On November 12, 2020, faculty and staff gathered for a Town Hall that explored how our students are experiencing the online environments. The hope was that the student feedback would help faculty and staff tailor their approach with an aim to provide the best possible learning experience.
The recording and related resources can be found below.
A short presentation by a panel will explore the results of a survey and focus groups deployed to better understand our students’ experiences with online learning. Panelists will also share tips and tricks for effective teaching online.
Q & A
Panelists will answer questions from the audience.
Panelists
Tanya Forneris, Interim CTL Academic Lead and Associate Director, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Yang Cao, School of Engineering
Sandy Hilton, Faculty of Management
Shirley Hutchinson, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Opening Remarks
Ananya Mukherjee Reed – Provost and Vice President Academic
Join Prof. Ananya Mukherjee Reed, Provost and Vice-President Academic, and Rob Einarson Associate Vice-President, Finance and Operations for a faculty-specific Town Hall.
In this Zoom town hall format, a panel will address each of the topics followed by a topic-specific Q&A period.
This Town Hall will have faculty-specific information. Staff who are interested in learning more are encouraged to watch for future staff-specific options.
Program
Opening remarks Ananya Mukherjee Reed
Integrated Renewal Program – What Faculty Need to Know
A short update and timeline to go live presentation with a focus on what will be changing for faculty members and faculty administrators with Workday implementation, and how supports will be provided.
IRP Q&A with panel
Budget overview and update
Information will be provided on the 2020-21 Budget approved in July and an update on the current financial condition of the campus.
Budget Q&A with panel
The UBC Okanagan Deans will also be attending and available to answer questions during both Q&A sessions.
Nominations are now open for the designation of UBC Distinguished University Scholar. The Distinguished University Scholar program recognizes members of faculty at UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses who have distinguished themselves as exceptional scholars in research and/or teaching and learning, or who have demonstrated strong leadership potential in these areas.
Up to 10 new Distinguished University Scholars will be named for 2021 on recommendation to the President by an adjudication panel.
Nominations are made by the Deans and should be submitted by March 5, 2021. The results will be announced in May 2021.
On September 9 and 10 a Scholar Strike for racial justice, an end to anti-Black police violence and anti-Indigenous colonial violence will take place in Canada and the United States. UBC expects that some members of the UBC community will choose to participate in the scholar strike to draw attention to the global efforts to end racism and injustice.
At UBC, diversity is our strength – inclusion of different perspectives and experiences is critical to the wellbeing of our community and the individual and collective pursuit of excellence. We all play a role against hatred, oppression, violence and injustice and in finding a way to support and elevate those who have been traditionally, systemically, and historically marginalized. Recently, Professor Ono reaffirmed the university’s commitment to inclusion and called for the acceleration and intensification of efforts to build a more inclusive campus community.
Faculty members may choose to support the scholar strike in ways consistent with their academic principles, which may mean making the decision to cancel classes. In such cases, we request that faculty members inform students in their classes in advance with the reason for the action. Additionally, students should be provided with a pathway towards making up for missed class time. Faculty members may also choose to hold classes that focus on anti-racism as a topic during the strike.
DID YOU MISS THE TOWN HALL? WATCH THE RECORDING BELOW!
Are you wondering what online classes will be like and how you will participate? What about exams, quizzes and labs? Are you looking to find out what academic supports will be available?
At UBC Okanagan the student experience is at the heart of everything we do and we are working relentlessly to deliver the high-quality UBC education you expect, wherever you may be.
We understand that you have questions and we welcome you to join us for the second UBC Okanagan Student Town Hall on September 2nd to get a better sense of what learning online will look like and get more information.
A panel of UBC students and faculty members will each speak towards a different facet of the online learning experience before the floor is opened to your questions. Please note that while we will do our best to answer all questions the focus of this webinar will be the student learning experience.
In July the Provost hosted the first UBC Okanagan Student Town Hall for students to gain a better idea of what online learning will look like and have their questions answered live. You can watch a recording of the first Town Hall here.
Topics & Speakers
What will assessment look like in an online environment?
Nina Langton, Associate Professor, Faculty of Critical and Creative Studies
Deanna Gibson, Associate Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
What will class participation be like in an online environment?
Ray Taheri, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
What will labs be like in an online environment?
TamaraFreeman, Associate Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
What online learning supports are available for students?
Harshita Chopra, Senior Online Learning Coach in the Student Learning Hub & 3rd year Philosophy, Political Science and Economics student
Eloise Espel, Peer Mentor & 4th year Computer Science student
Sajni Lacey, Learning and Curriculum Support Librarian
What structural supports are in place for online learning?
Bryce Traister, Dean, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies & Dean pro tem, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Scott Reid, Associate Dean, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Opening Remarks
Ananya Mukherjee Reed – Provost and Vice President Academic
Did you miss the town hall? Watch the recording below!
Are you wondering what will it be like to learn online at UBC Okanagan in September? What will it be like to take your first university class online? What about classes where the connection between students is central to learning? How will experiential learning opportunities, like labs, be handled in our new online learning environment?
At UBC Okanagan the student experience is at the heart of everything we do and we are working relentlessly to deliver the high-quality UBC education you expect, wherever you may be.
We understand that you have questions and we welcome you to join us for a UBC Okanagan Student Town Hall to get a better sense of what learning online will look like and get more information.
A panel of UBC faculty members and a student will each speak towards a different facet of the online learning experience before the floor is opened to your questions. Please note that while we will do our best to answer all questions the focus of this webinar will be student learning experience.
Speakers
What is it like to learn online from a student perspective
Daulton Baird, 4th-year Computer Science Major
Jennifer Kerr, recent alumna, Master of Education Technology, UBC
What will it be like to take a large online class?
Mark MacLean, Mathematics, Faculty of Science, UBC Vancouver
Sandy Hilton, Faculty of Management
What will a lab online will be like?
Tamara Freeman, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences
Stephen McNeil, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences
What will a small online class (~40 students) be like?
Aisha Ravindran, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
What will a graduate class online be like?
Judy Gillespie, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Opening Remarks
Ananya Mukherjee Reed – Provost and Vice President Academic
On June 11th, 2020 the UBC community joined together for a conversation inspired by the global anti-racism protests and BC’s #DifferentTogether pledge
Missed the webinar? Watch the recording here:
Resources
Following the webinar the UBC Okanagan Equity and Inclusion Office put together a list of resources for those looking to take further action, some of which were mentioned by the panelists during the webinar.
Racism in the Canadian University: Demanding Social Justice, Inclusion, and Equity
Edited by Frances Henry and Carol Tator
Mapping violence, naming life: a history of anti-Black oppression in the higher education system Jalil Bishop Mustaff
The events of the past couple of weeks have brought into light the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism, and inspired strong waves of activism for a just society. This is a moment of historic change. Here in Canada and around the world we are witnessing powerful movements against racism. This forum brings us together to share our thoughts about this time and the potential for shaping our collective futures at UBC and beyond. Centering the voices of students and impacted community members, the forum gives us a window into the grief and the liberating potential of this moment.
The event will open with remarks from The Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. She has recently launched the #DifferentTogether pledge on Twitter, a pledge from which we have drawn inspiration for this event. We will follow with remarks from four panelists, after which the floor will be opened for questions and discussion.
Panelists
Jane Udochi, 2nd year Arts Student & President of the UBC Okanagan African Caribbean Student Club
Jane was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She was motivated to join the ACSC because it provided a space where her culture is celebrated and it gave her a space to meet others who celebrated their cultures as well.
Binta Sesay, 2nd year International Relations Major & Equity and Inclusion Assistant in the UBCO Equity and Inclusion Office.
Binta spent the last academic year as an executive member of the African Caribbean Student Club. Binta passionately advocates for women’s rights and the awareness of Black students’ experience on campus amongst others. Her goal is to make the campus a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for all marginalized groups.
Ananya Mukherjee Reed, Provost and Vice President Academic UBC Okanagan
Ananya has a doctoral degree in Political Economy & Public Policy from the University of Southern California and her scholarly work has sought to contribute to theories of alternative development, with a focus on the theme of justice.
Ainsley Carry, Vice-President, Students UBC
Ainsley Carry joined UBC in 2019 and is responsible for the student portfolio. He is a three time graduate of the University of Florida where he earned his Bachelors degree, Masters degree, and Doctorate of Educational Leadership. In his 25 years of experience in an academic environment, Carry has led a number of institutional initiatives including efforts to combat sexual misconduct, prevent hazing, and respond to campus protests
Perpetuah (Pep) is a passionate advocate for designing workplaces and communities that are inclusive and that empower members to be creative and innovative with over fifteen years’ experience within various industries in Canada and Africa.
Currently Pep is the Inclusion Action Plan Strategist working closely with the Provost’s Office and part of the Equity & Inclusion Office Team at UBC Okanagan. Pep’s focus is on the implementation and evaluation of policies, programs and initiatives, with the aim of embedding equity and inclusion across the Okanagan campus.
Opening remarks
The Honourable Janet Austin, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
The Honourable Janet Austin was sworn in as the province’s 30th Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and represents Her Majesty at the provincial level.
During her term, Her Honour’s goal is to use her position to shine a light on contemporary social issues and help create positive societal change and improve the lives of British Columbians. Her Honour has identified the three distinct areas of focus for her term; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Democracy and Civic Engagement, and Reconciliation.
Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan
Professor Buszard has served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor since 2012. She was born in the U.K. and received her PhD from the University of London. Her current research interests include institutional innovation and sustainability. In addition to her academic work she is active in her profession and as a volunteer, including serving on the Campaign Cabinet for the United Way, Okanagan region; as Chair of the Board of Vanier College in Montreal; and as President of the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science.
Closing remarks
Ali Poostizadeh, President UBC Okanagan Student Union
Ali Poostizadeh, 5th year Student, President of the Students Union of UBC Okanagan and former President of the WUSC Student Refugee Program.
Ali is passionate about racial equity, women’s rights, human rights, and poverty eradication. His goal is to spend the coming year working with campus partners to make UBCO a leader in equity and inclusivity for all marginalized groups. Following graduation, Ali hopes to pursue a career in the legal field with a focus on civil and human rights.
Jane Udochi, 
Ananya Mukherjee Reed, 
Perpetuah Muthui,
Ali Poostizadeh