À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Academic advising online: new ways to support À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ students

A message from the Student Success Office.

In March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, academic advisors had to get creative quickly to continue to support À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ students from home. They demonstrated commitment and agility, finding new ways to provide their students with vital, timely, personalized advice and support through new methods of advising virtually. Student feedback in a spring 2020 student survey confirmed that the support they were receiving from their academic advisors was one aspect of virtual learning that was working well. Here are just a few examples of successful student support initiatives implemented by academic advisors and their faculty and departmental teams.

The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science (CS) created a ontopics like How CS advisors can help and When should I drop a course? CS students had quick, easy access to key information that would help them navigate their first term.

The Science Undergraduate Office (SUO) pivoted from the drop-in advising they usually offered to daily virtual drop-in advising hours through Microsoft Teams. This allowed students to meet virtually with a specific advisor or submit general questions through the chat function during drop-in times. Since March, more than 1,250 students have met with SUO advisors online!

Like an online yearbook, the Computing and Financial Management program created a digital ‘look book’ for their incoming class. New undergraduate students had the opportunity to submit a photo and a few lines of text about themselves. The class was able to connect and get to know one another virtually through this creative initiative.ÌýÌýÌý

During the spring term drop/add period, Sociology and Legal Studies used Microsoft Teams and to hold an interactive virtual town hall. Students were able to submit questions in advance or enter them into the chat during the session. What a great way to connect with a large group of students.

Looking to share your great virtual advising approaches or to learn how others across campus are supporting students right now? Connect with the Advising Community of Practice or Cross Campus Advising Specialist, Kate Andrey.

Remembering Igor Ivkovic

The Faculty of Engineering has reported thatÌýProfessor Igor IvkovicÌýpassed away on Friday, November 27.Ìý

"Igor was a Lecturer and the Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Systems Design Engineering," says the memorial article on the System Designs EngineeringÌýwebsite. "HeÌýcompleted his Bachelor's and Master's degreesÌýin Computer Science and PhD degree in Software Systems Engineering, allÌýat À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. He wasÌýalways a passionate supporter of the University."

"Greatly admired by students and colleagues for his enthusiasm and passion for teaching, and his commitment to the university. Igor proudly andÌýhappily participated in many aspects of the success of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ including regularly participating in recruitment events as he worked directly toÌýencourage the next generation of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Engineers, and in his content development forÌýEngineering Design Dayz with our current undergraduate students.ÌýHis contributions and dedication to our Faculty are unparalleled."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Igor’s wife Shabnam who graciously shared Igor with us."

Services for Professor Igor Ivkovic will be held December 9 and streaming details will be posted soon on the Engineering website.

Students use 5G technology to develop the future of sports fan engagement

ThisÌýarticle was originally published on .

As the cold weather hit the region,ÌýUniversity of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ studentsÌýdesigned some hotÌýnew ways for Canadians to enjoyÌýNHL Hockey. TheÌýÌýwas a collaborativeÌýweeklongÌýevent that introduced high profile partners to the ingenuity ofÌýUÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵÌýstudents to help shape the future of sports tech innovation.

°Â²¹³Ù±ð°ù±ô´Ç´Ç’sÌý°ä´Ç²Ô³¦±ð±è³Ù,ÌýStratford School of Design and BusinessÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýGEDIÌýpartnered withÌýRogers, the NHLÌýand IntelÌýtoÌýoffer studentsÌýthe first opportunityÌýofÌýenhancingÌýhockey fan engagement through 5G technologies.ÌýStudents used real datasets of NHL puck and player tracking from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs to power their ideas and offer new solutions that Sportsnet could incorporate into their viewing experiences.ÌýÌý

The NHL, and many other sports leagues, were put on hold as COVID spread throughout the world which further highlighted the need for new methods of fan engagement. As leagues begin to recommence without fans in the stands or with limited attendance, the search for ways to further engageÌýaudiencesÌýbeyond inperson experiencesÌýhasÌýnever been more important. The advances of 5G technology and itsÌýlow-latency capabilities have created new opportunities for fan interaction. That’s where our incredibly innovativeÌýstudents steppedÌýinÌýand offered theirÌýunique solutions for Canadian hockey fans.ÌýÌý

From strangers to teammatesÌýÌý

Armed with the problem statement to provide Sportsnet and NHL fans an unmatched viewing experience that delivers immersive, social-safe, and fun engagements both inside and outside the physical arena by leveraging 5G, teams began creating their initial ideas towards winning solutions. TheseÌýnew teammates worked to create their initial ideas and began building the front and back ends of their hacks.

“Working with four strangers,Ìýwhen we haven’t even met,Ìýwas quite challenging but interesting as well because I got to learn so much from them," says ±·²¹±¹±è°ù±ð±ð³ÙÌý°­²¹³Ü°ù,Ìý³Ò²¹³¾±ð²Ìýteam member and Masters of Electrical & Computer ScienceÌýstudent. "It was a great opportunity."

After receiving customer feedback fromÌýUÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ community members, teams adjusted their approach to improve or adaptÌýthe featuresÌýofÌýtheir solutionsÌý— all while receiving support from their dedicatedÌýcoaches.

In addition toÌýcoaches, students had access to a roster of highly experienced mentors who answered specific questions, helped implement technical changes,ÌýutilizeÌýthe full potential ofÌýnew technologiesÌýand provided feedback on the students’ ideas.ÌýThisÌýofferedÌýstudents the opportunity to work directly with industry contacts, build their networks and showcase their capabilities toÌýsuccessfully design with customers in mind.

“This hockey hack was a crash course for me in applying all the skills that I’veÌýlearnedÌýfrom my coursesÌýand put it into a real-life case, said Karthik Prasanna, Master of Business, Technology and Entrepreneurship studentÌýand The Great Ones team member. "I looked at it from the perspective of business creation by solving these problems."

A race to the final buzzer

As the week came to a close, teams preparedÌýthree minuteÌýpitches to distill their solutions and showcase their designs. High level representatives from Rogers, Sportsnet, The NHL, Rogers, and the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ made up a prestigious judging panel.ÌýThey selected theÌýthreeÌýteams they felt bestÌýaddressedÌýthe problem statement,ÌýappliedÌýthe capabilities of 5G technology and created a uniqueÌýoffering to further engage hockey fans. Introducing the winning teams from the Sportsnet Hockey Hack: Powered by Rogers 5G.

Congratulations to our winnersÌý

First place:ÌýGame²

Game²Ìýcreated newÌýadvanced stats to bring fans the game within the game and bring new player metrics toÌýthe world of fantasy hockey and betting.ÌýÌý

Second place: The 5 G’s

The 5 G’s brought us Fan Fortune, a new micro-betting experience for fans inside the arena and at home to predict next actions in hockey games.ÌýÌý

Third place: The Great OnesÌý

The Great Ones developed NHL Party, a multi-screen 5G streaming platform to watch hockey games with friends and other fans.ÌýÌý

This weeklong hackathon brought some incredible ideas to light and great progress was made, but this is just the beginning. Winning teams have the opportunity to continue developing their idea with increased support from our partners to further build their 5G concepts. Follow Concept onÌýÌýto stay up to date with the progress these teams are making and hear about other exciting opportunities like this Hockey Hack.ÌýÌý

À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ signs strategic mandate agreement with provincial government

On Thursday, November 26, the Honourable Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities announced the next round of Strategic Mandate Agreements, signed by the Government of Ontario and all 45 of Ontario’s publicly assisted universities and colleges.

The agreements, which are in effect from 2020-2025, introduce a new performance-based funding model including metrics on student and economic outcomes. Performance-based funding for universities is planned to increase from 1.4 per centÌýto 60 per cent by the end of 2025.

Beginning in 2020-2021, institutions will begin providing the government with data points on 10 metrics, though the performance-based funding will not begin to be tied to these metrics until 2022-23, a delay resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities are not measured against other institutions, but rather on their own set of data points year-over-year.

.Ìý

.