Virtual hub provides resources and supports to engage students learning remotely. Photo credit: Cory Aronec.
The University of Winnipeg has launched a Remote Teaching, Learning and Research Hub to support students and faculty making a quick pivot to online and alternate course delivery during the 2020-2021 academic year.
The virtual hub provides advice on how to manage stress, engage and support students, and prepare course content for remote learning.
We wanted to create a space that brings all the resources you need into one place.
Dr. Lesley Eblie Trudel
It was created by a multi-disciplinary team of educators, librarians, and academic technology experts co-chaired by faculty members Dr. Lesley Eblie Trudel and Dr. Tracy Whalen.
“We know that digital learning is new for many students and faculty,” said Trudel. “We wanted to create a space that brings all the resources you need into one place, so whether you’re teaching, learning, or researching, you don’t have to go searching for the tools you need to succeed.”
Ensuring resources were easy to access was top of mind for Scholarly Communications and Copyright Librarian Brianne Selman, who recalls the urgency she felt when the library facility closed.
“We needed to work quickly to gather resources to ensure students and faculty had access to academic materials,” said Selman.
Working closely with Dr. Laura Sokal, Selman created the COVID Campus LibGuide, highlighting relevant resources and tools to help faculty quickly and efficiently convert face-to-face materials to online formats, minimizing the disruption to student learning. This is just one example of the many resources The Hub encompasses.
“The guide has a large focus on how to get students access to readings, but also tips for instructors and some of the broad, important considerations around issues like privacy and accessibility,” said Selman. “It’s fantastic to now have all this information accessible in one place.”
In addition to Selman, the committee responsible for The Hub’s creation includes Lois Cherney, Student Services Communications Coordinator; Stevi Dram, Manager of PACE Online Learning, Marketing, and Business Systems; Resty Jimenez, Director of the Centre for Academic Technology; and Marnie Loewen, Website Administrator.
Each brought their unique perspective to the project, sharing resources they had been gathering since early March when the University community began working remotely.
“Faculty and student resources were already available, but this information was sprinkled across disparate locations,” said Whalen. “Our goal as a committee was to synthesize the various tools and supports, and ensure these were easy for members of our University community to access.”
Whalen is proud of the collaboration and expertise that went in to creating The Hub, giving The University of Winnipeg community quick access to resources and advice to successfully work and study anywhere.
“It is important to have a centralized space for instructors, staff, and students to access resources during this time of transition,” said Whalen. “The Hub has gone live, but it is still in progress — and will continue to be updated and developed in response to questions as they arise.”
