New Portal

The new portal project has moved into the implementation phase. The target pilot dates are May for staff and September for students. This visual is an example of what the portal may look like. Notice the WebAdvisor section in the bottom right corner. I know this visual is fuzzy - I'll try to post a clearer one :)

Refresh Conference Video Request

We've been asked to produce a third video for the Refresh Conference scheduled for the first week in May. Here are the details (thanks to Jeff Hamilton . . .)

Our theme for the conference is "Tinkering with Teaching." So, as long as the subjects have been tinkering with their teaching, it counts.

From our minutes:

Tinkering with Teaching ... After much discussion we concluded that this theme encompassed:

• Action Research (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)

• Brain Based Learning

• Educational Technology

The keynote will be someone who speaks about Brain-based learning. We'll be putting a team together to work on this project following the Production Meeting on Wednesday.

Library and Learning Innovation Project

Otherwise known as LLIP, the Library and Learning Innovation Project is moving to the next phase. A lot of planning has been completed, and the initial planning document for this major library renovation has been published. The next step involves the formation of several advisory committees. Chris G., Lorne, Elio, Jackie, and I are all on different committees.

In case you didn't catch this at the Centre meeting, the plan is for EET to physically move to library related space. It will be pretty exciting to be part of this over the next few years. Here's a short blurb from the report introduction:

"The Library & Learning Innovation Project (LLIP) is much more than
a library project and much more than about bricks and mortar. The
project is about supporting fundamental shifts in models of learning
& research support that necessarily reflect rapidly changing
pedagogy, technology, student profiles, patterns of learning and
expectations, and how the world accesses, manages and
exchanges information. The LLIP will strengthen the personalized
experience that Lethbridge College is committed to providing to its
learning & research community. This project is central to the
Colleges vision of future learning, of attracting and retaining new
students and excellent instructors and staff, and to the renewal of
the campus as a whole."

Few things from Management Forum

The focus of the Management Forum this afternoon was on updates from Senior Leadership. This included

• The need for communication in all directions. One idea was to replace email on Fridays with face-to-face visits.
  
• Same info on budgets. With the zero increase in government funding expected over the next three years, we will still be trying to find funds to cover the increase in wages each year. Faculty settled at 1.5%, so it's expected (but not confirmed at all) that AUPE and excluded positions will be the same. This added to a 1.5% cost of living increase = 3% each year, so 3% next year, 6% the next, and then 9%. The emphasis was on all of us working together on our budgets to get through this.
• Update from Peter and the Deans on the Academic Vision initiatives, including College Wide Outcomes (ready to move forward); DL Strategy (brief info); General Program Assessment (health check for programs); Org Structure (roles and responsibilities for Deans, Chairs, Admin Assts, and Business Analysts - working on recommendations); and Faculty Profile (gathered many desirable attributes for faculty). Watch for updates on these initiatives on the Academic Leadership Team website.
  
• More info will be coming on "Make it Count" at Lethbridge College. This is work towards creating a culture of customer service excellence. You'll receive a handout and we'll discuss briefly at the EET meeting on Monday.
• Info on new awards that replace the Service to Learners award. This includes 5 different awards each year, selected by a panel. They include Service Excellence, Innovation, Legacy Leadership, Creating Community, and Lifelong Learning. One person (or group, I believe) will be selected annually for each category.
  

That's about it for now. We'll talk about a few of these at our EET meeting on Monday.

Lethbridge College Security Upgrade Project 2011

Here is some information on the security upgrade project the College in undertaking later in January. There are a series of focus groups planned for January 25 through 27, and staff from across campus (most specifically in locations where there are security threats), will be asked for input. This may include some of you.

" We at the College are embarking on a project to upgrade our present security systems, policies and procedures as part of an improvement process and working toward one of our goals of achieving operational excellence.

To build an effective security program, it is necessary to understand the nature and source of potential threats, and one’s vulnerability to those threats. All facilities face a certain level of risk associated with various threats. These threats may be the result of natural events, accidents and intentional acts to cause harm. Regardless of the nature of the threat, we have a responsibility to limit or manage risks from these threats to the extent possible.

We have hired a Competitive Insights Inc. to assist us and conduct a Security Risk and Vulnerability Assessment. They will be performing the majority of the work by conducting:
· A threat assessment
· A vulnerability and risk assessment
· Data Collection of relevant security concerns and issues (this is huge and needs the assistance of us, at the College)
· Analysis of the data
· Developing strategies and recommendations"

If you'd like more info, please just ask.

Budgets

We’ve been directed to complete “zero” based budgeting for 2011/12. This means that instead carrying over the amount we have historically had budgeted for specific items, we have looked critically at each line item and estimated what we will actually need. The proposals we submitted this week are tight, but operational.

As an FYI, this is an area that is taking more of my time. This includes monitoring expenses, predicting costs, trying to estimate external funding, balancing staffing needs / costs with workload. . . . We’ll be okay, but it’s important everyone in EET know that the budgets are tight.

Staffing Updates

We'll be experiencing a few staffing changes in the new few months. Some changes have been confirmed, and others are still in progress. This is what I know so far . . .

• Stacey will be leaving on mat leave at the end of April.
• Connie will be transitioning back to full time teaching at the end of this academic year
• There will be some other changes within the curriculum consultant positions, but they haven't been confirmed quite yet. This is the nature of these positions. Faculty are redirected to CTLI for a period of time and then typically return to the classroom.

You will know more about other changes when I know more.

Stats and Documentation - gotta love them!

We are becoming much better at keeping accurate stats on the work we do, and it’s a good thing because requests for stats are becoming much more frequent.

How much are things costing? How much work are we doing? How much are instructors using Angel? What are the participation numbers in our PD sessions? How many hours does it take to develop learning objects? These are all examples of recent questions.

I include this information here because it impacts all of us. It means we have to do such things as consistently submit work requests so we capture the type and quantity of work we are doing for whom, and count the number of people in our PD sessions. It takes time, but it’s critical information, so thank you to all of you who pay close attention to this.

EET staff taking classes again!

Let's acknowledge all the EET staff who are taking classes again this semester - while working. This is a major commitment to professional development and requires a lot of hard work and a lot of late nights!

• Darcie - two more courses towards her degree in Professional Arts and Communication Studies.
  

• Diana - one more course towards a Masters in Distance Ed through Athabasca (and congratulations to Diana as well on receiving another scholarship!)
  

• Chris A. - one more course towards a Masters in Ed Tech through UBC

• Jackie - one more course towards a Masters in Ed Tech through U of C

• Stella - two BIO courses at Lethbridge College that lead into the Nursing program

And thanks for sharing what you are learning with the rest of us!

(If I missed anyone, please let me know and I'll add you to the list.)

EET Meeting on Monday, January 24 at 9 am

Our next EET Staff meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 24 from 9 to 10 am in the Sunflower Room. We tried to find a day when everyone is here, which is why it is on a Monday.

The main agenda item for this session is an update on the DL Strategy implementation. Karen O'Dwyer and I presented this information to the Senior Leadership Team yesterday, January 11, and I think it would be relevant information for you as well - especially in these areas:
- interesting stats and trends
- how and why we are collecting stats (like Angel logins, DL registrations, # of courses in development . . .)
- your ideas on other information we can gather - and how
- everyone's role in this

We presented a text heavy PowerPoint, mostly because of time constraints, but we need to change this for the next update we have to provide every six months until June of 2013. Bring your ideas . . .

The light bulb has moved a couple of times . . .

The light bulb has moved frequently in the last month or so. Here’s the latest movement . . . .

- To Brenda - for working on Wind Turbine Safety 1
- To Diana - for helping everyone learn Dropbox

Congrats to both of you!!

Anyone interested in doing some art work on the light bulb??

New Projects

- Welding Digital Learning Objects and Repository – Project Leads are Jackie and Elio

- Practical Nursing – transition to blended delivery: Project lead is Pamela

- Early Childhood Education program – Activity to transition to online delivery will increase starting in January: Project lead TBD

- May be another Wind Turbine project – watch for news on this one!

Welcome Back Jackie!

It's hard to believe that Jackie has been on leave for an entire year already! Jackie hit the ground running last week and has already started work on a number of projects. Here’s an overview of her workload as she returns to work:

- ID work on several biology course development projects starting between now through May. This includes BIO160, BIO161, BIO149 and BIO152.
- ID and project management for the Early Childhood Education program transition to online delivery
- Taking the lead on a Mobile Technology in Education project. This is a follow up to the Wind Turbine project she worked on over the summer, and will be expanded into an Applied Research project over the next year.
- Doing the project management on the Welding Digital Learning project
- Getting up to speed on the PD activities going on right now

It's great to have you back!

Congratulations Sue and Julie

Wow! Sue and Julie are both receiving long service awards on January 31 - both have been at Lethbridge College for 25 years! Congratulations to both of you!!