There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting: Public money, private profit: A history of U of T’s MaRS Discovery District By Chelsea Tao and Mariana Valverde, University of Toronto “It is well known that the University of Toronto (U of T) has historically […]
The concept of micro-credentials has gained increasing popularity in postsecondary education recently. These short-term, highly targeted certificate courses focus on developing specific skills or knowledge. However, there has been a lot of confusion about micro-credentials, how they should be recognized, and how they fit into Ontario’s postsecondary education system. In response, OCUFA has developed a comprehensive briefing note that explains what micro-credentials […]
TORONTO, Nov 24, 2020 — University students, faculty, and academic librarians are struggling with social isolation, stress, and a lack of institutional support according to the results of a new poll which finds that those working and studying at Ontario’s universities believe the shift to online education has negatively impacted quality. Without immediate action from universities and the Ontario government to […]
Rising to the challenge: Reflections on a round of pandemic bargaining By Larry Savage, Brock University “When the Brock University Faculty Association entered its most recent round of bargaining in April 2020, the Ontario government had already declared a state of emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19 and Brock University had suspended face-to-face classes…” Building an anti-racist campus means fundamentally rethinking institutional structures and practices By Siobhan Stevenson, University of Toronto “Two weeks after police […]
OCUFA has joined with other members of the Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC) to write to Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and raise concerns about the new and invasive proctoring technologies being employed by postsecondary institutions across Ontario. The use of these technologies has substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting: The academy’s neoliberal response to COVID-19: Why faculty should be wary and how we can push back By Honor Brabazon, St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo “The emergency shift to remote teaching that universities have made in response […]
In response to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities seeking input on the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on different sectors of Ontario society, OCUFA has submitted a detailed overview of the pandemic’s implications for faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals at the province’s universities. The policy brief is designed to provide context […]
On Friday, May 8, OCUFA held its final Board of Directors meeting of the 2019-20 academic year, and the organization’s first ever virtual Board Meeting. The meeting took place in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended every aspect of academic life, including the learning and teaching process . Throughout the day, board members discussed the pandemic’s impact on […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant and unprecedented challenges for faculty, academic librarians, staff, and students at Ontario’s universities. We carry on as best we can, while keenly feeling the loss of community and face-to-face interaction. This pandemic has made clear the importance of in-person learning and exposed and exacerbated many of the inequities that […]
There is more to Academic Matters than just the print issue. New articles are being added to the Academic Matters website every week. Here are some recent articles you might find interesting: Coronavirus pushes universities to switch to online classes — but are they ready? By Shandell Houlden, Royal Roads University and George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University “In light of rising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and […]
OCUFA’s 17,000 faculty, academic librarians, and other academic professionals are deeply concerned about the equity implications of the COVID-19 crisis on Ontario’s health care system and economy, and the adverse impacts both will have on the most marginalized in our society. While it may be difficult to remember life before COVID-19, it is important to […]
TORONTO – Ontario’s faculty are alarmed by the Doug Ford government’s budget proposal to allocate 60 per cent of university funding based on institutional performance. By design, performance-based funding threatens education quality as it rewards institutions that meet specific performance targets while penalizing those that do not. Faculty are also concerned by signals that the […]
Last summer, OCUFA developed a survey to gauge faculty interest in eCampusOntario’s new Open Textbook Library. Now, eCampusOntario is conducting their own survey to learn more about how Ontario educators currently select and use course content and textbooks in their teaching and learning. As part of the survey, eCampusOntario is hoping to get a better […]
Last month we asked OCUFA Report readers to tell us what they thought about eCampus Ontario’s new Open Textbook Library , which establishes a provincial repository of Open Educational Resources (OERs) from a range of disciplines, which faculty can freely use and adapt for the classes they teach. Thank you to everyone who participated! The results from the […]
On June 6, eCampus Ontario and the provincial government announced the launch of the Open Textbook Library. Adapted from the BCcampus model used in British Columbia, the Ontario Open Textbook Library will act as a repository of Open Educational Resources (OERs) from a range of disciplines that faculty can adopt as course materials for the classes they teach. Open Textbooks are […]
