JANUARY | 2015
FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN,
MICHELE JACOBSEN
FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER!
@UofCGPE
In the homestretch…
GPE Curriculum Review Working Group: Course Based Programs
GPEC Working Group Co-Chaired by Jim Brandon, Director of Professional
Programs, and Jennifer Lock, Associate Dean Teaching and Learning. Working
meetings have been held in October and November and December with
Academic Coordinators of 27 course based graduate programs (MED Specialist,
MED Interdisciplinary, MC, MED SACP). Surveys have now been sent out to
students in all identified programs to gather feedback on program quality. A
working meeting was held in January, with another in February, with the goal of
completing the Mini-reports for each program by end of February. When the
mini-reports are done, we are having a BIG CAKE to celebrate!!
Winter 2015 Course Offerings
Graduate Programs in Education is offering 104 courses across our 7
specializations in Winter term, 31 of which are on-campus and 73 are offered in
blended and online learning environments. On behalf of our graduate students
and graduate programs staff, a sincere thank you is extended to all academic staff
who submitted their Winter 2015 course outlines early and on time. It takes the
whole GPE team to design and support a high quality learning experience for all
of our students; one way that we all help to improve student experience is to
make course outlines available as early as possible so that our students can plan
and prepare well in advance of the start of each term. Approved course outlines
have been posted online for students
at: http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/course-schedules
Graduate Student Admissions
Thank you to academic staff across EDSAs for engaging in the review of student
admissions to our programs. A common set of evidence based ranking criteria are
IMPORTANT DATES
TO REMEMBER
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Jan 30 - Fee payment
deadline
Jan 31 – Text Book
Order Deadline for
Spring/Summer 2015
Feb 1 – Graduate
Awards Competition /
Open Scholarship
applications due (Apps
will be accepted up to
4:30 PM on Mon, Feb
2). For queries, please
contact Dr. James Colin
Field: [email protected]
Feb 1 – GPE Graduate
Conference Travel
Awards Due (Apps will
be accepted up to 4:30
PM on Mon, Feb 2).
Feb 15 – 22 - Reading
week
in use for all EDER and EDPS programs: Doctoral, Master’s Thesis and Master’s
Course-Based. Thank you to EDSA Chairs for supporting colleagues in the
collective review and ranking of doctoral applicants, for collecting
recommendations for supervision assignments and for making recommendations
for admission to all programs. The GPE Student Admissions Committee is
meeting for full days in January and February to make final admissions decisions
and to prepare letters offering admission to our programs.
Ahhhh, Spring!! Course Outlines and Textbooks – Spring 2015
Heads up: Spring course outlines due to EDSA Chair – April 1 – 10th
Normally, Spring / Summer course textbook orders are due: Fri, January 31. For
EDSAs that have chosen course textbooks, please submit those to Sharla Mann by
the January deadline. Once all academic staff workloads are assigned, a textbook
order deadline will be sent to all faculty and instructors for upcoming Spring /
Summer courses.
GPEC Quality Supervision Working Group
This group created the document “How to be a Good Examiner” guide that was
distributed at the WSEC GPE Forum in December. The purpose of this guide is to
provide support and assistance to new and experienced examiners. Feedback
provided at the forum is being incorporated into the final version that will be
posted on Sharepoint for all academic staff, and distributed to graduate students.
A Student Guide to the Oral Exam is under preparation by members of this
working group, along with a graphical timeline to assist graduate students and
supervisors with program milestones, deadlines and planning.
GPEC Research Course Framework Working Group
Two projects are the focus for this group’s work in the New Year: 1.
Development of a Common EDER PhD Research Seminar, and 2. Curriculum
Review of Research Courses in PhD and MA/MSC programs.
Peer Mentor Program
The mission of the GPE Peer Mentor Program is: Peers helping peers to make a
successful transition into graduate school. Thank you to Deb Lambert, PhD
Candidate and Peer Mentor Director, for her leadership of the Peer Mentor
Program. Twenty four doctoral students from across specializations continue to
serve as peer mentors for 1st year PhD and Masters students. In December, the
Director, the Faculty Advisor, the Associate Dean, and several Peer Mentors,
gathered for a Pot-Luck and Conversation about the program – feedback is very
positive on the value of the peer mentor program. New students can still be
assigned a mentor; learn more: http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/node/8120
In the Winter term the following activities have been planned:
o Tuesday, February 17: Mentor-Mentee Cultural Game Event
o Wednesday, April 15: Mentor Potluck and Year in Review
o Thursday, May 14: Celebration Tea: Mentors and Mentees
Upcoming Graduate Student Seminars and
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the
following award recipients:
Karen Ross - CGS - Michael
Smith Foreign Study
Supplement SSHRC
Stephanie Janzen - Graduate
Student's Association Bursary
Christine Caissie - Graduate
Student's Association Bursary
Susan Beierling - Graduate
Student's Association Bursary
Kimberley Grant - Faculty of
Graduate Studies Travel Award
On behalf of Graduate
Programs in Education,
congratulations to the
following graduate students
who successfully defended
their Candidacy or Thesis Orals
as of JAN 15, 2015:
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Leonor Eliana Rodriguez
Videla
Walter Williams Lee
Xueqin Wu
Kimberley Anne Grant
Karen Anne Bodard
Ryan Luke Matchullis
Minha Reokenally Ha
DID YOU KNOW?
Starting this semester,
Graduate Peer Coaching is
available for students looking
Colloquia
As part of GPE’s commitment to Quality Supervision and Student Mentoring, we
have prepared a rich program of Graduate Student Seminars for 2015 with the
GPDs, the Office of Research, GPESA and the EDSAs.
There is a graduate learning opportunity every Thursday from 12 – 1 pm.
Website: http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/upcoming-events
January 29, 2015
GPE: Survive and Thrive in Grad School - PhD “Preparing
for candidacy"
Location: EDT 146
February 5, 2015
GPESA: Enhance Your Virtual Academic Presence
Location: TBA
February 12, 2015
Research Office: “Enhancing Research Supervision”
Location: EDT 450
February 26, 2015
GPE: Survive and Thrive in Grad School - MA/MSC
"Developing strong research relationships"
Location: EDT 146
Message from the Graduate Program
Directors
GPEC Policy Working Group
The Graduate Program Directors have been working closely with members of the
Policy Working Group to develop a Candidacy and Comprehensive Exam policy in
response to the change in FGS Policy on Candidacy. The draft policy was
discussed at GPEC in January. Feedback from this discussion will inform further
development of the policy by the working group. The next draft of the policy will
come back to GPEC for first reading in February, will be shared with EDSAs for
further discussion and review, and will come forward as a motion in March.
Upcoming scholarship competitions – February 2
There are three types of scholarship competitions coming up: (1) Graduate
Awards Competition (GAC), (2) GPE Program Recommended scholarships and the
(3) The Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship (QEII). Here is the one application
deadline:
*QEII, GAC and GPE Program Recommended Scholarships: Feb 2, 2015
The application can be found on the GPE Awards website. Please note that a
description of how your research proposal specifically fits the criteria of the
Program Recommended scholarship is required as part of your application.
for strategies for surviving
graduate school. Students can
meet regularly with peer
coaches, building goal setting,
time and project management
skills. Peer coaches help to
increase your accountability
and help you stay on track to
complete your degree. For
more information, please
contact [email protected]
FUN FACT
January is named after Janus,
the god of the doorway, hence
January is the “door to the
year” and the start of new
beginnings. Interestingly
enough, January is also the
month when “Fruitcake Toss
Day” is celebrated across North
America. So, there are many
reasons why this month echoes
the sentiment “Out with the
old, and in with the new!
Graduate Student Conference Travel Awards: Next application deadline for
Graduate Student Conference Travel Awards is Monday, February 2nd at 4 pm.
The final application deadline for the 2014/2015 academic year is on May 1st.
More information is online: http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/graduate-studentconference-travel-award
3 Minute Thesis (3MT) graduate speaking competition
In 2014, FOUR graduate students from Werklund School of Education
participated in the UCalgary3MT Graduate Speaking Competition – Can we
DOUBLE that number this year?? Rumor has it that the Associate Dean has a
PRIZE for all WSE graduate students who register and participate.
The UCalgary3MT is an excellent way for graduate students to share their
research and to practice their presentation skills. Supervisors: be sure to
encourage your graduate students to participate and to cheer them on when
they present! Graduate Students: be sure to sign up! Heats and finals are open to
the public. Registration opens on Monday, Feb 2, closes Feb 23. Heats: March
16 - 18, 2015, various locations. Finals: March 24 2015, 4:30-6:00pm, Alberta
Room Dining Center.
Learn More: http://www.ucalgary.ca/mygradskills/three-minute-thesis
News on Campus
Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (2014) Released
In Dec 2014, the federal Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) released a revised version
of the 2nd edition of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for
Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2). TCPS 2 (2014) replaces TCPS 2 (2010) as the
official human research ethics policy of the Agencies. Highlights of Changes and
the complete TCPS 2 (2014) policy document are posted on the PRE website.
URL: http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/resources-ressources/news-nouvelles/nrcp/2014-12-18/
Convocation REMINDER!
Please note that if you haven’t already done so, this is a reminder that February
1, 2015 is the deadline to apply to graduate for Spring 2015. Convocation will
take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 9:30 am.
This will apply to you if you are in the following categories:
1. You are in a course-based program and completed the last course of your
program in Winter 2015.
2. You are in a thesis-based program, i.e., PhD, EdD, MA or MSc and have
recently successfully defended your thesis or plan to defend by the end
of April.
The application is done online in your student centre through my.ucalgary.ca. It
only takes a few minutes; here is a link to instructions:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/grad/apply.
Nominations are still open for the 2015 University of Calgary Teaching Awards!
Students, academic staff and academic administrators are encouraged to
nominate people who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and
learning. The teaching awards celebrate outstanding contributions to teaching
and learning in 11 different categories. The awards recognize achievement in
diverse contexts, by individuals and team, and through curriculum design,
experiential learning and educational leadership.
More information on the awards program is here:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/provost/ti/teaching-awards-grants
Nomination deadline is January 26, 2015.
Web Connections: D2L / Adobe Connect
56 Adobe Connect sessions were held during the first two weeks of lectures! We
hope that you’ve had a great start to the Winter 2015 term. If you’d like to
enhance your skills, visit http://elearn.ucalgary.ca to access learning resources
and training.
Are you interested in recording an introductory video to post in your D2L shell?
The Werklund School of Education will be collaborating with the Taylor Institute
for Teaching and Learning to provide faculty with the opportunity to record
videos such as these: http://vimeo.com/album/3199009 - Please e-mail
[email protected] if you’d like to take advantage of this opportunity. Details
will be announced shortly.
Reminder… Daylight Saving Time starts on March 8, 2015. Be sure to let your
students know that any synchronous sessions occurring after March 8 will be held
during Mountain Daylight Time (MDT). They might otherwise show up an hour
late!
Our Community: A word from Werklund
Doctoral Fellow 2014-2015, Carol Johnson
My name is Carol Johnson and I am a PhD candidate in Educational Technology
and the first Werkund Doctoral Fellow. I am grateful for the opportunities made
possible through the Werklund Doctoral Fellowship. I began the fellowship in
August and the year has been busy with research and writing. With the support
of this fellowship, I have been able to concentrate on moving forward in my
dissertation research as I completed data collection on two out of three case
studies exploring the phenomenon of learning post-secondary music in an online
environment. My fellowship has enabled me to collect insightful research data
by travelling to one of my case universities for data collection; I likely would
not have retrieved this data otherwise.
My fellowship has given me allocated time to develop my research writing and
presentation skills. I have submitted three co-written papers, two individual
papers, and seven presentations at the local, national and international levels
since September 2014. From these submissions and presentations, I have further
developed my research network. I am excited about the upcoming semester as I
continue to collaborate on a Teaching and Learning grant as well as share my
dissertation work as an accepted poster presenter at an international music
research conference in England this spring. It has definitely been a rich
experience of learning thus far and I am looking forward to my continued
development as an emerging scholar thanks to this affordances and additional
supports provided by the fellowship.
Learn More: http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gpe/werklund-doctoral-fellowship
Application Deadline: May 30, 2015
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY – WERKLUND SCHOOL OF EDUCATION - GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN EDUCATION (GPE)
Education Tower 114 | 2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada