awards: Internal

Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship, or Performance
Joseph Rasmussen | Biological Sciences

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair

Igor Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Sergio Pellis | Neuroscience

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars
Janice Rahn | Education
Peter Visentin | Music
Judith Whitehead | Anthropology

Research Grants: External

Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies Grant
Noella Piquette | Education
Jennifer Thannhauser | Education

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
Wei Xu | Geography

Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research Grant
(2) Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Taras Polataiko | Art
Janice Rahn/Michael Campbell | Education/Art Co-Principal Investigators

Alberta Gaming Research Institute Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Gabriela Novotna | Addictions Counselling
Claudia Steinke | Nursing

Alberta Inflammatory Bowel Disease Grant
Sameer Despande | Management

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-Director

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Sustainability Funds
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy
Paul Vasey | Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) Grant
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Leanne Elias | New Media
Carmen Mombourquette | Education
Monique Sedgwick | Nursing
David Slomp | Education
(2) Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies

Alzheimer Society of Canada Grant
Shannon Spenceley | Nursing

American Cancer Society Grant
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health

ATB Financial
Gordon Hunter/Dan Kazakoff | Management

Canada Council for the Arts Grant
Mary Kavanagh | Art
Maria Ng | English

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Grant
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences
Olga Kovalchuk | Biological Sciences, Co-applicant

Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
Nadia Rochdi/Karl Staenz | Alberta Terrestrial Imaging Centre/Geography

Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund Grant
Aaron Gruber | Neuroscience
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Andrew Iwaniuk | Neuroscience
Hans-Joachim Wieden | Chemistry & Biochemistry

CIHR Emerging Team Grant
Gabriela Novotna | Health Sciences

CIHR Café Scientifique Grant
Penny D'Agnone | Office of Research & Innovation Services

CIHR Operating Grant
Sameer Deshpande | Management, Co-applicant
Judith Kulig | Nursing

CIHR Research Planning Grant
Sameer Desphande | Management, Co-applicant

Canadian Space Agency Contract
Karl Staenz | Geography
(2) David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy

Canadian Wildlife Federation
Richard Mrazek | Education

Department of Defense Contract
Albert Cross | Neuroscience

European Union FP7 Grant
David Naylor | Physics & Astronomy, Co-applicant

Grand Challenges in Global Health Grant
Gerlinde Metz | Neuroscience, Co-applicant

Health Canada Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences, Co-applicant

Heritage Canada Grant for Aid to Scholarly Publication
Peter Heffernan | Education

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Grant
Judith Kulig | Health Sciences

Max Bell Foundation Award
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant

Monieson Centre, Queen's Business School
Gordon Hunter | Management

National Science Foundation
Jennifer Mather | Psychology, Collaborating Consultant

NSERC Collaborative Research & Training Experience (CREATE) Grant
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience

NSERC Discovery Grant
Louise Barrett | Psychology
Sarah Boon | Geography
Howard Cheng | Mathematics & Computer Science
Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Jon Doan | Kinesiology & Physical Education
Cam Goater | Biological Sciences
Bruce McNaughton | Neuroscience
Jackie Rice | Mathematics & Computer Science
Elizabeth Schultz | Biological Sciences
Robert Sutherland | Neuroscience
Soroosh Yazdani | Mathematics & Computer Science

NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant
Amir Akbary | Mathematics & Computer Science
Paul Hazendonk | Chemistry & Biochemistry

Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences
Shahadat Hossain | Mathematics & Computer Science

SSHRC Aid to Scholarly Journals Grant
Peter Heffernan | Education
Edward Jurkowski | Music

SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant

SSHRC Insight Grant
Harold Jansen | Political Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Noella Piquette | Education, Co-applicant
Paul Vasey | Psychology

SSHRC Partnership Grant
Yale Belanger | Native American Studies, Co-applicant
Henning Bjornlund | Economics, Co-applicant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies, Co-applicant
Abdie Kazemipur | Sociology, Co-applicant
Richard Mueller | Economics, Co-applicant
Ivan Townshend | Geography, Co-applicant
Wei Xu | Geography, Co-applicant

SSHRC Public Outreach Grant
Debra Basil | Management

TECTERRA
Wei Xu/Karl Staenz | Geography

Research Grants: Internal

Emmy Droog Research Awards in Health Sciences Grant
Cheryl Currie | Public Health
Ruth Grant Kalischuk | Nursing

Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund Grant
Leanne Elias | New Media
Team: John Usher (Management), Janice Rahn (Education), Michael Campbell (Art) and Cheryl Meheden (Management)
Roy Golsteyn | Biological Sciences
Team: Olga Kovalchuk (Biological Sciences) and David Naylor (Physics & Astronomy)
Josephine Mills | Art
Team: Louise Barrett (Psychology), Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Drama), Emily Luce (New Media), Bruce MacKay (Liberal Education Program) and Tiffany Muller Myrdahl (Women & Gender Studies)
Nicole Rosen | Modern Languages
Team: Inge Genee (Modern Languages), Robbin Gibb (Neuroscience), Claudia Gonzalez (Kinesiology & Physical Education), Fangfang Li (Psychology) and Noella Piquette (Education)
Carol Williams | Women & Gender Studies
Team: Glenda Bonifacio (Women & Gender Studies), Bonnie Lee (Health Sciences), Linda ManyGuns (Native American Studies) and Patrick Wilson (Anthropology)

Parkland Institute Faculty Research Grant
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities (CREDO) Grant
Jerimy Cunningham | Anthropology
Claudia Malacrida | Sociology
Janay Nugent | History
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal
Artistic/Creative Grant
Michael Campbell | Art
Dagmar Dahl | Art
Mary Kavanagh | Art

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Internal SSHRC Grant
Michelle Hogue | First Nations' Transition Program
Janay Nugent | History
Kent Peacock | Philosophy
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Dissemination Grant
Glenda Bonifacio | Women & Gender Studies
Inge Genee | Modern Languages
Catherine Kingfisher | Anthropology
Janice Newberry | Anthropology
Hillary Rodrigues/John Harding | Religious Studies
Arlan Schultz | Music
Amy Shaw | History

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Research Fund Grant
Vishaal Baulkaran/Ebenezer Asem | Finance
Sarah Boon | Geography
Shawn Bubel | Geography
Michael Campbell | Art
Arundhati Dasgupta | Physics & Astronomy
Larry Flanagan | Biological Sciences
Claudia Gonzales/Fangfang Li | Kinesiology & Physical Education/Psychology
Ute Wieden-Kothe | Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jason Laurendeau | Sociology
Raphael Lencucha | Public Health
Hua Li | Mathematics & Computer Science
Heidi MacDonald | History
Kimberly Mair | Sociology
Steve Patitsas/Saurya Das | Physics & Astronomy
Adriana Predoi-Cross | Physics & Astronomy
Drew Rendall | Psychology
Shelley Scott | Theatre & Drama
David Siminovitch/Tony Montina | Physics & Astronomy
D. Andrew Stewart | Music
Mark Walton | Physics & Astronomy
John Zhang | Mathematics & Computer Science

Post-Doctoral Fellow Awards Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Postgraduate Fellowship
Ben Clark | Neuroscience
Corinne Montes-Rodriquez | Neuroscience
Jake Ormond | Neuroscience
Ivan Skelin | Neuroscience
Aaron Wilber | Neuroscience

Canadian Space Agency Space Science Enhancement Award Postdoctoral Fellowship
Matthijs Van Der Wiel | Physics & Astronomy

CIHR Fellowship
Hendrik Steenland | Neuroscience

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Research Support Allowance (Short-Term) for North American and European Researchers
Noelle Gunst | Psychology

Book Awards 2013 recipients

M. Gordon Hunter & Dan Kazakoff (authors): Small Business: Journey to Success

Shawn Bubel, James McMurchy & Duncan Lloyd (authors): Record In Stone: Familiar Projectile Points From Alberta

Jean-Baptiste Leca, Michael A. Huffman & Paul Vasey (editors): The Monkeys of Smokey Mountain

Sarah Glassford & Amy Shaw (editors): A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service: Women and Girls of Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War

Geoffrey Hale (author): So Near Yet So Far: The Public and Hidden Worlds of Canada-U.S. Relations

Aaron Taylor (editor): Theorizing Film Acting

Marc R. Roussel (author): A Life Scientist's Guide to Physical Chemistry

Glena Tibe Bonifacio (editor): Feminism and Migration: Cross-cultural Engagements

Robert J. Williams, Robert T. Wood & Jonathan Parke (editors): The Routledge International Handbook of Internet Gambling

Arundhati Dasgupta (editor): Recent Research in Quantum Gravity

John S. Harding (editor): Studying Buddhism in Practice

Yale D. Belanger (editor): First Nations Gaming in Canada

Yongjian Bao & Wenlong Yuan (authors): The Contrarian Way of Crisis Management

Keith Roscoe & Rick Mrazek (authors): Developing Scientific Literacy: Ideas and Strategies for Planning, Assessment, and Instruction

Blythe Shepard & Lorna Martin (authors): Supervision of Counselling and Psychotherapy: A Handbook for Canadian Certified Supervisors and Applicants

Margaret A. Winzer & Kas Mazurek (editors): International Practices in Special Education: Debates and Challenges

Judith C. Kulig & Allison M. Williams (editors): Health in Rural Canada

Olga Kovalchuk & Igor Kovalchuk (authors) Epigenetics in Health and Disease

Childhood studies the basis for new research institute

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:06:50 +0000

The study of childhood issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective is at the essence of a new research institute established by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The Institute for Child and Youth Studies will bring together researchers from several disciplines who are increasingly adding child and youth studies projects to their research portfolios. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors approved the new research institute at its October 11, 2012 meeting.

The Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) formalizes a concept developed by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty members who hosted the successful Childhoods Conference at the U of L in May 2011.

Their efforts attracted researchers, professional practitioners and guests from around the world to consider the state of child studies. This was the start of a number of discussions, research partnerships and joint projects that eventually led to the establishment of I-CYS.

"Virtually every academic discipline touches on children and youth, but the information and the expertise is not often connected," says Dr. Janay Nugent, a history researcher and one of the six U of L faculty members involved in the process to launch the institute.

"We are aiming to bring people together for research collaborations, and to contribute to the broader community through partnerships with local agencies and policy-making organizations," Nugent adds.

"Our long-term plans include establishing a multi-disciplinary workshop series and a triennial conference devoted to understanding the role of children and youth in society, developing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Child and Youth Studies, as well as encouraging post-doctoral research."

This is the ninth Research Institute to be established at the U of L. David Hill, the U of L's recently-appointed Director of Centres and Institutes, says the Child and Youth Studies group will be a welcome addition to the cross-campus collaborations that are already taking place.

"In order to grow our research profile and move new ideas forward, we are encouraging our people to work together in different ways. There are many positive outcomes I see in bringing this group – and the people they attract – into the U of L family to further research in this very critical area, and I look forward to working with them to establish this institute."

An advisory committee is also to be established, with input from researchers, community agencies, First Nations, Metis and Inuit groups as well as undergraduate and graduate students. There is also a provision in the organizational structure for affiliate researchers from other universities in Canada, international scholars and professional practitioners working with children and youth.

Six U of L researchers from the U of L will form the initial directorate. They include: Dr. Louise Barrett, Psychology; Dr. Elizabeth Galway, English; Dr. Heidi Macdonald, History; Dr. Jan Newberry, Anthropology; Dr. Janay Nugent, History; Dr. Amy von Heyking, Education.

Student success at the heart of RRIP project

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 21:35:00 +0000

By HEIDI MACDONALD

Providing students with the tools and resources for success is at the heart of the Student Success Subject Matter Team (SMT), which was formed as part of the Recruitment Retention Integrated Planning (RRIP) project.

Focus groups with students, faculty and student service resource departments identified a wide variety of needs and created a number of recommendations for increasing academic support for students.

Tutoring was the most common recommendation, and not just within a discipline but also for developing students' academic skills, including effective studying, note taking and time management. The team recommended three related items: a pilot tutoring program, expanded learning strategist services and a revitalized writing centre.

Increasing academic support with pilot tutoring projects has proven to be very successful with helping students achieve their goals.

The Academic Writing Program and the Department of Biological Sciences participated in the spring 2012 pilot tutoring project and designed programs they felt would best serve their students. About 240 students from WRIT 1000 were offered weekly, apprentice-style workshops that encouraged student initiative, while the Department of Biological Sciences offered the 200 students enrolled in BIOL 1010 a combination of study skills and review sessions. In both instances, students whom instructors considered at risk of failing or withdrawing were offered one-on-one sessions with peer tutors.

Once completed, students were asked to evaluate the two pilot tutoring programs. Eighty percent of biology students who participated found the sessions useful, and data showed that these students also achieved higher mid-term grades than those who did not attend. As well, a higher percentage of students successfully completed BIOL 1010 in the spring semester compared to the previous spring when no formal review sessions were offered.

The study skills sessions were also well received by BIOL 1010 students. Attendance at these sessions was 85 per cent of the class enrollment, with 98 per cent of those rating the sessions as useful.

Feedback from academic writing students was also overwhelmingly positive.

"Students seemed to enjoy the opportunity to meet informally, outside of the classroom, to discuss concepts from Writing 1000 with instructors, tutors, and their peers and to put their rhetorical skills into practice in a workshop format," says Dr. Cliff Lobe, co-ordinator of the Academic Writing Program. "The workshops gave students another forum in which to develop as academic readers, writers and thinkers."

Based on such positive student feedback, the tutoring programs will return for the fall 2012 semester.

"It's important that we connect with our students early in the term and make them aware of these sessions before anyone becomes discouraged or disengaged," says Dr. Roy Golsteyn, associate professor of biological sciences. "Most students will benefit from review sessions, because they offer a new way of hearing lecture material and an engaging environment in which to ask questions."

The pilot tutoring program will be expanded in the fall with the addition of courses from management, health sciences and possibly fine arts. It should be noted that some departments, including mathematics and computer science have been running effective tutoring programs for several years, and much can also be learned from their success.

In addition to the need for discipline specific tutoring, the Student Success team identified a need for supporting students to become more effective learners. As a result, a full-time learning strategist, Jennifer McArthur, was hired to assist students in both individual and group settings to learn skills such as time management, reading a textbook effectively and preparing for exams.

The third prong of the SMT recommendations was to revitalize the writing centre. A full-time writing centre director, aligned with the Academic Writing Program, will be hired over the summer to address this need.

Heidi MacDonald is the Leader of the Student Success SMT

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Oral history project brings past to life

trevor.kenney — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:02:45 +0000

By MIKE PERRY

In January 2009, Dr. James Tagg, Professor Emeritus of the history department, initiated a project to conduct, collect, digitize and make accessible interviews with individuals intimately connected with the early years of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

With the assistance of Graham Ruttan, a student in the Faculty of Education, the number of interviews conducted with faculty, staff, administrators, students and friends of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown to 70. The interviews are between one and three hours long and provide a wealth of engaging and informative storytelling of the lives of individuals who experienced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge during its infancy.

According to the Oral History Association, "Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives, together with the Department of History, has taken on the important role of ensuring that the collection is preserved and accessible to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. Dr. Heidi Macdonald has assumed responsibility for the collection and has been instrumental in ensuring that the project continues to grow. Jacob Cameron, a technical specialist in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library and working in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives has done most of the work required to design and facilitate the easy access to these recordings.

Karissa Patton, a student in the history program, has also contributed to this project by assisting with the biographies and transcripts first worked on by Ruttan. Ruttan spent two summers on this project, interviewing former students, creating written transcripts and conducting the research for the short biographies of the participants.

While the project is largely complete, it is still a work in progress. It can be accessed on campus from two online locations. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library's homepage under the Resources tab, choose "U of L's Digital Collections" and follow the link to the collection. It is also located on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives web page at digitallibrary.uleth.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/44/rec/1.

Dr. Tagg joined the Department of History in 1969. During his tenure here, he served as assistant dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science. Tagg, who retired in 2003, devoted much of his time to the advancement of liberal education here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In recognition, the U of L has honored him and a fellow Professor Emeritus, Dr. Ron Yoshida, with the Tagg-Yoshida Lectures, which emphasize the importance of liberal education to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and to the southern Alberta community.

In addition, the Dr. James D. Tagg Citizenship Award is available to continuing graduate students for academic achievement and community involvement.

This oral history project provides the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a distinctive and valuable way to capture the early history of our institution. Together with all the interviewees, Tagg has captured the lived experiences of individuals forever linked to the U of L. It will serve as an enduring legacy to our institutional memory.

Mike Perry is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Oral history project brings past to life

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:34:42 +0000

In January 2009, Dr. James Tagg, Professor Emeritus of the history department, initiated a project to conduct, collect, digitize and make accessible interviews with individuals intimately connected with the early years of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

In addition, the Dr. James D. Tagg Citizenship Award is available to continuing graduate students for academic achievement and community involvement.

Mike Perry is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A clear focus on students

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:45:25 +0000

There's no doubt you've heard the buzz about a student portal or seen the campus-wide campaign about a U of L learning commons and study centre, while just recently the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ broke ground on another student residence.

If there are common threads to these initiatives, it's that they embody the student-centred ideal that is embedded within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Strategic Plan; an ideal that is articulated in part by the activities of the Recruitment & Retention Integrated Planning (RRIP) team.

In 2009, in response to a dramatic shortfall in student application numbers, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ wide Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) program was formed to create a competitive advantage in recruitment by collaborating and sharing resources across campus.

Members of the RRIP team, including (Back Row L to R) Steve Brodrick, Heather Mirau and Trevor Flexhaug. (Front Row L to R) Dan Kazakoff, Nicole Leusink, Alice Miller and Karen Clearwater.

"It was designed as a vehicle that would pull the faculties together to support and have a more structured approach to recruitment techniques," says Vice-President (Academic) and Provost Dr. Andy Hakin.

Recognizing that getting students in the door was only half the solution however, Hakin began thinking about how the institution could keep its new students. RRIP was subsequently created to compliment the work of SEM and to drive student retention initiatives.

"RRIP basically looks at how we need to support our students once SEM has done its work in bringing students to the U of L," says Hakin. "They ask the basic questions about the student experience, about how students get into the institution and what supports students use when they are here."

Karen Clearwater, the lead on the RRIP team, brought members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community together from a number of different areas of the institution.

"We did not necessarily want all unit managers, we looked at those people that work directly with students on a day-to-day basis or that have been directly involved in providing services to students," says Clearwater.

The team includes faculty members, APO's and AUPE membership and all have been very dedicated to the RRIP project. The team started its work with focus groups and unit presentations, as well as an environmental scan.

"We collected information from as many sources as we could," says Clearwater.

From the information compiled, certain subject themes took on greater priority than others. It was at that point Subject Matter Teams (SMT) were established. Currently 85 faculty, staff and students are working toward the completion of priority projects. Student leaders on campus have played a critical role in these SMTs.

"The whole process has taken a lot of time and we are pleased to see the results coming forward with some great initiatives," says Clearwater.

Student retention rates have long been an issue for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the RRIP initiatives have been aimed directly at improving those numbers.

"The idea is that we have to change what we are doing in respect to the student experience, with the overall goal of reducing that attrition number," says Hakin. "But no success will be possible without maintaining the high quality of our academic programs."

Four major projects are currently in the works, all having been identified as priorities by RRIP. They include the establishment of a student portal, the move from paper to electronic applications for graduate studies, the establishment of a 24-hour study centre with a more robust tutoring and mentor service and the creation of an academic success centre which will house a number of student services. As well, the push for more student housing came through RRIP recommendations, something that will be realized with the construction of Aperture Park Phase 3.

"That was another major piece that came forward from that group," says Hakin. "They identified that we needed more residence spaces, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ
responded to that because we know that students who are supported in a student housing environment perform better and have a substantially improved retention rate."

Both SEM and RRIP are seen as ongoing initiatives.

"It's a continuous improvement vehicle," says Hakin. "It cannot be one or two projects and we're done, things need to keep improving in terms of how we support our students, how we interact with them and how we improve their academic experience at our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

GET THE FACTS

· For more information on the RRIP project, check out the website www.uleth.ca/recruitment-retention

· The RRIP team was established in 2010

· In addition to team sponsors Andy Hakin and Nancy Walker and project manager Karen Clearwater, the 10-person team consists of co-ordinator Heather Mirau, Steve Brodrick, Trevor Flexhaug, Dan Kazakoff, Carma Leishman, Nicole Leusink, Heidi MacDonald, Alice Miller, Chris Roberts and Barbara Williams

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Campus Kudos - June

trevor.kenney — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:54:51 +0000

Dr. Heidi MacDonald (History) received an award for the best English-language academic article deemed to make an original and scholarly contribution to the field of women's and gender history by the Canadian Committee on Women's History. Her article, Who Counts? Nuns, Work and the Census of Canada, was published in a recent issue of Histoire Sociale/Social History. Reviewers indicated that MacDonald produced "…an impressive and insightful piece of work on the various ways in which women religious (nuns) have been excluded or significantly undercounted in the Canadian census."

Taras Polataiko's (Art) painting was on view at the National Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv. The work was part of an international exhibition curated by Kateryna Botanova.

Annie Martin's (Art) installation Untitled (horizon) was exhibited in the PAVED Arts main gallery in Saskatoon. A critical text was also commissioned to accompany this exhibition.

Dana Cooley (New Media) has a video work in the group show, A Century of Artists' Films, at the Theatr Mwldan in Wales. Curated by Mike Cousin in partnership with Oriel Mwldan, the show runs until July 2.

Three ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge teams recently walked to raise money to End MS, totalling an impressive $6,762.05 that was donated to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. The team from the Faculty of Education, captained by
Dr. Cathy Campbell, and consisting of Dr. Robin Bright, Dr. Noella Piquette-Tomei and Dr. Cynthia Chambers raised $2,935. The team from Administration, captained by Dr. Mike Mahon, and consisting of Maureen Mahon, Laurel Corbiere, Trish Jackson, Virginia Wishart and Robin Hopkins raised $2,725. The team from the Faculty of Management, captained by Dr. Lori Kopp, and consisting of Dr. Robert Ellis, Dr. Sameer Deshpande, Dr. Brian Dobing, Dr. Pam Loewen, Joan Kendall, Diane Boyle and Steve Craig raised $1,102.05.

Pictured left to right are iGEM team members Harland Brandon, (fourth-year Biochemistry), Justin Vigar, ( fifth-year Biochemistry) and MSc candidate Lisza Bruder, BSc ’11.

Clark Ferguson, the U of L's chief information officer, presented the keynote address at the Futures in it – Collaboration Western Canada Academy Conference in Calgary recently. Ferguson's address was titled Business Experience – Applied to Post Secondary at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Austin Mardon (BA'85) received an honorary doctor of laws from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta at its Spring Convocation ceremonies. Mardon, an inspiring advocate for the mentally ill, is a member of the Order of Canada and a past recipient of the CM Hincks Award, the highest award given by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Three members of the U of L iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) team are travelling to Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in California to attend the 5th International Meeting on Synthetic biology. The sold-out conference attracts researchers from around the world who are working in the growing field of synthetic biology.

Dr. David Clearwater's (New Media) essay, What Defines Video Game Genre? Thinking about Genre Study after the Great Divide, was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Loading... (a Canadian journal covering videogames and interactive entertainment).

Dr. Josephine Mills (director/curator U of L Art Gallery) has recently been named president of the Canadian Art Museum Directors' Organization.

Dagmar Dahle's (Art) work was included in the exhibition ANIMAL, appearing at Museum London in Ontario.

Loralee Sand Edwards' (BFA '05) exhibition iGallery: curated auto-paparazzi (Self-Portraiture in a Digital Age) is in the Main Gallery of the Bowman Arts Centre until July 10.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Events - March/April

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:41:16 +0000

Lectures

Mar. 15 | Brain Awareness Week
Dr. Bruce McNaughton presents, How Memory Works and Why it Sometimes Doesn't
7 p.m., Yates Memorial Centre

Mar. 16 | Pizza, Pop and Presentation
How to deal with annoying people (& make sure you're not one)
Noon, TH143

Mar. 16 | Art Now: DodoLab
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 16 | Department of Philosophy Speakers' Series | Kent Peacock presents, Energy Entanglement and Causality in Quantum Mechanics
4 p.m., B650

Mar. 16 | Climate Change National Speaker Series | Thomas F. Pedersen presents, Climate Change and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions: Blending Science, Social Science, Politics and Opportunity
7 p.m., PE261

Mar. 18 | Art Now: Chris Cran
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 21 | ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars Talk
Judith Kulig presents, Rural Health: Expanding our Horizons through a Community-Based Research Program
1 p.m., Andy's Place (AH100)

Mar. 21 | Architecture & Design Now: Peter Fleming | 6 p.m., C610

Mar. 23 | Pizza, Pop and Presentation
Mindfulness, strategies to help with stress, anxiety, trauma and focus
Noon, TH143

Mar. 23 | WestGrid Seminar Series
Raymond Spiteri discusses stiffness analysis of cardiac cell models
1 p.m., CRDC, L1126

Mar. 24 | ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars Talk
Dr. Heidi MacDonald presents, Coming of Age During the Great Depression in Canada
1 p.m., Andy's Place (AH100)

Mar. 25 | Art Now: Jessica Bradley
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 28 | Art Now: Jim Ellis
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 28 | Architecture & Design Now: Jim Ellis | 6 p.m., C610

Mar. 30 | Pizza, Pop and Presentation
Stressed?! Strategies to handle stress | Noon, TH241

Mar. 31 | ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars Talk
Marc Roussel presents, Randomness in Biochemical Reactions
1 p.m., Andy's Place (AH100)

Apr. 4 | Art Now: Ken Allan
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Apr. 6 | WestGrid Seminar Series
Masao Fujinaga discusses using MATLAB on WestGrid equipment
1 p.m., CRDC, L1126

Apr. 7 | Pizza, Pop and Presentation
Study Skills | 1:15 p.m., L1170A

Miscellaneous

Mar. 11 to Apr. 15 | ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Art Gallery Exhibition | Annual Curated Student Exhibit | Main Gallery

Mar. 16 | Farewell Reception: Bill Hudgins | Retirement reception for longtime staffer Bill Hudgins
2:30 p.m., Andy's Place (AH100)

Mar. 16 | Documentary Film screening
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High | 7 p.m., the Zoo

Mar. 18 | Public Health Ethics Videoconference | Moral Residue, Moral Distress, and the Hope of Moral Dialogue: Navigating Competing Demands in Public Health Practice
Noon, B716

Mar. 19 | CCBN Open House
Tour the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mar. 22 | Sun Life Financial Leadership Program | Employer information session
5:30 p.m., Andy's Place (AH100)

Mar. 25, Apr. 4, Apr. 11 | Volunteer Tax Program | Students get their taxes filed for free
9 a.m., Markin Hall, M2044

Performances

Mar. 17 | Faculty Artists & Friends Series | La Virtuosissima Cantatrice: Sings by Italian Baroque Women
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 22 | Music at Noon: Dr. Thomas Staples (horn), Glen Montgomery
12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 22-26 | Richard III by William Shakespeare | The eternal classic fraught with treachery, seduction and murder as Richard III attempts to claim the throne of England
8 p.m. nightly, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Mar. 26 | Rhythm-a-ning: Adventures in Rhythm | U of L Jazz Ensemble performs selections from jazz performers/composers including Thelonius Monk, Stan Kenton and Count Basie
8 p.m., Southminster United Church

Mar. 28 | Shadowcatcher
Lethbridge Symphony with the U of L Faculty Brass Quintet: Trudi Mason (trumpet); Keith Griffioen (trumpet); Dr. Thomas Staples (horn); Gerald Rogers (trombone); Nick Sullivan (bass trombone) | 8 p.m., Southminster United Church

Mar. 29 | Music at Noon: Sandra Stringer (mezzo-soprano) & Glen Montgomery (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 31 | Plays and Prose Competition Winners – Evening Celebration
U of L students read their winning entries from the Striking Prose and PlayRight Prize competitions
7 p.m., David Spinks Theatre

Apr. 1-2 | Global Drums
Enjoy Steel Drums, African Drums, Taiko Ensemble, Brazilian and Samba Ensemble
8 p.m. nightly, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Apr. 5 | Joining Forces: Vox Musica and LCI Singers | The groups perform individually, then join forces for John Rutter's Mass for the Children | 8 p.m., Southminster United Church

Apr. 8 | U of L Wind Orchestra
Wind Up
8 p.m. Southminster United Church

Apr. 9 | Western Wind
U of L Singers and Women's Chorus capture the spirit of Renaissance choral masters Jon Taverner and Christopher Tye in a program of wind-inspired music | 8 p.m., Southminster United Church

Apr. 12 | Music at Noon: Studio Showcase | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall (W570)

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Heidi Macdonald

U of L launches Centre for Oral History and Tradition

Related Content

Oral History Project brings the past to life

Related Topics

RRP finds success points

Related Topics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ recognizes faculty excellence

Related Topics

Childhood studies the basis for new research institute

Related Topics

Student success at the heart of RRIP project

Related Topics

Oral history project brings past to life

Related Topics

Oral history project brings past to life

Related Topics

A clear focus on students

Related Topics

Campus Kudos - June

Related Topics

Events - March/April

Related Topics

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recognizes faculty excellence