Uncategorized Archives - Teaching and Learning Services

2021-22 I-CUREUS applications are now open

CCMS Editor — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:00:17 +0000

Have you ever wanted to conduct paid research in your program or an area of your interest? Are you looking for a way to gain hands-on experience to add value to your resume or degree? If yes, then the Internship-�Ӱ�ԭ�� University Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (I-CUREUS) program may be exactly what you’re looking for!

I-CUREUS will provide you with access to research scholarships, mentoring and the opportunity to develop your research skills.

If you’re interested in participating in the program, speak with your professors about your interest or reach out to your departmental administrator for more information. The deadline to apply for the program is August 27. To learn more, visit the Discovery Centre website.

If you have any questions, please email Aleksandra Minic, Discovery Centre Coordinator, at: aleksandra.minic@carleton.ca.

Prepare for the fall term with the Students as Partners Program

CCMS Editor — Tue, 11 May 2021 13:26:49 +0000

Applications for the Students as Partners Program (SaPP) are now open to help �Ӱ�ԭ�� instructors prepare their courses for the fall term and support their transition to Brightspace.

Fully funded by Teaching and Learning Services (TLS), SaPP offers instructors and learning support staff the opportunity to involve undergraduate students in teaching innovation and curriculum design through paid work experience. Students can partner on a variety of projects to help you prepare for your upcoming courses, including:

•    Helping design course materials, such as assessments or your Brightspace course site
•    Reviewing and providing feedback on assessments, PowerPoint slides or your syllabus
•    Finding resources or multimedia

The program will run until the end of the summer 2021 term, with students working up to 130 hours. Find out more about the program and application process here.

If you have any questions, please send them to the Discovery Centre Coordinator, Aleksandra Minic.

Provost Scholar Award Recipients Announced

CCMS Editor — Wed, 05 May 2021 21:22:19 +0000

Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Jerry Tomberlin and Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) David Hornsby presented eight undergraduate �Ӱ�ԭ�� students with Provost Scholar Awards during a virtual event on Wednesday, May 5.

Funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by Teaching and Learning Services, the Provost Scholar Award is valued at $1,000 and is given to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, community engagement, immersive learning and/or international activities.

�Ӱ�ԭ�� faculty, staff and senior administration joined Provost Scholar Award recipients and their guests in a virtual award ceremony on Wednesday, May 5.

The Peter J. Ricketts Outstanding Provost Scholar Award was established in 2019 and is given to an outstanding recipient of the Provost Scholar Award. The award is named for Peter J. Ricketts, who served as the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at �Ӱ�ԭ�� for eight years. This year’s award, worth an additional $1,700, was presented to Hickmet Mawi.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Provost Scholar Awards:

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Jaclyn Legge

Jaclyn Legge is an English language and literature student who is described as a devoted and engaged student who has contributed meaningfully to several significant community-building and recruitment initiatives at �Ӱ�ԭ��. Since September, she has served as a CU Student Ambassador where she produced a video outlining what a day in the life of an English major looks like and participated in a Spotlight Series with Prof. Pat Whiting that promotes the Department of English Language and Literature to prospective students. For the last two years, she consistently published a student blog for the department, which played a role in building a sense of community, particularly in the past year when students have been isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also shown leadership in other recruitment initiatives, such as the production of recruitment videos for the Department of English Language and Literature.

Hikmet Mawi

Hikmet Mawi is a childhood and youth studies student who is described as a strong critical thinker who has great potential to advance knowledge in her field. During her work as a research assistant, she brought up critical issues about theory from the global South and decolonizing methodologies to unsettle traditional research conventions. Last year, she participated in a SSHRC-funded research project entitled Transforming disability knowledge, research and activism under the supervision of Prof. Thuy Nguyen through �Ӱ�ԭ��’s I-CUREUS program. Last summer, Hikmet was among a small cohort of students selected to participate in the FASS Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program where she worked under the supervision of Prof. Alexandra Arraiz-Matute on a research project about how first-generation youth of East African descent in Ottawa narrate their identities and experiences. She also participated in a working group—in partnership with Kids Brain Health Network and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance—to advocate for a national autism strategy.

Faculty of Public Affairs

Ashli Au

Ashli Au is a law and human rights student who connects her research skills with a commitment to community service. Under the supervision of Prof. Michael Christensen, Ashli participated in a research project to track political misinformation through �Ӱ�ԭ��’s I-CUREUS program, the preliminary findings of which she presented at the Inquiry@Queen’s Undergraduate Research Conference. Through �Ӱ�ԭ��’s Students as Partners Program (SaPP), Ashli collaborated with Prof. Eric Van Rythoven to develop pedagogy on teaching race in international relations. Ashli has also worked as a team lead for Capital Pride in 2019 and was subsequently elected as co-chair of the Capital Pride Youth Committee. Last year, she was awarded the January Marie Lapuz Emerging Youth Leader Award by SherVancouver for her leadership in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. She has also served as a member of �Ӱ�ԭ��’s Equity and Inclusive Communities Advisory Group and facilitated a workshop at this year’s SOAR Student Leadership Conference at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

Hijaab Yahya

Hijaab Yahya is a law student concentrating in transnational law and human rights, who has a deep interest in advocacy, research and community engagement. They are the co-president of �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Students for Scholars at Risk��Ի��. Hijaab worked with the on an international development project, which advanced technological access for youth and women at the organization. They have provided translation services from Hindi to English for �Ӱ�ԭ�� student groups and professors researching in Nepal. Hijaab conducted research on gender-based violence through the �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Research Opportunity Program and shared discussions on gender equality with internationally recognized human rights activist Mukhtar Mai. Through I-CUREUS, Hijaab has undertaken research under the supervision of Prof. Fiona Robinson in a SSHRC-funded project that explores how narratives of gender entangle within Canada’s foreign policy. They have also presented their research at the �Ӱ�ԭ�� FPA CUROP Showcase��Ի��.

Faculty of Science

Neha Khanna

Neha Khanna is a neuroscience and mental health student with a minor in psychology who is described as relentless in her pursuit to improve the university experience for all �Ӱ�ԭ�� students and beyond. She is currently leading a research study that is exploring how the transition online and access to mental health resources influences student mental health and academic success. Neha has also taken on roles as a Health Promotion Leader and Science Wellness Director where she has delivered many mental health and wellness workshops. She also volunteers as a Peer Mentor, Study Group leader, and with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Learning Disabilities. Finally, Neha has fostered multi-disciplinary connections in her role as the Director of Advocacy and Education at UNICEF �Ӱ�ԭ�� and in the �Ӱ�ԭ�� International Partnership Program.

Emine Topcu Can

Emine Topcu Can is a neuroscience and biology student who is described as a rising star with a breadth of accomplishments and a profound commitment to diverse interests. Emine independently developed a software tool for visualizing and identifying protein target sites in Prof. Kyle Biggar’s lab, which led to a first author publication in a reputable science journal. She has participated in the first research study of the electrical properties of human spinal cord neurons under the supervision of Prof. Mike Hildebrand and has presented findings at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Pain Society. In collaboration with Prof. Hildebrand as a Teaching Assistant and through �Ӱ�ԭ��’s Students as Partners Program (SaPP), Emine helped to connect lecture material to real-world examples by leading the development of assignments and exam questions for a third-year course, which contributed to a smooth transition from face-to-face to online learning.

Sprott School of Business

Kennedy Lichti

Kennedy Lichti is a commerce student who has shown leadership and a commitment to community engagement and international student experiences through her participation in a project focused on entrepreneurial opportunities in Northern Tanzania. Her efforts have resulted in a novel and context-appropriate beehive that will provide entrepreneurial opportunities in the form of honey production for Maasai women in the Longido district of Northern Tanzania and beyond. In 2019, Kennedy used her holiday break to travel to Longido for several weeks to engage the community in the project, which has led to a diffusion plan for a new, innovative hive design. Since then, she has connected virtually with members of the community to construct the finalized design and is now looking to expand the project to the region.

Feruz Dglel Tesfay

Feruz Dglel Tesfay is a commerce student concentrating in international business who founded the , which provides �Ӱ�ԭ�� students with a platform to run projects to address social issues. This newly created club is an evolution of the , which Feruz also established. What began as a fundraising campaign for one specific project has now evolved into a platform with 17 student executives that engages �Ӱ�ԭ�� students in social impact projects. Feruz has participated in research about the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Bangladesh to create a better understanding of the issues affecting workers’ safety. She has been selected to speak to the Women’s Business Network of the National Capital Region and and was recently recognized externally with the for her leadership.

Summer 2021 I-CUREUS applications are now open

CCMS Editor — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 16:20:37 +0000

I-CUREUS will provide you with access to research scholarships, mentoring and the opportunity to develop your research skills.

If you’re interested in participating in the program, speak with your professors about your interest or reach out to your departmental administrator for more information. The deadline to apply for the summer 2021 program is May 7. To learn more, visit the Discovery Centre website.

If you have any questions, please email Aleksandra Minic, Discovery Centre Coordinator, at: aleksandra.minic@carleton.ca.

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Undergraduate Students Present at Inquiry@Queen’s 2021

CCMS Editor — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:02:50 +0000

In recent years, we have started seeing more and more opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research during their studies—an area previously restricted to postgraduates.

The is hosted annually to showcase and celebrate undergraduate research projects. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 15th annual conference took place virtually on March 11 and 12. This year, seven �Ӱ�ԭ�� undergraduates were selected to present their research.

We are proud to recognize and celebrate the important research being done by our undergraduate students across campus. Please see the complete list of students that presented at this year’s conference and their research topics below.

Hijaab Yahya

Private Lives & Unspoken Truths: How does a Right to Privacy Contribute to Violence Against Women in Pakistan?

Student Presenter: Hijaab Yahya
Faculty Supporter: Dr. Gopika Solanki

There were two core purposes of this research project. The first was to explore the impacts of the division of space within the public-private dichotomy onto women’s experiences of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan. In this inquiry, emphasis was placed upon understanding the impact of the culturally produced notion of the “privacy of home” on a woman’s ability to speak about and seek legal channels of assistance in her experiences of DV and IPV. The second purpose was to critically scrutinize Pakistan’s legal system in its ability to protect women from the violence they experience behind closed doors in the perceived “private” sphere of social life. By placing Art 14(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which states, “[t]he dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable,” as the focal point of my research project, I examined why Pakistan’s legal system legitimizes the division of public-private space by constitutionally protecting a right to privacy of home. Informed by such inquiries, I developed the question, “why does Pakistan’s legal system constitutionally entrench a right to privacy of home under Art 14(1), and how is such right balanced against a woman’s right to be free from violence?” This project was conducted virtually and remotely from Canada, which presented significant challenges, including the nine-hour time difference and efficient participant recruitment. Nonetheless, completing this research study was the most fruitful experience of my academic career. It expanded my knowledge of contemporary gender-based socioeconomic and legal issues facing Pakistan’s women and helped me to develop a network with relevant professionals and activists working in this field.

Razz Routly

Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes Analyzed Using Eddy Covariance Technique

Student Presenter: Razz Routly
Faculty Supporter: Dr. Elyn Humphreys

Eddy covariance (EC) is an important measurement technique used in physical geography and atmospheric sciences to measure the exchange of carbon dioxide between an ecosystem and the atmosphere at a specific location. However, EC produces a net exchange of carbon dioxide yet research questions require an understanding of component fluxes, carbon dioxide uptake by plants through photosynthesis and carbon dioxide emissions due to plant and soil respiration. There are two major methods to partition EC measurements into these component fluxes: night-time and day-time partitioning methods. In the night-time method, nighttime measurements are used to estimate daytime respiration and calculate photosynthesis as a residual and in the daytime method, a light response curve is created to estimate daytime respiration and photosynthesis. This study investigates the benefits and drawbacks of these partitioning methods on two carbon dioxide exchange datasets from ecosystems in Canada.

Tara Thachet

Supporting Student Visualization of Molecular Processes Through Diagram Drawing

Student Presenter: Tara Thachet

Faculty Supporter: Dr. Martha Mullally

Historically, scientists and researchers have accompanied their observations with drawings, indicating that visual models are an effective way of communicating science. Studies show that students should draw images that are either interpretational or transformative, regardless of artistic ability, as they help to improve learning. However, many educators do not utilize this practice in their courses. In this study, we investigated if making simple and schematic drawings can help students understand complex molecular processes, and to contextualize complex plant biology processes in an undergraduate plant biology course. When students were introduced to a complex plant process, the instructor accompanied their explanation with a simple schematic drawing. Students were told by the instructor that 1-2 drawing questions would appear on the midterm. For the final exam, no questions explicitly asked students to include a schematic drawing. Students who drew often scored higher on questions related to the topics where drawings were introduced in the course and the lab. Students who drew on the final exam did 12.3% better on the exam than those who didn’t draw. Students who had continuous exposure to drawing style questions during the midterms, did 6% better in the course compared to students who did not write the midterms. Students also gave an overwhelmingly positive response to drawing, and 94% of the surveyors believed that making simple drawings helped them to learn complex molecular processes. This could indicate that exposure to drawing style questions helped reinforce the learning of these processes.

Ashli Au

The Line Between Politics and Conspiracy Theories: Tracking Disinformation using #StopTheGreatReset

Student Presenter: Ashli Au

Faculty Supporter: Dr. Michael Christensen

Have you heard? In today’s pandemic, the Trudeau administration has been using the widespread lockdowns to impose socialism in Canada. This conspiracy theory has been mobilized under the hash tags #StopTheGreatReset, #Scamdemic and #CancelTheLockdown amongst others. With the COVID-19 pandemic, as with previous major events, there has been an influx of dis-and mis- information on social media platforms. This rapid spread of information can have strong influences on people’s behaviour which can impact the effectiveness of public health measures taken by governments (Cinelli et al. 2020; González-Padilla and Tortolero-Blanco 2020). My research is part of an ongoing project that aims to identify and map the spread of disinformation, and its effects on Canadian society. For this sub-project, I created a database of social media posts from Twitter accounts that promote or spread disinformation narratives directed towards Canadian politics and public health measures. From this, we were able to identify some of the most common narratives of disinformation in circulation on Twitter; the hash tag #StopTheGreatReset was chosen as the focus of the project to study the fine, and often blurred, line between legitimate politics and conspiracy theories. Going forth, my aim is to conduct a qualitative analysis on the links attached to social media posts fueling disinformation to understand what kinds of information are being circulated and identify common themes. This project has been an opportunity for me to learn about how social media research is conducted and allows me to engage with urgent issues in contemporary media culture.

Della Boudreau & Lily Toutounji

Changes in Knowledge Across Time: What do Children Know �Ӱ�ԭ�� What They Know?

Student Presenters: Della Boudreau & Lily Toutounji

Contributors: Kenda Parsons, Vivian Rigg, Ellen Doucet, Lojain Hamwi & Deepthi Kamawar

Our study focuses on children’s understanding of their own knowledge and how it changes over time. Preschool-aged children perform above chance when asked about current knowledge, but only children older than 5 years of age performed above chance for past, future, or intraindividual knowledge (Atance & Caza, 2018; Caza et al., 2016). However, we do not currently know whether awareness of past and future knowledge is related. While this type of awareness seems conceptually related to metacognition (the awareness of one’s own ignorance or knowledge; Rohwer et al., 2012), the relation to this skill is unknown. Thus, the goal of the current study is to investigate how children’s awareness of their own epistemic knowledge is related to their metacognitive abilities. This study will explore children between the ages of 3.5- through 5-years-old, who will be assessed on their understanding of their current, past, and future knowledge, as well as other tasks assessing metacognitive skills. Further, we will explore the role of theory of mind and inhibitory control. We predict that children who do well on the epistemic knowledge task for the past will display better performance on the task asking about the future, and that both will be related to the other cognitive skills measured. Due to the current global situation, we converted our study materials to an online format. Our poster will highlight this process and discuss ways to approach challenges in online developmental testing. Though data collection is ongoing, we present initial insight into the process, drawbacks, and benefits of online testing.

Keywords: Epistemic Knowledge, Metacognition, Theory of Mind, Child Development

Andre Telfer

Automated Emotion Classification in Free-Moving Rats: Exploring a machine learning pipeline to improve emotion-data in animal models

Student Presenter: Andre Telfer
Contributors: Frances Sherratt, Oliver van Kaick & Alfonso Abizaid

Studies involving emotion often use animal models and currently rely on manual labelling by researchers. This human-driven labelling approach leads to a number of challenges such as: long analysis times, imprecise results, observer drift, and varying correlation between observers. These problems impact reproducibility, and have contributed to our lack of understanding of fundamental mechanical questions such as how emotions arise from neuronal circuits. Recent success of machine learning models across similar problems show that it can help to mitigate these challenges while meeting or exceeding human accuracy. We developed a classifier pipeline that takes in videos and produces an emotion label. The pipeline extracts body part positions from each frame using a pose estimator and feeds them into an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classifier built using stacked Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) layers. The data was collected by treating nine rats with Lypopolysaccharide (LPS) injections (10mg/kg). First, rats were recorded for 10 minutes under control conditions with no manipulation and no observed symptoms of stress or malaise. A week later, rats were injected with LPS and filmed for 10 minutes two hours post-injection. The classifier pipeline developed correctly labelled 78% of the 125,040 video segments from 8 test videos. When combined with a vote-based system, this led to 7 of the 8 test videos being classified correctly which was the same accuracy attained by a human expert from the lab. The test videos had varying environments and used rats that were different from the training videos, providing evidence of a degree of robustness in the model. Future work will focus on expanding the test data and incorporating models for 3D pose estimation and behavioral classification.

Prepare for the summer term with the Students as Partners Program

CCMS Editor — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 15:19:42 +0000

Teaching this summer? There are still spots available for the Students As Partners Program (SaPP) to help you prepare your online courses for the summer term and support your transition to �Ӱ�ԭ��’s new LMS – Brightspace.

Helping design course materials, such as assessments or your Brightspace course site
Reviewing and providing feedback on assessments, PowerPoint slides or your syllabus
Finding resources or multimedia

The program will run until the end of the winter 2021 term, with students working up to 130 hours. Find out more about the program and application process here.

If you have any questions, please send them to the Discovery Centre Coordinator, Aleksandra Minic.

Apply for the Winter 2021 Students as Partners Program

CCMS Editor — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 14:49:32 +0000

Applications for the Winter 2021 Students As Partners Program (SaPP) are now open to help you prepare your online courses for the summer 2021 term and support your transition to �Ӱ�ԭ��’s new LMS – Brightspace.

Fully funded by Teaching and Learning Services (TLS), SaPP offers instructors and learning support staff the opportunity to involve undergraduate students in teaching innovation and curriculum design through paid work experience. The program will run in the Winter 2021, with students working up to 130 hours.

The application deadline is February 19. Find out more about the program and application process here.

If you have any questions, please send them to the Discovery Centre Coordinator, Aleksandra Minic.

I-CUREUS student participates in Dr. Brady’s ‘Millennials and their Moms’ Survey

CCMS Editor — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 19:16:11 +0000

Fourth year B. CoMS student and I-CUREUS participant, Emma Francis, assisted in the launching phase of Dr. Miranda Brady’s Dr. Brady’s ‘Millennials and their Moms’ Survey. Internship-�Ӱ�ԭ�� University Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (I-CUREUS) offers students the opportunity to participate in faculty-supervised research. Students gain both practical and theoretical experience and are able to make substantial contributions to research.

For full story, please visit:

Brady Launches ‘Millennials and their Moms’ Survey Designed with Fourth Year B. CoMS Student Emma Francis | School of Journalism and Communication (carleton.ca)

Special Students as Partners Program opportunities for contract instructors

CCMS Editor — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:44:09 +0000

Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) is accepting applications for a limited number of Students As Partners Program (SaPP) opportunities to help contract instructors prepare their online courses for the Winter 2021 term.

Administered by the Discovery Centre and fully funded by TLS, SaPP provides instructors the opportunity to provide a paid work experience to undergraduate students interested in teaching innovation and curriculum design. Projects could include anything from contributing to curriculum development, to researching materials and media, or helping to design course materials.

Students will have the option to participate in the to further contribute to their academic and professional development. Participating students will receive an additional $100 honorarium, funded by TLS, on top of the SaPP hours.

The program will run from late Fall 2020 until the end of the Winter 2021 term. The application deadline is November 20. Find out more about the program and apply here.

If you have any questions, please send them to Aleksandra Minic, Discovery Centre Coordinator, at aleksandra.minic@carleton.ca.

Deadline Extended for Fall Students as Partners Program Applications

CCMS Editor — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 17:02:22 +0000

Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) is offering fully funded Students As Partners Program (SaPP) (/discoverycentre/funding-opportunities/students-as-partners-program-sapp/) opportunities during the Fall 2020 term to help instructors prepare their online courses for the Winter 2021 term.

Administered by the Discovery Centre and fully funded by TLS, the Students as Partners Program offers instructors and learning support staff the opportunity to provide a paid work experience to undergraduate students interested in teaching innovation and curriculum design.

New this year, students will have the option to participate in the Future Skills Innovation Network (FUSION) project to further contribute to their academic and professional development. For more information, please visit . Students will receive 10 hours of paid experience ($15/h) on top of the SaPP hours. The 10 hours will be paid by Teaching and Learning Services.

The program will run over the Fall 2020 term (September-December). The deadline to apply is extended to September 25, however we will be accepting applications until all the spots have been filled. Find out more about the program and the application process here: /discoverycentre/funding-opportunities/students-as-partners-program-sapp/