Past Projects

The Ethics of Care in Working with Immigrant Families

Mehrunnisa A. Ali, Early Childhood Education
Susan Bishop, Nursing
Jennifer Clarke, Social Work
Budget: $10,000.00

Toronto Metropolitan University's students entering ‘the caring professions’ of Early Childhood Education, Social Work, and Nursing will work with an increasingly diverse population. This project will develop and test a learning strategy called 'the narrative approach' to help students learn what immigrant families expect from, and how they interpret their encounters with, public services in the above professions. This would help them critically evaluate how services in these fields meet immigrant families' needs. Students, field educators and faculty will assess the feasibility of incorporating this strategy in the field education curricula of their schools.

Establishing the TRSM Case Learning Centre

Dale Carl and Ken Grant, TRSM
Budget: $13,500.00

The use of case-based learning is widespread in business schools, with an established body of knowledge and practice. The proposed Ted Rogers school of Management Case Learning Centre responds to faculty and student requests and will provide a formal structure to build on existing informal practices to facilitate the adoption of case teaching by faculty and improve the TRSM student learning experience through active learning, both in the classroom and in case competitions. It will provide support for four main activities: case teaching in the classroom; undergraduate and graduate competitions; writing cases; and research on case teaching.

The Global Campus Project

Marion Coomey and Richard Grunberg, Radio & Television Arts
Budget: $14,500.00

The Global Campus Project will create the first truly collaborative and interactive method of bringing together students and educators from around the world, live and in real time. Combining two projects, 'The Global City' and the 'Global Campus Network' (GCN), we will use the latest technology to allow students from Toronto Metropolitan University and partner universities abroad to work together co-producing live, high definition news and current affairs programming. By sending hi-definition video and audio to remote locations without the prohibitive costs of satellite technology will give students the opportunity to interact with people from other cultures and develop a global perspective of worldwide events.

Arch-App: City as Classroom Builder

June D. Komisar, Vincent Hui, Arthur Wrigglesworth, John Cirka, and Viswam Ramasubramanian, Architectural Science
Budget: $10,000.00

This project uses contemporary mobile communication technologies as a medium to support architectural pedagogy. Through an application interface on a smart phone or iPad, already developed as a collaboration between Professor Vincent Hui and Graham McCarthy, architecture students will be able to move beyond traditional classrooms and textbooks to connect to a robust database of building information as they walk through the city. The app would reveal site history, building interiors, drawings, building renovations and project data, that relies on a growing student-developed database. Students' research and building analysis skills would be enhanced as they develop content as coursework.

In Search of the Comma: An Investigation of "Minimal Marking" for 1st Year Students

Anne McNeilly and Lisa Taylor, Journalism
Budget: $8,000.00

This research aims to determine whether a "minimal marking" concept, which draws on experiential learning, can improve students' knowledge acquisition and save instructors valuable time now spent correcting surface-learning deficits, such as grammar, while marking papers/tests/assignments.
Inhabitating Critical Spaces: Teaching and Learning from the Margins at Toronto Metropolitan University

Nicole Neverson, Melanie Knight, Camille Hernandez-Ramdwar, Amina Jamal, and Doreen Fumia, Sociology
Budget: $5,353.00

The aim of this project is two-fold. First, we will examine the strategies used by faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University when instructing in subject areas that are located at the margins or challenge dominant ideology. Second, we will investigate undergraduate students' awareness of these strategies and marginal issues. Focus group discussions will provide the context for exploring: a) pedagogical strategies deployed by marginalized faculty; b) how instructors across different faculties engage sensitive issues such as race, homophobia and disAbility in the classroom; c) how the use of these strategies avoid reinforcing oppression; and d) students' awareness and experience dealing with critical curricula.

 (PDF file) Download a copy of the Inhabiting Critical Spaces handbook
Bringing Life to Learning: Enhancing the ISTC Simulation Training Program

Rheta Rosen, Interpersonal Skills Teaching Centre
Budget: $12,000.00

As a leader in experiential learning at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Interpersonal Skills Teaching Centre (ISTC) promotes student engagement and supports teaching innovation through the live-actor Simulation Training Program. Recently, students and faculty alike have highlighted a need for new simulation scenarios that better reflect the diversity of our current student population and provide professionally relevant challenges to students. This project responds to that need by engaging with groups of faculty and students to create a new series of 5 to 6 live-actor simulations for use across multiple disciplines.
Using Social Media to Increase Student Engagement in Introductory Psychology

John Turtle, Kristin Vickers, Ben Dyson, and Lili Ma, Psychology
Budget: $9,000.00

The project will explore the advantages of using social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to integrate a current news story or research finding into a large lecture. After focus groups help us to determine the best ways to connect with students online, they will learn about the issue online a few days before class, comment and ask and answer questions, then the issue and the students’ reactions will be discussed in class, including the opportunity to send further comments and questions online. Effects will be measured by exam scores, as well as students’ survey responses regarding their level of engagement, interest and understanding.

Evaluating Change: Developing and Assessing a Hybrid Course in Professional Communication

Wendy Freeman, Joanne DiNova, and Catherine Schryer, School of Professional Communication
Project Budget: $15,000.00

Summary: The School of Professional Communication (ProCom) is developing an innovative hybrid model of delivery for one of its key courses in business communication, CMN 279. We are developing flexible online modules that will replace one hour of lecture time with interactive learning activities and also support two hours of workshop interactions. ProCom is piloting this change in the Winter of 2011, and plans to assess the effects of this change through student surveys, instructor interviews, and course usage information. The results of this assessment will affect future iterations of the course. An LTEF grant will greatly assist this change process.

Project outcomes: Universities are faced with the competing challenges of maintaining instructional quality while meeting growing student demand. Blended or hybrid course design responds to this challenge by leveraging the strengths of the web to create an integrated instructional environment where students learn online and in class. Introduction to Professional Communication (CMN279), delivered by the School of Professional Communication, is a multi-section course that introduces undergraduate students to written, visual and oral communication for professional contexts. To meet growing demand, and to maintain necessary opportunities for student-instructor engagement, CMN279 has been transformed into a hybrid course with one hour of instructional time online and two hours of small workshop-format learning weekly. Seven online modules introduce students to course topics using interactive online activities. LTEF funds supported course design and development and an evaluation that informed two successive iterations of course design. Evaluation of student and instructor experience, using surveys and interviews, showed the importance of (1) online and in-class integration, (2) flexibility of course material and structure to accommodate unique pedagogical practices, (3) a course structure that is simple to navigate for instructors and students, (4) interactivity in online course material, and, (5) opportunities for course revision based on systematic evaluation.

Digital Narratives in Food & Nutrition Education

Jacqui Gingras, Nutrition
Jennifer Brady, PhD Student, Queen's University, Health Studies
Jason Nolan, FCS, Toronto Metropolitan University, EDGE Lab
Emmy Pantin, Centre for Digital Storytelling (CDS), Toronto
Budget: $15,000.00

Summary: Narratives (stories) are a means for preparing food and nutrition students for the complexities of their future practice. This study will provide students the opportunity to create digital stories from the text-based narratives they already produce in class. Additionally, these students will engage in a partnership with practicing dietitians to co-create digital narratives that describe the realities of dietetic practice. Through collaboration, students and professionals can teach each other, thus expanding their communities of education and practice. The digital stories will also enable new food and nutrition students to better understand the field they are preparing to enter.

Project outcomes:

1. Training of four students who previously completed FNP 500 (Sarah Garbe, Kasia Tupta, Fei Zuo, and Jordana Riesel) as well as Emily Vettese by Emmy Pantin in how to create digital stories AND how to teach others to create digital stories. These students are ready to train future FNP 500 students.
2. Production of four digital stories which were shared at the Dietitians of Canada conference in “Dietetics Cinema” session organized by a colleague from Acadia University, Dr. Catherine Morley. Dr. Morley is active in promoting arts-based inquiry in the dietetics profession.
3. Appointing of Emily Vettese of digital narratives workshop facilitator and research assistant for future in-house research workshops and future evaluation research.
4. The establishment of a partnership between Emily Vettese as workshop facilitator and computer lab in RCC with the exact specifications for digital narratives production.
5. Evaluation of the purpose and relevance of digital stories vis-à-vis research project conducted by Emily Vettese. Emily Vettese is a current contact at Toronto Metropolitan University for any faculty members that wish to learn how to create digital narratives or to integrate digital narratives into research or teaching projects.  A move away from hiring a facilitator from Digital Stories Toronto (DSTO) represents a considerable cost savings. Also, this affords the Toronto Metropolitan University community with a viable means to stay in the foreground in digital narrative construction. For instance, Dr. Elaine Frankel has involved Emily in her Teaching Diversity Project to help create digital stories for use in preparing Faculty of Community Services students for their future work with diverse families.

Foundational Architectural Computing Modules

Vincent Hui and Albert Smith, Department of Architectural Science
Budget: $13,000.00

Summary: This proposal seeks to empower architecture students with the critical digital skill set required to design, develop, and represent their projects via a series of online learning modules. Classical architectural training relies on a foundation driven by representational modes including computing. As a result, design education is mired by students' acumen with representational software. This web-based material will provide students with a combination of narrated video tutorials on architectural design software as well as interactive 3D models that would innovate conventional architecture pedagogy by reducing in-class technical training while enhancing the iterative design process.

Project outcomes: The expectations in digital competency placed upon students entering university are incredibly high despite their inconsistent baseline of technical skills. While students become overwhelmed by these software skills required for various courses, faculty are frustrated with the need to spend class time dispensing with technical skills rather than more important issues such as theory and application. Within the first year architectural science curriculum at Toronto Metropolitan University, students are required within their design studio courses to not only use the fundamentals of classical drawing and modeling conventions but also digital tools (3D modeling, rendering, and photo montaging) which often prove to be difficult to absorb. In response to this, a series of narrated online video tutorials were generated for each software application and made available to students in the design studio to learn at their own pace. The technical instruction left the classroom and studio and instead was accessible to students conveniently on their computers and smartphones. Broken down into 20-30 minute videos, students were able to learn technical skills in manageable sessions during their commutes or free time. The integration of this pedagogical model improved not only students’ computing skills but also design sensitivity and application.

Students' Resistance to Discontinuing Paper Textbooks

Joanne McNeish, Mary Foster, and Anthony Francescucci, Marketing
Budget: $7,500.00

Summary: Dissemination of information to students in electronic formats instead of paper formats is an integral part of contemporary teaching. Universities embrace electronic dissemination of course information because of its practical advantages. Although advocates of digitized information perceived that millennial students would embrace the paperless classroom with little or no resistance, this has not proven to be the case. This proposal addresses the gaps in our understanding of this resistance behaviour by identifying and examining the attributes of the paper book perceived to be necessary for information transfer and that are not present in digital information modalities.

Project outcomes: The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 used focus groups to identify and explore the factors related to students’ perception of paper textbooks. This data was used to develop the items incorporated into a quantitative instrument in the next phase. In phase 2, a sample of 386 undergraduate students taking marketing courses at Toronto Metropolitan University completed the online survey. We used Confirmatory Factor Analysis to test the factors linked to resistance to discontinuing paper textbooks. Students’ resistance to giving up the paper textbook positively relates to the way in which the paper textbook facilitate learning and study processes, is permanent and under the students’ control during and after the course is finished. The fluid and dynamic nature of digital content compared to the more consistent and predictable nature of information on paper appears to be a barrier to the acquisition of knowledge for the purpose of assessment. This study provides insights into the underlying reasons for student resistance to discontinuing paper-based learning resources, and outlines ways to improve student learning success.

Out from Under: a virtual learning environment

Melanie Panich, Disability Studies
Jason Nolan, School of Early Childhood Education
Garrick Filewod, School of Image Arts
Catherine Frazee, School of Disability Studies
Kathryn Church, School of Disability Studies
Alexandra Bal , School of Image Arts
Budget: $14,500.00

Summary: This project re-creates "Out from Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember", featured at the ROM (2008) and the Cultural Olympiad (2010). This widely acclaimed exhibit, created by students, faculty and collaborators in Disability Studies, illuminates the hidden history of disabled peoples' struggle for equal rights. The re-creation will consist of a living interactive exhibit space in the Second Life virtual world. Participants will engage with digital re-creations of exhibit artifacts, and also create and share their own object simulations, interpretations and accounts of lived experience with a global community of learners.

Project outcomes: In this project we set out to recreate “Out From Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember” featured at the ROM (2008) and the Cultural Olympiad (2010). This widely acclaimed exhibit created by students, faculty and collaborators in Disability Studies illuminates the hidden history of disabled people’s struggle for equal rights.  The recreation has now been accomplished in a three-dimensional, interactive form exhibit space in the Second Life Virtual world. The key elements of the travelling exhibit have been digitized and reconstructed as a virtual simulation. By expanding the reach of the exhibit virtually, through Second life (as opposed to the travel, logistics and prohibited costs of touring the exhibit physically) Out From Under is now able to reach a new level of accessibility and audience engagement and attract an ever-widening community of visitors and learners globally.

Rethinking Learning Delivery Methods - Podcasting from Gutenberg to the iPhone and Beyond

Art Seto, Martin Habekost, Jason Lisi, and Rich Adams, School of Graphic Communications Management
Budget: $15,000.00

Summary: Students have the connected portable devices; computers, PDAs and smart phones, needed to receive podcasted short videos, audio, pictures, animations and diagrams on a 24/7 basis. Technology and management faculty at the School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM), propose to build a system to provide podcasts to students of the program. These learning objects will cover a wide cross section of fundamental topics that weave throughout the program and through podcasts can be reviewed at the student’s own pace and time

Project outcomes: The production segment of this project is complete. Utilizing Toronto Metropolitan University students we completed the planned podcasts, each of which included animated production process segments and animated titles. These high quality podcasts are currently being deployed over February and March, as is data collection occurring. The write‐up of the research will occur over the summer and dissemination in a scholarly journal will occur over the Fall. We believe that this project will provide a lasting legacy and will result in more podcasts being produced, which will continue to enhance student learning, retention and satisfaction.

Enhancing Attention During Class: A Pilot Study

Kristin Vickers, Psychology
Budget: $7,500.00

Summary: Technology and management faculty at the School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM), propose to build a system to provide podcasts to students of the program. These learning objects will cover a wide cross section of fundamental topics that weave throughout the program and through podcasts can be reviewed at the student's own pace and time. This system would increase student engagement and success, while increasing learning and teaching excellence.

Project outcomes: The purpose of this ongoing project is to understand why some students do not pay full attention in  arge lecture classes, and based on that information, devise feasible strategies to abate student inattention. To that end, the literature pertaining to student attention in the classroom has been reviewed, a task facilitated by a research assistant generously funded by the Learning and Teaching Enrichment Fund at Toronto Metropolitan University. Additionally, within my lab, we have discussed the findings of the literature overview, contemplated testable hypotheses derived from our enhanced understanding of the empirical findings to date, embarked on several small projects to enhance student attention in the class, and re-formulated the original project idea in line with the lab-based discussion and established findings. The small projects include a student honours thesis and a poster presented at the Learning and Teaching Office Conference. The re-formulation of the original project idea now includes a study designed to find out from students why they choose not to pay full attention in class, as well as the strategies that students think would address the particular reasons they express for classroom inattention. For example, we hypothesize that students whose inattention is a result of feeling stressed will report a preference for stress-management techniques in minimizing their inattention, whereas students whose inattention is a result of feeling bored will report a preference for especially engaging classroom activities.

Engaging Students in the Field: Possibilities for Creative and Innovative Models for Delivery of Field Education Curriculum

Lisa Barnoff, Jennifer Clarke, May Friedman, and Jennifer Poole, FCS Social Work
Project Budget: $9,000.00

Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Social Work has the largest undergraduate social work program in Canada and a history of delivering excellent field education curriculum for almost 50 years. As leaders in the provision of field education, we are aware of the tensions and economic realities that impact field education in the current context. This project will explore alternative models of field education through a review our field education curriculum and interviews and focus groups with various stakeholders.  The aim is to consider new, innovative ways to deliver field education that enhance student engagement and experiential learning for professional social work practice.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Tiles that Talk: From tangible tiles to software template for smart networked objects

Steve Daniels and David Bouchard, FCAD, RTA
Budget: $10,000.00

Fine art students face a novel set of challenges when asked to realize their creative vision with code-based projects. We are proposing the development of a system of tangible tiles and integrated software ‘code factory’ that will help students build bridges of understanding between proposed interactive and networked experiences and the required computer syntax, software libraries and hardware that animate those proposals. Our tiles will help students see relationships between artistic concept and programmatic code by giving them intuitive tools that can be directly manipulated. Using iterative rapid prototyping strategies we will develop and make available kits, tile plans and our software.

Enhancement of the "lecturer-students" communication model via development of an interactively operated projection system equipped with gesture and voice recognition

Alexandre Douplik and Aditya Pandya, FOS Physics
Budget: $12,000.00

We plan to develop gesture and voice recognition system that can be easily deployed in any lecture room/podium. We aim to enhance the communication between lecturer and students and allow the lecturer to become a part of the audience. The goal of the project is to perform seamless integration of the technology with the lecturer-student communion. As a result, the students would benefit from the enhanced interactivity with the lecturer and, the lecturer benefits from the freedom of movement across the classroom while maintaining the slide presentation including changing slides, zooming in and, virtually annotating via gestures and voice.

Title: In[sid] Outside: Building on Toronto Metropolitan University's Arch App

Catherine Dowling, Mimi Whelan, and Rebecca Ott, FCAD Interior Design
Vincent Hui, FEAS Architectural Science
Graham McCarthy, DMZ
Budget: $9,000.00

Many interior design students commute to campus, unaware of the historical depth and diversity of cultural history and design present within the city. This project proposes the integration of cross curricular assignments that expose detailed interior design data, enabling, onsite collection of building information for future non-classroom learning where students will use an in[sid] outside Arch-App as the platform and framework to analyze and synthesize research for future design solutions. The conventional pedagogical model of presenting design history, technology, and theory within a classroom will be enhanced to become both physically relevant and interaction through virtual place making.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Web-based Tools for the Teaching Support of Audio Theory and Practice

Garrick Filewod, FCAD Image Arts
Lori Beckstead, FCAD RTA
Sholem Dolgoy, FCAD Theatre
Wendy Freeman, FCAD Professional Communication
Budget: $7,000.00

The project will develop a series of learning modules and learning objects to provide alternate support and delivery of basic audio curriculum used in several departments across FCAD. It builds on the existing FCAD policy of shared audio equipment and is a precursor to a proposed expansion of that policy to include innovative teaching delivery. We plan to develop a multi-media form that includes text, diagrams, sound and video components. The modules will be short and able to be combined in a variety of forms allowing them to be adapted to differing curricular needs. The World Wide Web will provide the basic platform for delivery, as a hybrid addition to regular classroom courses.

Blended Delivery of Business Essentials Minor

Mary Foster and Jane Saber, TRSM Marketing
Budget: $8,500.00

The Business Essentials Minor is a comprehensive module accessible to students outside of TRSM and is part of several new programs. It's introductory courses (BSM 100, BSM 200) integrate knowledge from all functional areas of business and require a delivery format that emphasizes experiential learning. By Fall 2013 there will be 200+ students enrolled in these courses, which limits the opportunities for applied learning. This project proposes to "flip" the course format, so that basic concepts traditionally taught in lectures are instead available digitally, and the face-to-face classes are reserved for the applied learning often done outside the classroom.

Augmented Reality in Design Development [ARIDD] Project

Vincent Hui, Baruch Zone, Albert Smith, and Christine Leu, FEAS Architectural Science
Graham McCarthy, RULA
Budget: $12,500.00

The Augmented Reality in Design Development (ARIDD) project is an innovative teaching platform that uses mobile computing devices (smartphones and tablets) and augmented reality technologies to provide students a tool to seamlessly transition from visualizing design work in computer models to showcasing their work overlayed upon the built reality. Beyond augmented reality visualization, the platform also allows users to modify and refine their design work in real time in response to components of the site designers may have ignored. As software becomes ubiquitous design tools, new technologies and curricula must emerge to provide engaging and experiential learning environments.

Digitizing the Fashion Research Collection

Lu Ann Lafrenz and Ingrid Mida, FCAD Fashion
Budget: $12,000.00

This project will create an online resource of key items from the Fashion Research Collection including rare/valuable couture, designer labels and fragile historic artifacts. Currently pieces are not readily accessible and excessive handling accelerates deterioration. Documenting and uploading images to an online portal allows their use as classroom resources for construction methods, fashion history, curation, material culture, and inspiration, reaching 640+ undergraduates/graduate students and the public. As well, digitization will facilitate faculty, student and interdisciplinary research and also attract potential students and scholars, elevating Toronto Metropolitan University's profile.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Virtual Laboratory Experience for Engineering Design

Lamya Amleh, Dean's Office
Project Budget: $14,000.00

First year engineering is loaded with general science courses that teach fundamental concepts and theories.  However, the majority of students are attracted to hands-on learning, experimentation,  and technology. Many are disappointed and frustrated  when their first year experience is dominated by large lecture courses.  This proposal outlines plans for The Virtual Laboratory (VL): a lab experiment software program. The goal is to enhance student learning and retention via student participate in experimental design and process in a simulated lab environment. We hope this pilot will lead to wider adoption of on-line courses in FEAS, and across Toronto Metropolitan University.

Charging the Cinematic Narrative: How fundamental principles of graphics, psychology and sequence structure inform and electrify contemporary motion picture story telling – an interactive website and study guide for Toronto Metropolitan University film, Television and trans-media production studentss

(Donall) Brian Damude, Image Arts
Budget: $10,000.00

This site will include clips from films (cinema or television) produced around the world, as well as original visual material prepared specifically for this project. Also included will be lecture material, overhead drawings and illustrations mapping shooting set-ups etc., and opportunities for students to analyze scenes from great films in detail with shot by shot comments from the instructor.  Students will also be offered the opportunity to actually edit and re-edit sequences to create alternate meanings, or change dramatic impact, through sequence restructuring and editing to convey varying story telling approaches and narrative voices.

E-Learning Template and Toolkit for Blackboard library instruction

Kelly Dermody, Colleen Burgess and Mandi Arlain, RULA
Budget: $7,817.00

The Library currently teaches research skills to 13,000 students per year, but this number indicates that many students at Toronto Metropolitan University receive no in-class research instruction. Our project aims to reach more students by using existing e-learning infrastructure in Blackboard. Our project will create an e-learning module template and toolkit in Blackboard for subject-specific library instruction. Librarians will use the template to create subject specific tutorials and the toolkit will allow Librarians to chose from videos, quizzes and other interactive activities to make their on-line tutorials measurable, dynamic and interactive.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Development and university-wide test implementation of a voice-gesture recognition interactive student-lecturer presentation system

Alexandre Douplik and Aditya Pandya, Physics
Budget: $14,000.00

Previous year's funding from the LTO empowered us to design a keyboard-remote control-free presentation architecture where lecturer is enabled to walk free from the confines of the PT platform across the class for better contact and interaction with the audience. Alpha tests performed on various male and female subjects indicate that an overall accuracy of around 88% has been achieved at this stage. Animated presentation elements demonstrated as an augmented component to the presentation can be pulled up and placed on the presentation slide using voice and gestures. We aim in this proposal to improve the architecture to achieve higher accuracy (95% overall with 100% for physical gestures), and we plan to upgrade this technology into a viable modular architecture to which lecturers can add their own creative content or provide clear writing on the presentation slide while talking including complex formulas and equations. The project also aims development of interactive teaching models as a university-wide test implementation for engineering, natural science, arts, communication and management fields to improve student engagement for more effective teaching.

Interdependent Learning Modules to Support Student Training in Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries

Peter Kedron and Christopher Greene, Geography
Budget: $5,000.00

The purpose of this project is to significantly contribute to the body of material available to students to assist training in approaching problems that are cross-disciplinary in nature.  Through a series of interdependent and hierarchical suite of laboratory modules, students from diverse disciplines and academic tiers (undergraduate, graduate) across the university community will have the opportunity to develop novel skills to address research questions that increasingly cross disciplinary boundaries. This series of modules will focus on three areas—environment, economy, society—and gradually expand from developing theme-specific skillsets to combining these skills to address problems that are multi-thematic.

Rights in Action: An integrative learning object

Kim Snow, Jennifer Martin, Tara Collins, Esther Ignagni, Mary Sharpe,  Gurjeet Dhillon, Faculty of Community Services, and Agnes Samler, Defence for Children International: Canada
Budget: $12,000.00

The project makes use of recognized approaches for prompting critical thinking and problem solving and builds a web-based student-centered environment. The project team brings together faculty from three schools—with subject matter experts— to create a case scenario that challenges students' thinking about emerging practice concerns. A filmed or animated simulation will be created that allows students to explore and make decisions in a complex case-based scenario that raises tension between rights and duties.

A Web Based Organic Chemistry Exploration Environment

Mikhail Soutchanski and Andrew McWilliams, Faculty of Science
Budget: $10,000.00

We propose a Web-based online educational tool for students taking courses in Organic Chemistry. The objective is to improve their understanding of organic chemistry reactions and synthesis problems by providing an engaging interactive environment governed by a set of game-like rules. The educational focus of the proposed tool is on the organic synthesis problems. These problems are central to the chemistry curriculum and often appear as questions in the tests and as exercises in the textbooks. The tool will include a graphical front-end presented as a Web page, and a back-end computer program verifying the answers, calculating the scores, and computing optimal solutions.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

"Flipping" SSH 205: Empowering and Engaging Millennial Students in "Academic Writing and Research" Through Online Lectures and In-Class Workshops

Paul Chafe and Lorraine Janzen-Kooistra, English
Budget: $7,000.00

In order to better engage and empower millennial students, increase their processing time, and facilitate their learning both inside and outside the classroom, I am proposing “flipping” the lecture in SSH 205: Academic Writing and Research. Students will be provided with a library of online lectures they can access before class and as needed throughout the term. Challenging concepts will be delivered through an online lecture that the students can view again and again at their leisure. Class time would be lecture-free and become a full-on writing workshop in which the professor is less a lecturer and more a facilitator, tutor, and aide.

Beyond the Tweet: Using social media to enhance learning, engagement and success among first-year students

Bettina West and Helene Moore, Marketing, Ben Barry, Fashion
Budget: $6,000.00

This project incorporates the use of social media microblogging technology (Twitter) across disciplines to provide first-year undergraduate students with opportunities to connect in real-time, both within and outside the classroom, with their professor, other students and members of the professional community. This extension to the traditional teaching and learning environment offers the potential to provide students with unique opportunities to enhance their university experience, both from an academic success as well as a community-connectedness perspective. Based on lessons learned, it will also attempt to provide educators with guidelines for effective use of social media microblogging technology in a large-classroom format.

Tutorial and lecture help videos for first year physics course

M. Juliana Carvalho and Tetyana Antimirova, Physics
Project Budget: $6,000.00

These videos will provide a much needed tool to help students with problem solving, which is the greatest stumbling block for the majority of students in Physics courses. With this tool students can anticipate or reinforce tutorial and lecture instruction. The videos will be available online (posted on D2L) and target primarily Science and Engineering students at Toronto Metropolitan University. The recording will be done using CAMTASIA which has the ability to include self-assessment quizzes.

Hybrid delivery model for FFD 400: Computer Aided Design II & FSN 501: Advanced Colour Theory

Bernie Murray, Fashion
Budget: $13,500.00

This proposal will assist to develop an innovative flexible hybrid model of delivery for two courses in the fashion program, namely, FFD 400 Computer Aided Design II and FSN 501 Advanced Color Theory. I am developing flexible online modules to replace the three hours of lecture time with learning activities and also develop course materials for two hours of tutorial. This hybrid model would be the first of its kind in the School of Fashion curriculum. Using this model will provide flexibility of learning opportunities for students in the fashion program for FFD 400 that currently do not exist. Currently, lecture materials are developed for FFD 400: Computer Aided Design II that can be easily adapted for online delivery. Additionally, FSN 501: Advanced Colour Theory would be of interest to the Master of Arts in Fashion with additional reading materials and activities. Advanced Colour Theory may also be of interest to departments in FCAD: Interior Design, Creative Industries, and Theatre. Initial curriculum development will begin in the Winter of 2016 with plans to assess the impact to learning through student surveys and instructor feedback. The results of this assessment will affect future planning and delivery of the courses. The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Fund (LTEF) will assist to implement this change to the curriculum.

Gamification tools and techniques for D2L Brightspace

Deborah Fels, Information Technology Management, Robert Bajko, Professional Communication, David Chandross, Chang School, and Lori Schindel Martin, Nursing.
Budget: $19,700.00

Gamification of learning environments is the application of game mechanics to non-game activities. This proposal is for the expansion of gamification of ITM 445 (Multimedia in Business), CMN 450 (Participatory Media and Communication) and introduction of gamification to NUR 825 (Family Health Nursing) to increase student interest and engagement in classroom material and exercises. ITM445 and CMN 450 will be modifyied using existing gamification elements based on the previous LTEF funding project while NUR825 will apply the learning that occurred in ITM445 and CMN450 to its online components. Courses will employ similar game elements including progress mechanics (students will earn experience points and badges as they complete weekly exercises), avatar development, leaderboards, and collaboration with fellow students (students will work in teams to complete increasingly challenging tasks). Five D2L gamification tools will also be developed. 

Your One-Stop Writing SSHop: Fostering Skill-Retention, Meaningful Participation, and Enjoyment in “SSH 205: Academic Writing and Research” Through an Interactive,Responsive Website Containing Flipped Lectures and Online Workbooks

Paul Chafe and Lorraine Janzen-Kooistra, English
Budget: $15,800.00

As an introductory university writing course, "SSH 205: Academic Writing and Research" requires regularly employing in-class experiential writing exercises, continually engaging student participation inside and outside the classroom, and constantly providing professorial feedback and interaction. Unfortunately, increased class sizes counteract the fundamental goals of SSH 205 to foster hands-on learning and student-instructor interaction. In an effort to guarantee student participation, empowerment, and skill retention, as well as provide instructors with the time and tools they need to respond to the individual needs of each student, I am proposing a fully-interactive, readily-accessible, instantly-reactive SSH 205 website that will house collaborative flipped lectures, a link to the course text, and, most importantly, an interactive online "workbook" through which students will submit assignments and receive feedback they can use immediately during in-class writing workshops.Bringing activists online: Learning and teaching with accessible web docs

Melanie Panitch, Chelsea Jones, and Kimberlee Collins, Disability Studies
Budget: $13,000.00

In response to a student-identified need to connect with local community leaders working on disability justice, we are proposing to create five short (5-10 minute) accessible web docs profiling Toronto-based activists for use in online courses. This project clarifies the "real world" intersections of disability activism in community and the innovative ways in which this activism challenges the status quo through multi-disciplinary ways of thinking including: online queer movements, mad activism, accessible city building, crip arts, and institutional survival. The web docs bring social justice leaders into online classrooms and invite students across faculties to expand their understanding of accessible communities.

Essential Research and Citation Management Skills for Graduate Students – An Interactive Video Tutorial Series

Andrew Millward, Geography & Environmental Science, Reena Tandon, Faculty of Arts, and Denise Pinto, Jane's Walk
Budget: $12,150.00

The project proposed by Drs. Millward and Tandon, in collaboration with Jane’s Walk (www.janeswalk.org) everages a technological approach, in the form of digital storytelling, to engage students, meet the important objectives of the LTEF call and contribute to Toronto Metropolitan University’s academic Plan priorities. Moreover, the outcomes of this proposal will serve to embed experiential teaching and learning in the classroom and in related assignments, while having the added benefit of creating a freely available storytelling tool for use by Toronto Metropolitan University’s broader community. Using the model of citizen-led neighbourhood tours—pioneered by Jane’s Walk, and inspired by Jane Jacobs—the project will engage Toronto Metropolitan University students enrolled in EUS 301 (Reading Neighbourhood Environments) to discover and document, using written word, audio and photograph, the stories behind many of Toronto’s places of significance in the struggle for social and environmental justice. These narratives will be captured in a web app, already in prototype form and developed by Dr. Millward’s research team.

LMS supported Multiple Choice Questions with feedback for Calculus and Linear Algebra

Alexander Alvarez, Mathematics
Project Budget: $8,000.00

We will create original Multiple Choice mathematical problems, targeting critical concepts and techniques corresponding to courses MTH 141(Linear Algebra) and MTH 240(Calculus II). The problems  will be supported in the Toronto Metropolitan University's Learning Management System. For incorrect answers, the system will provide a detailed feedback to the student, indicating why their choice is not correct. This selection of Multiple Choice Problems will be incremented over time, focusing in the topics that historically students struggle the most. Not only these problems will be used for these specific courses, they could be used for other Calculus and Linear Algebra courses.
Virtual Acoustic Trip: learning and teaching architectural acoustics by listening to a room

Umberto Berardi, Architectural Science
Budget: $8,000.00

This project aims to develop new ways for learning and teaching acoustics. This proposal epitomizes how Toronto Metropolitan University continues its tradition of applied learning while constantly innovating its offerings in blended learning environments. A great deal of emphasis is placed upon the visualization of space in design, which ultimately is reproducible in imagery; yet acoustics are often ignored or assumed to be ideal. The project consists of creating an online repository for collecting and sharing impulse responses and auralization data of concert halls, performing spaces, and churches. The impulse response of a room is the acoustic fingerprint of that room, whereas an auralization is the reproduction of a given sound at a point in a room. Contrarily to conventional traditional acoustic pedagogy, this project will enable students to explore room acoustics beyond class hours and be able to create a new way to experience a room for students interested in performance spaces and acoustics (ranging from Architectural Science and Engineering to Interior Design and Theatre students). Toronto Metropolitan University students will be able to download and upload freely impulse responses and auralizations that will be collected through this project. This new website will allow students to understand the acoustics of a room beyond traditional methods of teaching/learning, and will allow them to listen to a room as if conducting a “virtual trip” through it.
Designing and Testing Urban Productive Gardens

Lesley Campbell, Chemistry & Biology, and June Komisar, Architectural Science
Budget: $7,000.00

As advisors of Rye’s HomeGrown initiative, which has created edible gardens on campus, we seek support to create experiential learning and student research opportunities using these gardens. We envision building new course units with an urban agriculture theme in the fields of architecture, botany, building science, food security, nutrition, and urban design, using our eight street-level gardens, large rooftop garden and greenhouse for experiential learning. Our teaching approach will vary, but hands-on experience will give students an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of growing food in the city. Students will observe and test growing methods and materials and designs for urban conditions.
The gamification of two undergraduate multimedia and social media courses

Deborah Fels, Information Technology Management, Rob Bajko, and Jaigris Hodson, Professional Communication
Budget: $8,500.00

Gamification of learning environments is the application of game mechanics to non-game activities.. This proposal is for the gamification of ITM 445 (Multimedia in Business) and CMN 450 (Participatory Media and Communication) to increase student interest and engagement in classroom material and exercises. Both courses will employ similar game elements in the course including progress mechanics (students will earn experience points and badges as they complete weekly exercises), leaderboards (student groups will be ranked within the class), collaboration with fellow students (students will work in teams to complete increasingly challenging tasks). A leaderboard widget and/or an experience calculator will also be created for Toronto Metropolitan University’s new Learning Management System.

The TrendLab: A professional communication learning experience

Wendy Freeman and Jaigris Hodson, Professional Communication
Budget: $7,000.00

The TrendLab is an innovative experiential learning environment for undergraduate students in the School of Professional Communication. It is an extra-curricular learning event spanning two weekends in Spring 2015. The first weekend consists of an interactive bootcamp led by trendsetters from various Toronto Metropolitan University Zones, who will introduce TrendLab participants to breaking developments in their fields of expertise. After a week of using the latest tools to track social media conversations, TrendLab participants will then participate in a hackathon style competition, in which they will solve a communication problem for a non-profit organization, using their newfound knowledge to do so.
Self Reflective Learning Outcomes User-Generated Content to support Flipped Classroom in Entrepreneurship

Steven Gedeon, Entrepreneurship & Strategy
Budget: $8,500.00

Every year, the two-semester capstone entrepreneurship course generates over 500 individual self-reflective assignments that embody the culmination of what the student has learned over the year. These final-year insights should be shared with other students to create user-generated content to support flipped classrooms, hybrid classrooms, and Zone education. The proposed online platform would provide students with advanced multi-media tools to augment their assignments with links, photos, videos, and quizzes to turn their self-reflections into advanced learning modules. Students will be able to rate and provide feedback to their peers as well as generate peer-feedback on their own insights. This project will dramatically increase the online content available to be used in a wide array of courses and innovative new educational delivery systems used by the Entrepreneurship & Strategy Department.
Essential Research and Citation Management Skills for Graduate Students – An Interactive Video Tutorial Series

Don Kinder, Kelly Dermody, Diane Granfield, Kelly Kimberly, RULA, and John Hannah, Student Learning Support
Budget: $7,000.00

The Toronto Metropolitan University Library, in collaboration with Student Learning Support (SLS), aims to create a series of short instructional videos as part of a blended learning initiative to help Toronto Metropolitan University graduate students improve their information literacy skills, manage their citations, and integrate sources effectively into their major writing projects. The long-term intent is to build a repository of such videos, free and accessible to all Toronto Metropolitan University students but also as a component of a more substantial blended learning, co-curricular program of which the videos would be one part.   We are requesting funds to create and launch a pilot series of videos aimed at equipping graduate students with a set of research and lifelong learning skills critical to their success.Building Information Management (BIM) Model Integration into Architectural Science Curriculum: A toolkit for Third Year and Foundation for Future Integration

Jennifer McArthur, Architectural Science
Budget: $7,000.00

This proposal seeks to provide the Department of Architectural Science with a multi-media toolkit to facilitate the integration of Building Information Management (BIM) into the 3rd year core curriculum.
Beyond teaching how to use the software, the toolkit will provide case studies to prompt critical reflection on the impact of BIM on the design process, video tutorials and interviews to provide students with exposure to current industry best practices, example problems to investigate how building systems are integrated and coordinated, a recommended online video inventory and literature reviews. The toolkit will be piloted and evaluated in the F2015 term.Inhabiting Critical Spaces: Teaching and Learning From the Margins at Toronto Metropolitan University

Nicole Neverson, Doreen Fumia, Camille Hernandez-Ramdwar, Amina Jamal, Melanie Knight, Azar Masoumi, and Adwoa Ntozake Onuora, Sociology

Budget: $5,353

View the final report for Inhabiting Critical Spaces (external link) 

Mindfulness practice as a strategy in teaching-learning of university students

Jasna Schwind, Elizabeth McCay, Heather Beanlands, and Lori Schindel-Martin, Nursing
Budget: $7,000.00

Increasingly, university students are experiencing stress and anxiety, such that it impedes their academic success and personal well-being. One possible approach to address this phenomenon is mindfulness practice: present-moment awareness, accessed through the senses, for the purpose of cultivating equanimity and inner peace. Mindfulness Meditation (MM) and Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) are two aspects of mindfulness practice that have the potential to decrease the feelings of anxiety and stress, and increase students’ ability for compassion for self and others. This mixed-method study examines how graduate and undergraduate students experience the effectiveness of mindfulness practice on their academic and personal well-being.

Development of an On-line Curriculum Development Guide to assist Schools of Nursing to Develop Context-Relevant Curriculum Focused on Violence Against Women and Children

Janice Waddell, Cristina Catallo, Linda Cooper, and Margaret M. Malone, Nursing
Budget: $12,000.00

The aim of our project is to develop an on-line interactive curriculum development guide (CDG) that will serve as a resource guide for Canadian Schools of Nursing (SoN) to develop nursing curriculum focused on violence against women and children (VAWC).  Nurses are often the first professionals to engage with women and children who have experienced violence and so are uniquely positioned to intervene and prevent violence. Ethical guidelines for nurses also oblige them to address VAWC; however, nurses consistently report receiving little VAWC education. This project responds to that gap through the development of an evidence-informed, context-relevant VAWC CDG.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: Positioning Aboriginal Nutrition & Food Challenges Within Two "Linked" Undergraduate Courses

Janet Chappell, Elizabeth Manafo-Epton, Tania Morrison, Cyndy Baskin, Elisa Levi, Marlene Wyatt, and Laura Salmon, School of Nutrition
Budget: $3,500.00

Toronto Metropolitan University & the School of Nutrition's Academic Plans value the meaningful engagement of students. These educational opportunities require 'pursuing new ideas, solving problems, & grasping the interconnectedness of people, ideas, things & places.' [pp.10, Shaping Our Future] This project will extend our experiential learning commitment by enhancing the Aboriginal community 'view' within two linked undergraduate courses through an incremental integration of historic & narrative perspective taking, exploration of emergent social determinant research & alumni partnership. The desired outcome will be that graduates will seek understanding before 'individual or community change' counselling.

Contemporary Perspectives on Non-Western Fashion (elective course)

Henry Navarro Delgado and Ben Barry, School of Fashion
Budget: $4,000.00

This course explores non-Western dress across three cultural regions: Asia (the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Asia), Africa (North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa), and the Americas (North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America). Each region is covered through three themes: history, hybridity, diaspora. While the historical analyses cover regional ancient civilizations, beliefs and ways of life related to dress, the hybridity framework explores cultural interactions resulting from colonization and trade. The theme of diasporas complement s the others by studying interactions within the Western cultures does to settlement outside of native regions.

Voices of Diversity: Digital Narratives in the Classroom

Elaine Frankel, and Jasna Schwind, School of Early Childhood Education
Budget: $3,941.00

This project will develop a "library" of digital narratives, which highlight the diverse and complex life situations of individual students may encounter in their professional practice. These digital narratives can be used by faculty in their courses when teaching about issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The narratives are intended to enhance students' understanding of the varied socio-cultural contexts and perspectives of individuals. These may relate to cultures, religion, sexual orientation, ability/disabilities and/or generational differences. Digital narratives can also be used to enable students to critically reflect on their professional identity.

Project Outcomes: The Voices of Diversity project is pleased to announce that digital narratives which convey the unique lived experience of five diverse individuals are now available on Ryecast.  These narratives, and the accompanying instructor guide, are designed to be used in the real or virtual classroom to support student discussion of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Please  (PDF file) download the poster for full details.

Racialized and Newcomer Youth: Beyond the Talk

Jean Golden, Maya Roy, Althea Prince, and Niklia Cole, Department of Sociology
Budget: $4,000.00

The Racialized and Newcomer Youth: Beyond the Talk Project will create five mini-docs, 2 teaching resource guides and interactive blog materials about youth engaged in settlement and community-building in Toronto’s racialized and newcomer communities. These mini-docs will explore on location: newcomer women and rising HIV/AIDS; young Black males redefining the negative construction of Black masculinity; South Asian women ending forced marriages; racialized youth organizing to stop secondary school drop-outs in their communities; and Ethiopian young women organizing against FGM. The docs, guides and blog will be disseminated within Toronto Metropolitan University and to external community programmes & institutions.

Exploring the Intersections Between Disability, Madness and LGBTQ Identity and Health

Esther Ignagni, Kathryn Church, and Jennifer Paterson, School of Disability Studies
Budget: $1,732.68

This grant proposal seeks funds to support faculty conference attendance. We intend to present two workshops at the Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) conference in March 2012 in Ottawa. Attendance at this conference is necessary to solicit feedback from conference delegates. Feedback will be used to revise the workshop content. Our attendance at the conference will allow us to develop new content in five existing courses. This content will expand Disability Studies students' awareness and understanding of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) diversity and the intersection of LGBTQ and disability issues.

NARRATIVES OF ARCHITECTURE/ NARRATIVES OF DIVERSITY Developing and expanding self- and other-awareness of issues of diversity , equity and inclusion (DEI) among first-year architecture students within their chosen discipline

George Thomas Kapelos, Department of Architectural Science
Budget: $3,050.00

Diversity comes in different shapes, sizes, colours, beliefs and meanings. Similarly, architecture exists in many forms, ideas, contexts and interpretations. In-class exercises (Workouts!) on the subject of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in architecture are developed for ASC103, the Built Context, an entry level required course in Architectural Science. These Workouts! Complement existing course materials and invite students to undertake individual explorations of DEI in architecture through the vehicle of narrative. Survey instruments and reflective writing measure learner-content engagement & learner-constructed knowledge outcomes, so that students may carry DEI awareness into their education and future practice.
Francophone Realities in Social Work Education

Lynn Lavallee and Jordon Aslett, School of Social Work
Budget: $5,000.00

The Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) is the accreditation body for all university social work programs. One of the standards of accreditation is that curriculum address Francophone realities in Quebec and other Francophone realities in Canada. How schools address this standard varies across the country and reflects the multiple political, cultural and linguistic divisions of Canadian society. Surveys and telephone interviews with faculty and students will explore attitudes toward this standard and how schools of social work deliver this mandatory curriculum. The research will provide faculty with best practices on how to address this standard with curriculum.

LGBTQ Studies: Theory, Research, and Resources at Toronto Metropolitan University

Joseph Medaglia, School of Fashion
Budget: $4,650.00

This project aims to compile and share resources related to LGBTQ Studies (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning) across the Toronto Metropolitan University community. It intends to infuse LGBTQ ideas into the curriculum; develop an awareness of the vocabulary and issues surrounding the LGBTQ community; establish a network of faculty and students conducting research in this area; and enable greater in-depth LGBTQ Studies workshop. Annotated resources will be available on a public website, accessible to all Toronto Metropolitan University faculty and students. The website will feature an overview of LGBTQ Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University faculty conducting research in this area, and faculty/school specific resources.

Studying Gender, Sexuality, and Race: New Course Development for Criminal Justice and Criminology

Emily van der Meulen and Anne-Marie Singh, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Budget: $2,900.00

The past three decades have witnessed significant growth in the interdisciplinary fields of "sexuality studies," "feminist studies" and "critical race and diaspora studies." This has signaled a commitment on the part of academic institutions to reflect the diversity of the proposal seeks to hire a Research Assistant to support the development of two courses proposals that will both enhance Toronto Metropolitan University's commitment to the interdisciplinary study of sexuality, gender and race and will diversify courses in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.

Making Mathematical Graphs Accessible for Blind Students with MATLAB

Alireza Sadeghian, Hooman Tahayori, and Masoomeh Moharrer, Department of Computer Science
Budget: $5,000.00

Graph as an indispensable part of science, plays a central role in learning and teaching. Access to graphical information broadens the visually impaired people’s horizon. However, the lack of appropriate tools, either hardware or software, is the main burden. This project is to identify the criteria based on which describing a mathematical graph to fully tactile perceivable, before actually being embossed, would be feasible. With respect to the cultural, educational and ethnical backgrounds, software tools will be developed that enables visually impaired people to draw and interpret quality perceivable tactile graphs using MATLAB.

Caribbean Poetry Online: Olive Senior's Gardening in the Tropics

Hyacinth M. Simpson, Department of English
Budget: $3,800.00

The project is an educational poetry website. It is designed to assist undergraduate and senior high school students in their study of Caribbean poetry in general, and the poetry of Olive Senior specifically. Senior’s award-winning collection Gardening in the Tropics (1994;2006) is widely taught in high schools in Canada, the Caribbean and the UK and on English and Caribbean Studies courses at universities in Canada and internationally. This open-access website provides resources for teachers and students. These include detailed analysis of and annotations to, the poems in the collection, supplementary audiovisual materials, bibliographic information, and questions for further study.

Media, Religion and Culture Course: A New Way of Introducing Undergraduate Students to Religion

Joyce Smith, School of Journalism
Budget: $3,650.00

This new course, open to undergraduates in all faculties, will introduce students to current religious beliefs and practices through mass media. World Religion courses are a mainstay of electives available to undergraduates in most universities; Toronto Metropolitan University does not currently offer such a course. Drawing on the emerging scholarship of religion, media and culture studies, studies will have the opportunity to learn more about this historically and politically central aspect of human life. They will be given tools with which to question and discuss religion (including atheism) as it intersects with public policy and share community concerns, without slipping into stereotypes.

From Classroom to Clinical Placement: A Diversity Education for Midwifery Clinical Preceptors

Nadya Burton, Karline Wislon-Mitchell, Manavi Handa, Elizabeth Allemang and Julie Corey
Midwifery Education Program
Project Budget: $5000.00

This project will bring together midwifery clinical educators to develop enhanced teaching capacity in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. Midwifery clinical preceptors provide the backbone of midwifery students’ education and training, and enhancing capacity amongst these educators will have far-reaching and long-lasting impact on midwifery students. This workshop will provide both theoretical and practical tools to help clinical educators address issues of diversity and equity as they teach and mentor midwifery students with a particular focus on developing skills to deal with complex and challenging issues related to diversity in clinical placement.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Mad-Positive in the Academy: From Conference to Curriculum

Kathryn Church, School of Disability Studies, Jutta Treviranus, Inclusive Design Research Centre (OCAD University), Winnie Ng, Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Social Work, Jijian Voronka, Jenna Reid, School of Disability Studies and David Reville, Chang School
Project Budget: $4195.16

We are proposing to create a short (5-10 minutes) ‘web doc’ or documentary video on mad-positive discourse and practices for use in a variety of existing online and in-person courses . Using filmed participant interviews from last year’s Mad-Positive in the Academy, this web doc would facilitate knowledge transfer from this international dialogue on practice to many student bodies through curriculum development. The web doc and accompanying cross-disciplinary teaching tools aim to clarify what mad-positive means, give students the tools to think critically about how mental health is taken up campus and link these concepts to other relevant social movements.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Connecting classroom foreign language learning to communities

Mignette Garvida and Myriam Martel, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Project Budget: $1400.00

We propose in this investigation to provide evidence that foreign language students do not necessarily have to study abroad to understand and speak better the language they are learning. Students can ameliorate their sociolinguistic and pragmatics skills through exposure to the target language -in this case Spanish- within the community through experiential/service learning by assisting Hispanic communities to settle in Canadian society.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report
Increasing Diversity in Caribbean Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University

Camille Hernandez-Ramdwar, Sociology
Project Budget: $3295.40

This proposal is two-fold: firstly, the development of a new Caribbean Studies course at Toronto Metropolitan University “Haiti and Cuba: Revolutionary Societies”, designed to contribute to the diversity of Caribbean Studies offerings in particular and to the curricular diversity of Toronto Metropolitan University on the whole; secondly, the development of a Caribbean Studies @ Toronto Metropolitan University website, emphasizing the diversity of the scholarly field and the region, and encouraging online faculty, student and community exchanges and discussion. Both resources are interdisciplinary and engage in teaching and learning about diversity.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Incorporating diversity sizing in the first year fashion design project

Lu Ann Lafrenz
School of Fashion
Project Budget: $3945.00

This project incorporates size diversity in first year fashion courses. The current comprehensive design project involves multiple stages (i.e., researching themes and target markets, illustrating designs on figures, pattern drafting and constructing dresses) spanning five fashion courses. Currently 180 students design daywear dresses for industry standard size 10; this project would shift the target market to the specialty size population (i.e., plus, mature, petite)  exposing students to retail stores that carry specialty sizing and their target market, increasing the awareness of the needs of our diversified population and expanding levels of students’ knowledge, skills and creativity.
Promoting Diverse Learning through the Use of Interactive Visual Elements: In-Class and Online

Andrea Moraes and Niklas Peipenbreier
Nutrition, Chang School
Project Budget: $2750.00

This project will promote diversity of learning through the creation and delivery of nine interactive visual elements for the course CFNY 409 – Gender and Food Security as part of in-class and online learning. The elements will be produced using an Digital Learning development program, Adobe Captivate 6 that combines visual materials (images, audio, video, diagrams) with interactive quizzes, simulation and branching opportunities. The interactive components will promote student reflection, critical thinking and provide student choice in learning path. Similar to other courses in Food Security, this course attracts diverse students from different disciplines, backgrounds and stages in life. The pilot delivery of the new elements will be closely evaluated for student input and improvements.

•  (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report
•  (PDF file) View the poster from the Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Conference

Course 1- The Multicultural Business Opportunity and Course 2- Marketing in Multicultural Environment

Steve Tissenbaum
TRSM
Project Budget: $5000.00

The multicultural-focused courses being proposed are: (1) The Multicultural Business Opportunity which examines the process of multicultural opportunity identification for start-ups and existing businesses: designed to cultivate the mindset and skills required for students to engage in opportunity identification activities making them part of their daily regiment in their personal and professional lives. (2) Marketing in a Multicultural Environment is for students who envision being involved in any multicultural marketing efforts in their careers. Concepts related to this growing area of study include the multicultural terrain, ethnic groups and boundaries, models of acculturation and assimilation, multicultural research and the marketing mix.

Understanding Diversity: Teaching Sustainable Diversity through the Use of an E-portfolio

Caterina L. Valentino
Health Services Administration
Project Budget: $4153.40

Sustainable benefits from diversity are realized when students understand the underpinnings of their personal self-concepts and to what degree their beliefs and values are grounded in societal norms and environmental conditioning. Introducing students to an E-portfolio provides them with a structured workplace from which to disclose their deep-seated beliefs, document growth, self-understanding and professional development. This proposal’s goal is to instruct students in the use of an e- portfolio to determine how it assists students with their understanding if diversity and inclusion.

• Understanding Diversity: Teaching Sustainable Diversity through the Use of an E-portfolio [RyeCast]
  
•  (PDF file) Transcript and handout
  
•  (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report (opens in new window) 

Tracking Student Adaptation of Diversity Theory: A Multi-Year Perspective

Mimi Whalen
Interior Design
Project Budget: $700.00

This research seeks to build on existing knowledge and scholarship in teaching inclusivity and diversity and to facilitate greater faculty knowledge through the collection and analysis of data from students enrolled in upper and lower level liberal studies electives at Toronto Metropolitan University. The courses examined introduce, develop, and promote diversity and inclusion exposing students throughout a semester to a broad range of theories and examples from around the globe. Tabulated data will be studied to determine if there is a measurable difference in attitudes to diversity before and after exposure over the standard four year undergraduate degree.

 (PDF file) Read more about this project in the final report

Social Justice Media: Thinking and Creating Diversity

Marusya Bociurkiw, RTA School of Media
Project Budget: $5000.00

Inside and outside of the classroom, our students live and breathe social and online media. How does diversity fare in this virtual space? How do we encourage diversity in a new media space that has already become dominated by Western discourses? The course and speakers’ series, "Social Justice Media: Thinking and Creating Diversity” will address these issues by presenting a roster of eight media artists/theorists from Aboriginal, LGBT, feminist and racilalized communities, including A lecture/seminar course with readings related to the speakers’ background and content will accompany the series.

The development and assessment of an activity designed to teach about structural inequality

Kosha Bramesfeld, Psychology
Project Budget: $3,976.00

I propose to develop and assess an activity designed to teach students about the topic of structural inequality, including the privilege and oppression that arise due to class, race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and political and social power. The activity will be developed with students in a Psy808 Community Psychology course and evaluated for effectiveness using a Psy124 Social Psychology course. Outcomes will include understanding of structural inequality, victim blaming, recognition of one’s own privilege, and desire to contribute to social justice. The final product will be an easy-to-implement activity that can be used in small or large lecture classes and in workshops.

 (PDF file) Final Report

 (PDF file) The Game of Social Life: An Assessment of a Multidimensional Poverty Simulation, Kosha Bramesfeld and Arla Good

 (PDF file) C’est La Vie: Using a Role Playing Game to Teach About Privilege, Kosha Bramesfeld and Arla Good

Safe Scenery Shifting for Every-Body

Valérie C. Kaelin, Image Arts, and Scott Martin, Theatre
Project Budget: $5,000.00

Kaelin and Martin will review and rehearse the scenery‐shifting skills of 2 female and 2 male School of Theatre students. Performing arts physiotherapist, Ginette Hamel, will correct their postural anomalies. Kaelin will direct an IMA student Film Studies crew to capture a choreographed demo of these techniques. Ginette will coach proper posture and movement to camera. The video will demonstrate that with proper posture, movement and collaboration, females (even females alone) as well as males are able to handle unwieldy scenery safely and efficiently. The footage will be edited into a ten‐minute instructional film to be posted on linda.com under the Toronto Metropolitan University production label.

Narratives of Architecture / Narratives of Diversity

George Thomas Kapelos, Architectural Science
Project Budget: $4,500.00

Diversity comes in different shapes, sizes, colours, beliefs and meanings. Similarly, architecture exists in many forms, ideas, contexts and interpretations. In‐class exercises (Workouts!) on the subject of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in architecture are developed for ASC103, the Built Context, an entry‐level required course in Architectural Science. These Workouts! complement existing course materials and invite students to undertake individual explorations of DEI in architecture through the vehicle of narrative. Survey instruments and reflective writing measure learner‐content engagement and learner‐constructed knowledge outcomes, so that students may carry forward DEI awareness into their education and future practice as architects.

Engaging Diverse Voices in Shared Inquiry

Kym Maclaren, Philosophy
Project Budget: $4,600.00

Great transformative potential lies in shared inquiry with others whose experiences, perspectives, and ways of knowing are different from our own: through such diversity, we learn about ourselves, others and society, and we develop the capacity for bringing about knowledge and social change through new collaborations. We propose to establish, through a pilot course and a workshop, the grounds for a program of courses in which university students and community members (e.g., recently incarcerated people, new immigrants, members of Aboriginal communities, at risk youth) are brought together to learn as peers. The pedagogy involved is based on the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, and works to break down social barriers, build community establish communal inquiry, encourage critical reflection and engage all participants in learning that addresses their whole person and that inspires greater social responsibility.

Practicing Conflict Resolution and Cultural Sensitivity within Diverse Contexts: A Study of Interdisciplinary Community Service Practitioners and Students

Christina Parker, Interdisciplinary Studies
Project Budget: $2,500.00

Interdisciplinary courses, such as conflict resolution, facilitate a creative tension between different discipline-specific ways of knowing. This research will share various democratic and inclusive dialogic pedagogies that encourage interdisciplinary community service students to engage in dialogue about conflict and diversity. This research project is a study of how conflict management and diversity operates in multi-disciplinary school and workplace contexts. The project aims to develop a greater understanding of practices, beliefs, and needs of interdisciplinary practitioners in handling conflict (including facilitation of client/patient centered learning and dialogue on conflictual issues) in diverse workplace contexts. This research examines what kinds of conflicts community service students experience on a day-to-day basis and the different types of conflict management practices that are used in their diverse school and workplace settings. It also examines how practitioners’ responses to conflict are shaped by issues of cultural diversity, gender, and social location. This study provides insights into how instructors can use dialogic pedagogies in ways that encourage students to engage in self-reflexive praxis in and outside of the classroom, and to critically reflect on culturally appropriate conflict resolution practices in diverse school and workplace contexts.

Integrating transgender care into the Midwifery Education Program

Nicole Bennett, Andera Robertson and Nadya Burton, Midwifery Education Program
Project Budget: $3,100.00

This project seeks to revise and update Midwifery Education Program (MEP) program materials and curriculum with regard to gender diversity and inclusivity. Changes will be implemented via a three-pronged initiative: 1)the hire of an RA to assist with copy edit changes to electronic and hard copy print materials used within the MEP; 2) curricular content development and implementation specific to gender diversity; and 3) a series of workshops for faculty, staff and students, with an express aim to raise awareness and care competency related to gender diversity within midwifery and borader social and healthcare contexts.

Building Tomorrow’s Scholars and Leaders: An Anti-Black Racism Summer Leadership Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University

Jennifer Clarke, Akua Benjamin and Idil Abdilahi, School of Social Work
Project Budget: $4,232.00

Following a successful Anti-Black Racism Conference: Community, Resistance and Criminalization at Toronto Metropolitan University, February 19 -20, 2016, the next step is to build the leadership capacity of our young scholars, students, staff, practitioners and community members. As leaders in Anti-Black racism scholarship, we will hold a Summer Leadership Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University in July 2016, involving leading critical race scholars and students from several universities in Ontario. The aim of the Institute is to prepare the next generation of anti- Black racism scholars and leaders who will advance the scholarship and pedagogy on anti-Black racism in schools, classrooms and communities across Canada.

The IDEA (Inclusion Diversity, and Equity in Action) Project

Cynthia Mason, TRSM, Thurukka Sivanantharajah, TRSM Alumnus, and Maria Pimental 
Project Budget: $3,962.50

The Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Action Project (hereafter The IDEA Project) seeks to: (1) promote awareness of the value of diversity, inclusion, and equity; (2) facilitate an understanding of discrimination and inequality; and (3) offer strategies for combating various biases which help reinforce inequality and discrimination. We strive to do this primarily by designing and facilitating IDE workshops and training sessions at various institutions, including universities, colleges, corporations, government institutions, as well as public and civil services. The IDEA Project will partner with various Toronto Metropolitan University-affiliated groups (at the student, faculty, and administrative level) to present IDE learning opportunities to the student bodies. Planned Toronto Metropolitan University workshops include: CSR as it relates to IDE; and Addressing Islamophobia.

Safe Scenery-Shifting for Every-Body—Phase 2

Valérie C. Kaelin, School of Image Arts
Project Budget: $5,000.00

Safe Scenery-Shifting for Every-Body is a 43-minute instructional video in which gender-equity is treated as a component of occupational safety for stage hands across all entertainment industries. It contains in-depth demonstrations of safe set practices to show how ergonomics and communication performance trump brawn. The scenery-handling demonstrations are juxtaposed with analyses of female and male musculoskeletal anatomy, study of proper occupational wear and coaching by Ginette Hamel, performing arts physiotherapist. Experts in equity in entertainment and occupational safety comment on animated graphics of employment statistics, in which women are under-represented in all but two areas of its labour force: costuming, makeup and hair (majority) and craft services (about fifty-fifty).

Strategies for inclusive and culturally competent classroom - a pilot study

Nagina Parmar, Chemistry & Biology, and Peter Monkhouse, Chang School
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The proposed study is designed to measure the awareness of cultural competence in order to create strategies tip sheet for an inclusive and cultural competent classroom. Students and faculty members on campus will be invited to be part of this pilot study. Competency assessment tools will be used with focus on culture, self-assessment, culture general knowledge, open mindedness, relationship building, motivation, empathy, listening, and problem solving. Open dialogue with the community of faculty members and students will provide further opportunity to create strategies tip sheet that can be implemented to create an inclusive and cultural competent classroom.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) & Diversity

Farid Shirazi, Information Technology Management
Project Budget: $3,376.40

The Canadian workforce is becoming more diverse and is projected to become even more so in the coming years. Diversity can be defined as any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another. It encourages respect for, and appreciation of differences in ethnicity, race, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion. Due to recent technological advances, the prominence of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has improved our society exponentially, allowing for the world to be connected and for issues such as diversity to be explored.

Art for Social Justice in the Social Work Classroom: Learning & Teaching Outcomes for Students & Educators

Samantha Wehbi, School of Social Work and Yahya El-Lahib, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary
Project Budget: $5,000.00

This study brings together social work education in dialogue with arts practices seeking to support diversity, inclusion and social justice. While anecdotal support exists for the use of arts-informed methods, there is a paucity of research exploring how such methods impact learning and teaching experiences. The proposed study relies on arts-informed research methods to conduct interviews with students and professors at Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Calgary. Findings of the study will be used to develop a symposium, workshop, website and a SSHRC application for a broad-scale study on the potential contributions and challenges of integrating creative arts in social work education to support diversity, inclusion and social justice.

Social Justice Media: Networks of Diversity

Marusya Bociurkiw, RTA School of Media
Project Budget: $5000.00

Over half of Canada's teenagers use social networking sites daily and "feel they will miss out by not going online every day" (Ipsos Reid 2012). These are today's Toronto Metropolitan University students, a generation shaped by their interaction with digital media and virtual networks-­‐-­‐but what is the treatment of diversity in such digital spaces? The course "Social Justice Media: Networks of Diversity" bridges academic theory and real world practice by combining theoretical pedagogy with workshops with local media artists/theorists with Aboriginal, LGBT, feminist, and racialized and ability/disability practices.

The examination of a role-playing game approach to learning about diversity

Kosha Bramesfeld, Psychology
Project Budget: $4,232.00

The purpose of this project is to formally evaluate "The Game of Social Life", a role-playing game designed to engage individuals in conversations about privilege, oppression, and intersections of race/ethnicity, immigration, citizenship, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. The goals of the current project include: (1) assess "The Game of Social Life" using a quasi-experimental design and (2) continue utilizing "The Game of Social Life" across multiple settings to further establish the generalizability of the game for use in and outside of the classroom.

Design Activism and rMark: Engagement via Social Innovation

Lorella Di Cintio, Interior Design
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The Interior Design profession is steeped in many preconceived notions. For instance, HGTV has been the dominating paradigm informing the general population of what interior design is. Iconic images of a designer tend to equate with characters from the film The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Interior design services do not fair any better, noting that only 10% of the general population are being served. The goal of the project is to challenge and eventually change the profession by way of design activism. R-Mark is a social engagement project with a focus on social innovation serving next generation of Interior Designers.

Developing Dynamic Template for Syllabus with Universal Design for Learning Principles

Dalia Hanna, LTO, Eric Kam, LTO/FA, Kelly Dermody, Library, Maureen Glynn, CE/DES, Kathryn Underwood, FCS, Lorella Di Cintio, FCAD, Medhat Shehata, FEAS, Tetyana Antimirova, FOS, Reem El-Aslah, FCAD, Rona Abramovich, Senior Advisor
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) working group, which is part of the AODA Advisory Committee at Toronto Metropolitan University, developed a recommendation report on various teaching and learning aspects including course design, course delivery, syllabus, assessment, student resources, course web page, and online delivery. This project will focus on the development of a UDL syllabus template for Toronto Metropolitan University. The template will be based on current Toronto Metropolitan University policies and templates. In addition, it will be based on a literature review of UDL principles along with the input from the recommendation report developed by the committee. The syllabus will include tips on teaching and resources available at Toronto Metropolitan University and elsewhere.

Our Stories: An LGBTQ* Educational Portal

Kevin Manual, Curtis Sassur, Sara Allain, RULA
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The Toronto Metropolitan University Library and Archives (RULA) in collaboration with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) plan to develop an online educational portal about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ*1) communities. This portal can be used for teaching and learning at Toronto Metropolitan University and will be made available to the broader public. Select collections from the CLGA and RULA will be digitally archived into an online database that will illustrate the complex stories of the LGBTQ* liberation movement, primarily in Toronto, but also situated within the Canadian and international contexts.

Advancing the Pedagogy of Anti-Black Racism: A Multi-University Symposium at Toronto Metropolitan University

Gordon Pon, Social Work, Akua Benjamin, Jennifer Clarke, Idil Abdilahi, Winnie Ng, Rinaldo Walcott, Toronto Metropolitan University, Wesley Crichlow, UOIT
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The Toronto Metropolitan University School of Social Work is committed to advancing the scholarship and pedagogy on anti-Black racism. In 2014, school members formed an Anti-Black Racism Network, which includes faculty from seven universities, students, and community members. As a leader in Anti-Black racism scholarship in Canada, we plan to hold a symposium at Toronto Metropolitan University in October 2015, involving leading critical race scholars, students, and community members to advance the pedagogy of “anti-Black racism” (ABR). Anti-Black racism refers to forms of racial discrimination that specifically targets Black people on one hand, and the resistance to this racism on the other (Benjamin, 2003). The aim of the symposium is to advance the scholarship and pedagogy on anti- Black racism by generating course materials, curriculum, and innovative approaches for teaching about ABR in schools and classrooms across Canada.

Engaging Indigenous Perspectives, Ways of Knowing, and Diversity in the Development of New Indigenous-­‐Focused Courses (SOC 108 and SOC 427)

Julie Tomiak, Sociology
Project Budget: $3,676.80

The objective of this study is to engage Indigenous students, faculty members, and staff at Toronto Metropolitan University in a conversation about how best to incorporate Indigenous perspectives, ways of knowing, and diversity in the development of course content. Specifically, the aim is to support the design of two new Indigenous-­‐focused courses, SOC 108 Indigenous Peoples and Decolonization and SOC 427 Indigenous Perspectives on Canada. Semi-­‐structured interviews with Indigenous faculty members, students, and Elders at Toronto Metropolitan University and a sharing circle bringing together Indigenous and non-­‐Indigenous undergraduate students will explore a number of questions related to the incorporation, presentation, and discussion of Indigenous perspectives, experiences, and knowledge systems.

Community Engaged Learning & Teaching in CSPN 402

Enriqueta Zafra, Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Project Budget: $2,280.00

The main goal of SPN402 is to achieve a complete understanding of how Spanish sound patterns differ from English and to gain an in-­‐depth knowledge of the diversity of the Spanish-­‐speaking world. Students will work on perfecting their pronunciation when conducting interviews in an authentic setting. For this reason, this SPN 402 course practical component proposes the collection and analysis of life stories of Spanish-­‐speaking immigrants/artists to Canada, using the interview as an instrument of qualitative research.

Spanish at Toronto Metropolitan University: Articulaciones Short Doc (external link, opens in new window) 

Kenya Village Project: phase three

Jean Golden, Sociology, Nikila Cole, Canadian NFO Tonembee, Nicholas Kithembe & Agnes Wambu, Tonembee Association, Kithuia Kenya
Project Budget: $5,000.00

The Kenya Village Project, begun in 2013, is collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University Professor Jean Golden and her community partners in Canada and in Kenya: Nikila Cole, the Canadian award winning documentary film-maker and founder of the Canadian NGO Tonembee Association in Kenya, and Kenyan Tonembee Association members, in Kithuia, north-eastern Kenya. Professor Golden developed an international academic website www.kenyavillageproject.org to document and explain a collaborative approach to community-defined development practices and the creation of economic and educational resources for communities in Kenya, and to provide educational resources for high school and university students in Canada. The website contains new mini-documentaries created by Nikila Cole from 2013-2015 about the collaboration between the NGO and the Kenyan community through the introduction of solar cooker technologies and educational sponsorship of children. The web site is also intended to support fund-raising for Kithuia, Kenya.