Experiential Learning Community of Practice Monthly Meeting: End of Year Reflection

Date and time: Tuesday, May 6, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Experiential Learning Community of Practice is a growing network of UM faculty, instructors, and staff passionate about experiential education.

Monthly meetings
Join our monthly meetings to build relationships with other Community of Practice members, explore best practices and innovations, and participate in engaging conversations.

End of Year Reflection
This is our last meeting for the 2024-2025 academic year. Join us to reflect on what we learned together this year and share your thoughts on what you’d like to see at the Experiential Learning Community of Practice next year!

Register for the End of Year Reflection

TLC Mini-Institute – Designing and Evaluating Assessment Strategies (TLCTS2, Day 1)

Date and time: Monday, May 12, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lunch is not provided.

The Centre offers the one-and-a-half day TLC Mini-Institute every May and August. The workshops in the Mini-Institute are:

1. Designing and Evaluating Assessment Strategies
2. Strategies for Maintaining a Respectful Classroom Environment

The Mini-Institute is for Pre- and Tenured Faculty Members, Instructors, Sessional Instructors, Librarians, and Post-Doctoral Fellows. Participants can choose to sign up for each workshop separately or attend both.

This session:

This workshop (over two sessions) will provide instructors with opportunities to design assessment strategies to support student learning. You will design formative and summative assessments and learn strategies for providing constructive feedback on students’ work. You will also have opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of different assessment tools. Please bring a current course syllabus with learning objectives.

Register for TLC Mini-Institute – Designing and Evaluating Assessment Strategies (TLCTS2)

*Please note: Teaching and Learning Certificate (TLC) program participants are required to sign up for both workshops (May 12 & May 13) in the TLC Mini-Institute to fulfill the program requirements.

TLC Mini-Institute – Strategies for Maintaining a Respectful Classroom Environment (TLCTS2, Day 2)

Date and time: Tuesday, May 13, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m

The Centre offers the one-and-a-half day TLC Mini-Institute every May and August. The workshops in the Mini-Institute are:

1. Designing and Evaluating Assessment Strategies
2. Strategies for Maintaining a Respectful Classroom Environment

The Mini-Institute is for Pre- and Tenured Faculty Members, Instructors, Sessional Instructors, Librarians, and Post-Doctoral Fellows. Participants can choose to sign up for each workshop separately or attend both.

This session:

As instructors, you may have experienced behaviour by your students that you felt was disrespectful, rude, or disruptive. These can be challenging situations to deal with. This interactive workshop will focus on teaching strategies that foster and maintain respectful classroom behaviour.

Register for TLC Mini-Institute – Strategies for Maintaining a Respectful Classroom Environment (TLCTS2)

*Please note: Teaching and Learning Certificate (TLC) program participants are required to sign up for both workshops (May 12 & May 13) in the TLC Mini-Institute to fulfill the program requirements.

TLCN06 Teaching Dossier

Date and time: Wednesday, May 14, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Increasingly, university promotion and tenure committees are requiring a teaching dossier to document your development and achievements as an educator. This workshop looks at the requirements at the University of Manitoba for teaching dossiers and covers the basics of writing a Teaching Philosophy statement and creating a teaching dossier.

Register for the TLCN06 Teaching Dossier workshop

“We’re excited to launch this new program as a part of Security Services ongoing commitment to the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors on UM campuses,” said Gordon Perrier, Director of Campus Security Services.

As part of the ISO Program, Security Services are taking on the new Institutional Safety Officer role enhancing their ability to promote community safety at all campus locations.

Campus safety is a team effort at UM, and members of the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management (OHRCM), Student Engagement and Success, and the Sexual Violene Resource Centre will also be in attendance to discuss a variety of resources and services that comprehensively address safety on our campuses.

For any questions related to the open house events or the ISO program, please reach out to Gordon Perrier, Director, Security Services, at gordon.perrier@umanitoba.ca.

Each fall, they look forward to reconnecting with the campus and with other students. They also love to help fellow students feel safe and connect on campus. That’s why, in addition to being students themselves, the two have worked together as student educators in the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management (OHRCM) over the past year.

Morgan is originally from Thompson and after living in residence for years, the Fort Garry campus in particular has a very special place in her heart. Over those four years, she says, the university very much became home. Morgan was a resident-advisor on her floor for a year, while Reem volunteered for, and then spent two years as president of, the Black Students Union, which showed her the value of advocacy work. Advocacy work was something Reem found very interesting, she says, as “something I could see myself doing in the future.”

Reem is currently a student in the Faculty of Science who majored in psychology; she intends to pursue a law degree because she wants to continue to advocate for others. The two have that interest in advocacy and psychology in common, since Morgan is currently pursuing her psychology honours degree after an undergrad degree in the Faculty of Arts as a double major in women’s & gender studies and Native studies. Career-wise, she wants to do something related to therapy and mental health services and intends to follow up with graduate studies in a master’s degree and a PhD.

Connecting with OHRCM

Their own feelings of connection to campus and interest in student advocacy became major motivation for working with the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management (OHRCM), and each of them decided to apply for one of the two student educator positions when those came up.

The office exists to help students, as well as faculty and staff, with education, advice, informal resolution and assistance in all matters relating to human rights, conflict and communication and UM policy — it oversees UM’s Respectful Work and Learning Environment (RWLE) and Sexual Violence policies and procedures. The office offers a safe and respectful environment for informal discussion of concerns and handles all inquiries in strict confidence.

Reem and Morgan say working as student educators as part of the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management has been a uniquely rewarding experience.

“The people who work in that office are super, super nice, like beyond nice,” says Morgan. “They teach you how to treat other people and that’s its own education…. They have this way of expanding your education.”

As part of their work as student educators during the year, they did outreach with students about OHRCM and its services, and created a video to share more about how the office can help.

Morgan and Reem’s tips for getting comfortable with campus life and understanding student supports

It wasn’t always this way. Both Morgan and Reem recall being “super nervous” at first. Like the many students who flood to the University of Manitoba in fall, they stumbled through their first year and got more comfortable in time.

They note there are plenty of supports available for students — more than students may sometimes even realize. One place they suggest looking is the umanitoba.ca website under “Student supports” or at the end of a syllabus handed out by profs and instructors at the start of a course — where there’s “usually a whole page for student supports,” they say.

What’s their primary advice for someone just starting at UM?

“I would say, try to find a sense of community,” says Reem. “Try to join clubs, talk to people in your classes or before class. People are usually very friendly in the beginning of the year, especially first year.”

Morgan agrees and says, “Go to class and go to your lectures. Talk to people in the class and join group chats and study groups. If you’re having difficulty ask that somebody next to you what they think about the class.”

They also suggest checking the UMSU directory for clubs, where, they say, “there’s something for everyone,” from poetry to pottery, from knitting to pets!

“Explore different student groups and attend events, check posters and bulletin boards to find something interesting — “even if you go on your own,” they say.

Both say that coming to university, they’ve forced themselves to try new things and have enjoyed it as a result — even when it feels uncomfortable at first.

As Reem says, attending university meant “putting myself into experiences that I wouldn’t have done prior and just kind of stepping outside of my comfort zone.”

Morgan adds, “Just try it, and who knows — it could be one of the best experiences of your university career!

The Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management serves all UM campuses. Individuals from the office are available to meet with you virtually, by phone or in person.
human.rights@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6348

Find out more about how OHRCM can help at their website.

This year on Dec. 10, the U of M community has the opportunity to join with hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe, says Ilaneet Goren, human rights and conflict management advisor at U of M’s Bannatyne Campus. AI Canada has dedicated this year’s campaign to Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation and their fight for clean water.

“As a university that works toward the elimination of racism and all forms of discrimination, it’s important for us to locate our work in the larger social and global context,” adds Goren.

“By participating in this event, we express our solidarity as part of a global community, linked by our collective desire to live free from violence and oppression.”

Last year Write for Rights participants sent more than 5.9 million letters and actions for human rights.

The event is hosted by the U of M’s Office of Human Rights & Conflict Management and the John Neil Maclean Health Sciences Library at Bannatyne Campus. All campus community members are invited to join the Write for Rights event on Tuesday, December 10, 12-1 pm, in collaboration with Amnesty International Canada, at the Bannatyne campus.

Please see poster for details or visit: https://act.writeathon.ca/events/um-write-for-rights

DETAILS

• Tuesday, December 10, 2019
• Noon – 1 p.m. main event (kick off remarks/speaker, video, letter-writing instructions)
• 1 – 4 p.m. drop-in write-a-thon, guidance and materials provided throughout
• Location: Level 300 of the NJM Library – Indigenous Health Collection space
• Light snacks, coffee and tea provided

To register online: https://act.writeathon.ca/events/um-write-for-rights 

RSVP is encouraged to help ensure we have enough supplies.

Goren is the new human rights and conflict management advisor for the Bannatyne campus and her past informs her work today. She is the first contact point for anyone on Bannatyne with concerns or questions about the Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy and Sexual Assault Policy. 

As a member of the University of Manitoba Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management, Goren provides information and support when students, faculty and staff have concerns relating to discrimination, harassment or sexual violence. She assists in resolving concerns through informal conflict resolution options, such as mediation, and also guides people through the formal complaint process. 

“When differences arise by way of conflict or when people’s rights are infringed upon, it’s important that people know their rights and what resources are available,” she said. “Being in a position where I can help people understand their rights and responsibilities as part of a diverse campus community is incredibly meaningful to me personally.” 

When Goren was 10 years old, her family immigrated from Ukraine to Israel after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The political climate, conflict and fragility of peace while living in Israel led her to develop an interest in human rights and peaceful dialogue.

As a youth, Goren joined a leadership program that brought Jewish and Arab youth together to share stories and learn from each other. “This was one of the most powerful experiences as a youth – seeing conflict resolution in action,” she said. 

When Goren was 20, she immigrated to Canada with her parents and two siblings, and settled in Hamilton.

With an eye toward creating social change and a more just society, Goren pursued a bachelor of social work at Ryerson University. She then worked as a social worker in the mental health sector with people impacted by trauma and oppression, while also engaging in human rights work as an advocate and workshop facilitator.

After seven years as a social worker, Goren pursued her master of social work at the University of Toronto, where she focused on social justice and community development. After graduating, she began working in the area of equity and inclusion as a consultant, advisor and trainer.  

In Canada, Goren said she felt a sense of freedom to be herself and explore other parts of her identity. She said she was able to find a sense of belonging within the LGBTQ+ community and was part of the fight to legalize same-sex marriage.

“As a queer woman and a two-time immigrant, finding a sense of identity and belonging has been a common thread throughout my early life,” she said. “I have both witnessed and experienced conflict and injustice. And so I feel it has encouraged me to want to help others connect to justice, community and belonging.”

Before joining the University of Manitoba in July, Goren worked as a director for Harmony Movement, a diversity education organization based in Toronto. The job took her across the country, including Winnipeg, to lead training programs. When she came across the opportunity at the U of M, she jumped at the chance. 

“I love Winnipeg,” Goren said. “I see Winnipeg as a place where important human rights work is happening, with organizations like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. For me it’s very exciting to be part of that.” 

Goren said she is looking forward to contributing to U of M’s efforts to build an inclusive and equitable campus community. 

Members of the Bannatyne campus can contact Goren directly at 204-789-3210 or by email at Ilaneet.goren@umanitoba.ca. The Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management has a confidential intake line where people can leave a message outside of office hours, or talk to the Confidential Intake Office during business hours to book an appointment with Goren. That number is 204-474-6348.