News

• Forum crosses disciplines to talk about planet’s future

  Sunday, April 23, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Ryan Plummer, Director of Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and Christine Daigle, Director of Brock’s Posthumanism Research Institute, co-hosted a forum on Monday, March 27 featuring presentations by professors Martin Head (Earth Sciences), Liette Vasseur (Biological Sciences), Terrance McDonald (Interdisciplinary Humanities), David Fancy (Dramatic Arts) and Adam Dickinson (English Language and Literature).

  Changes to the environment and what it means for the future prompted discussion between scholars from several Brock University disciplines during a recent forum.

  Scientific and Posthumanist Perspectives on the Anthropocene invited five Brock speakers together for an afternoon of transdisciplinary discussion on Monday, March 27.

  The term anthropocene was unveiled in 2000 to represent a new unit of geological time in which human activities have finally overwhelmed the planet as an operating system.

  The forum “started a conversation among researchers at Brock interested in this seminal time period and the myriad of ways it is being studied,” said Ryan Plummer, Director of Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), who co-hosted the event alongside Christine Daigle, Director of Brock’s Posthumanism Research Institute (PRI).

  The event, which focused on how changes to the planet impact humans and other beings, was the first collaboration between the ESRC and PRI. The two research centres signed a memorandum of understanding in February, committing to pursuing joint research projects, workshops and conferences.

  Scholarly discourse across disciplines is “where exciting breakthroughs occur,” Plummer said. “With respect to our planetary future, there can be no more important issue for engagement.”

  The event featured professors David Fancy (Dramatic Arts), Terrance McDonald (Interdisciplinary Humanities), Adam Dickinson (English Language and Literature), Martin Head (Earth Sciences), and Liette Vasseur (Biological Sciences).

  It was an opportunity to not only engage in discussion with scholars from three of Brock’s academic Faculties, but to also take in a diverse range of perspectives on the topic, Plummer said.

  Fancy was intrigued by how people from different backgrounds at the University approached the question of how humans are affecting the environment and what can be done to develop different relationships with the planet.

  Vasseur felt the discussion helped with efforts to try and define what anthropocene means for different disciplines and how it can be interpreted.

  With a successful first discussion on the topic, there’s potential the group will return to the table in the future to continue its dialogue.

  Story from The Brock News

• Collaboration planned between Environmental Sustainability and Posthumanism research centres

  Sunday, April 23, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Ryan Plummer, Director of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, and Christine Daigle, Director of the Posthumanism Research Institute, recently signed an agreement between the two Brock organizations to improve their collaborative efforts.

  Two research centres at Brock have signed an agreement to improve their collaborative efforts.

  The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and the Posthumanism Research Institute (PRI)signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently that will lead to the two centres pursuing joint research projects, workshops and conferences over the coming year.

  “These two research collectives at Brock ask ‘How do we relate to the world around us? And, how is this relationship changing now and into the future?’ These are fertile areas of research often requiring transdisciplinary approaches to scholarship,” says Interim Vice-President Joffre Mercier. “The ESRC and PRI complement each other and this initiative to co-operate more formally highlights the transdisciplinary strengths and openness of Brock’s researchers. We look forward to the fruits of this co-operation.” 

  The ESRC undertakes research investigating the challenges that arise from the interaction between humans and the environment, and opportunities to shift society to a more sustainable way of life.

  Posthumanist research explores what being ‘human’ means and questions the notions of progress, enlightenment, human nature, truth and happiness. In a world facing major crisis owing to humanity’s impact on the environment, Posthumanist thinking intersects with the research of the ESRC.

  Ryan Plummer, ESRC Director, is excited about the added dimension this collaboration will give to the Centre’s research.

  “Our ongoing dialogue revealed research questions of mutual interest, especially pertaining to the Anthropocene. Given our shared commitment to transdisciplinary research and scholarly excellence, the agreement provides a good basis for moving collaboration forward,” he said.

  Christine Daigle, PRI Director, added “Many posthumanist thinkers tackle issues related to sustainability and the environment as part of their inquiries into the human being as entangled in the natural world. It is imperative to engage in dialogues and exchanges with researchers that examine the scientific aspect of such issues in order to push the reflection forward.”

  The two centres have already made plans for their first joint venture.

  “A short term goal is to hold a joint event in which we discuss the Anthropocene and what it means to be posthuman in this epoch,” Daigle said.

  Story from The Brock News

• New funding helps Brock add new online alternatives

  Sunday, April 23, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Camille Rutherford, Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, and Giulia Forsythe, Special Projects Facilitator with Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, have begun initial planning for development of a four-year bachelor’s degree program in Adult Education made possible through an eCampus Ontario grant.

  Brock University is getting nearly $430,000 from the Ontario government to help develop content for new online courses.

  A $330,000 eCampus Ontario grant will let the University create an online four-year bachelor’s degree program in Adult Education, while a separate grant of nearly $100,000 supports development of open course modules associated with the University’s Environmental Sustainability in Practice course in the Environment Sustainability Research Centre.

  The Adult Education expansion builds on the success of Brock’s existing three-year bachelor’s degree program — the first fully online degree program introduced by the Faculty of Education in 1999.

  “It makes a direct contribution to the University’s strategic goals when it comes to online learning,” said Associate Professor Camille Rutherford in the Department of Teacher Education.

  New courses will be developed over the coming year in partnership with Niagara College as a supporting institution.

  The program’s fourth-year option is expected to launch in September 2018.

  Work will be done in conjunction with Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation to look at best practices for online learning and how to incorporate them into the program’s technical design.

  “Most highly engaging online courses aren’t just text,” Rutherford said, adding there’s an opportunity to include the effective use of audio, video and various digital activities.

  With the grant money, Brock can work with videographers, digital editors and multimedia specialists to develop a stimulating online experience.

  “The Ministry (Advanced Education and Skills Development) has given us the resources to be able to do this and to do it in a high-impact way,” Rutherford said.

  The intent is to develop strategies and templates for online courses that can be used across the University.

  Rutherford said online learning is crucial for people who require a flexible approach to post-secondary education. For instance, most students in the Adult Education program have day jobs, and need a work-around as they endeavour to improve their teaching skills.

  “We have a large number of learners that teach within the college system, people in social services, health care, in instructional roles in the military and a large cohort at the Bruce Nuclear Plant,” Rutherford said, adding those students enrol from across the province.

  “This gives them an opportunity to engage in those learning experiences regardless of their location. It fits into their work life.”

  The expansion, she said, will allow Brock to “continue to distinguish ourselves as a desired place to be, a leader in e-learning and supporter of future-ready skills.

  “This will be an exemplary program, not just here at Brock, but across the province.”

  The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), one of Brock’s five transdisciplinary hubs, also has plans to share its grant-funded work once its new Environmental Sustainability in Practice course is created.

  The course, set to launch in September, will be available to students in various undergraduate programs looking to take a minor in Environmental Sustainability.

  Once the modules are completed, they will be made available to institutions across the province for incorporation into various undergraduate programs.

  “This is a chance to create something that is special to Brock,” said ESRC Director and Professor Ryan Plummer.

  “The fact that our proposal was successful is a real nod to what we have in terms of talent and expertise here at Brock. We’re creating materials that can be used throughout Ontario.”

  The project shows the University is “making it a priority to respond to learners of the 21st century and rethinking how we do some things in terms of our innovative pedagogy,” Plummer said.

  “This is allowing us to realize some of the dreams that we have of how we ideally want to engage learners. It allows us to push the boundaries of what we can actually do online.”

  The funding will allow for content development using multimedia professionals, advanced audio and video techniques.

  “The University is absolutely delighted to see these successful eCampus Ontario grant proposals in online course module, program development and research and innovation categories,” said Vice-Provost Anna Lathrop.

  These projects, she said, will add to Brock University’s reputation as an institution that prioritizes 21^st century learning in forums that integrate technological fluencies and personalized learning.

  Brock University offers 72 online courses across all Faculties, including 27 within Adult Education.

  While Adult Education was once the University’s only fully online undergraduate program, that recently changed with the introduction of the Masters of Public Health program.

  Brock has previously succeeded in obtaining eCampus Ontario funding for development of online courses in human geography, diversities in actor training and history.

  The non-profit collaborative centre of excellence in technology-enabled learning acts as administrator for a web portal that houses more than 13,000 online courses from post-secondary institutions across the province.

  

  Brock University graduate Brodie Hague joined Ryan Plummer, Professor and Director of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, and Christopher Fullerton, Professor and Chair of Geography and Tourism Studies, to discuss various ways technology can be used to enhance the new Environmental Sustainability in Practice course to be developed through an eCampus Ontario grant.

  Story from The Brock News

• Sustainability Doctoral Scholarship awarded for first time by Brock and University of the Sunshine Coast

  Sunday, April 23, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  James Mandigo, Vice-Provost, Kerrie Pickering and Prof. Ryan Plummer.

  Brock University alumna and PhD candidate, Kerrie Pickering, has been awarded the first-ever Sustainability Doctoral Scholarship through a partnership between Brock University and The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Australia.

  Pickering will be researching the impacts of climate change on Indigenous health with the supervision of both Prof. Ryan Plummer at Brock and Prof. Tristan Pearce at USC.

  “Winning this prestigious scholarship is a testament to Kerrie’s strong academic record, outstanding scholarly accomplishments and impactful contributions of her planned research,” said Plummer, Director of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC). “She will be catalyzing exciting new avenues of inquiry within the ESRC and will ultimately enhance our capacity for research excellence.”

  Pickering is currently working on her PhD in Sustainability and she holds a BSc in Environment and a MA in Geography from Brock University. She is also a former registered nurse.

  “Climate change is the greatest threat to human health for present and future generations,” said Pickering. “Remote Indigenous people in Canada and Australia are especially vulnerable as they are experiencing rapid environmental change and currently have the poorest health outcomes within each country. To reverse these health disparities and support adaptation for Indigenous people, we need to understand what health means to them, what their health concerns are and what adaptive measures they are already utilizing.”

  Collaboration between Brock University and USC has been underway since 2012 and was formally consolidated in a Memorandum of Understanding signed last year.

  This collaboration has seen the ESRC at Brock and the Sustainability Research Centre (SRC) at USC work together on a major international initiative on climate change and water governance.

  The sustainability doctoral scholarship covers tuition, living and travel expenses and was created to strengthen the partnership between Brock University and USC under the Memorandum of Understanding.

  “The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock and the Sustainability Research Centre at USC are a perfect match to enhance the critical mass required to understand some of the most pressing issues of our time,” said Prof. Tim Smith, Director to the SRC.

  Story from The Brock News

• Brock hosting milestone PALS conference

  Saturday, March 25, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 10 2017

  From The Brock News

  When the Ontario-Quebec Paleolimnological Symposium (PALS) marks its 10th anniversary in May, it will do so on Brock’s campus.

  The conference, focused on the fields of limnology and paleolimnology, is being hosted by the University May 24 to 26.

  Organized by a group of Brock WEL (Water and Environmental Lab) graduate students, the event provides undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, the opportunity to present their research related to lakes and other bodies of inland water.

  “This year marks the 10th anniversary of the symposium, an event that was literally born out of notes on the back of a napkin,” said WEL Co-Director Michael Pisaric.

  “The PALS symposium continues to grow and flourish each year, as does the relevance of the science that will be explored and discussed at PALS 2017. From acid rain to the impacts of the oil sands, paleolimnology provides a powerful tool to monitor and disentangle many of the most complex environmental issues affecting the world today.”

  PALS is annually attended by students and researchers from across Ontario and Quebec. This year, Brock has also invited researchers from neighbouring institutions in New York state.

  The conference will feature three keynote speakers: Elizabeth Thomas (University of Buffalo), Fredric Bouchard (Université Laval) and Francine McCarthy (Brock University).

  “As graduate students, we are excited to have the opportunity to welcome fellow academics to Brock and to showcase current research in the paleolimnology field,” said Zachary Harmer, WEL graduate student and PALS organizer.

  In addition to networking with researchers and connecting with potential mentors, students participating in the conference will have the chance to present their research through oral or poster presentations.

  WEL Co-Director Kevin Turner called it an honour for Brock to be hosting the milestone event that encourages further research and discussion in a critical field.

  “Paleolimnological analyses of lake sediment provides vast insight of past lake and landscape environmental conditions in areas where no direct measurements have been made,” he said.

  “It is important for researchers to continue exploring this issue.”

  For more information on the symposium or to register online, visit www.pals2017.com.

  From The Brock News

• Brock researcher finds climate change further endangering Canadian bison

  Saturday, March 25, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on March 07 2017

  From The Brock News

  Climate change is making things worse for Canada’s largest land-dwelling mammal, which is already on the country’s threatened species list, a research team has found.

  More precipitation is forcing the wood bison of Northwest Territories into areas that pose dangers for them, says Brock University geographer and research team member Michael Pisaric.

  For decades, the wood bison population has been living in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary on the western shore of Great Slave Lake in N.W.T. The iconic animal lives off of grass-like plants called sedges, which are common along lake shorelines in the region.

  But these sedge meadows are increasingly becoming flooded as the lakes expand “and the bison’s preferred habitat declines,” explains Pisaric, professor in Brock’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies.

  Pisaric was part of a research team led by the University of Ottawa that included the government of N.W.T. and five partner universities, including Brock. They studied satellite images from the 1980s to present and, before that, sediment cores taken from a number of lakes in the area to track lake surface changes over the last few centuries.

  The team’s study, “Broad-scale lake expansion and flooding inundates essential wood bison habitat,” was published in the Feb. 23 edition of the journal Nature Communications.

  “We found out from satellite data that the total area of the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary covered in water was about five per cent in the 1980s,” explains Pisaric. “This has increased to over 11 per cent of the land area now.”

  While the exact causes of the lake expansion remain uncertain, Pisaric says warmer temperatures bring more precipitation and some permafrost thawing.

  Because the bison sanctuary land is so flat, even slight changes in precipitation and flow causes water bodies to grow. He says some lakes in the area have expanded “hundreds of times in size” and are the largest they’ve been in at least 200 years.

  “Surveys of the bison population at the same time indicate that, as the lakes have expanded, the Mackenzie herd appears to have abandoned the former core of its range within the protected area of the sanctuary as habitat becomes inundated,” says Pisaric.

  The wood bison are moving toward a busy highway that connects Edmonton with Yellowknife. The road is often travelled by large trucks going back and forth from the North’s diamond mines.

  “Incidents of collisions have increased,” says Pisaric. “It’s especially dangerous in the fall, when daylight begins to decrease again and there’s no snow cover yet; drivers don’t see the bison until they’re right on top of them.”

  The wood bison, found in Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Yukon, and southwestern N.W.T, is a subspecies of the American bison listed as “threatened” under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

  “Disease, cross-breeding with plains bison and habitat loss through human development, agriculture, forestry and petroleum resource development are the main threats faced by Wood Bison,” says the Species at Risk Public Registry.

  Pisaric explains that the wood bison living in Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary are “genetically pure,” taken to the sanctuary from a remote location in Wood Buffalo National Park during the 1960s.

  “Most of the wood bison that we have in Canada are a cross between the plains bison and wood bison, so they’re not genetically pure,” he says.

  Story from The Brock News

• Study finds habitat flooding caused by climate change is threatening vulnerable wood bison

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on February 23 2017

  OTTAWA, February 23, 2017 – New research from scientists at the University of Ottawa, five partner universities and the Government of the Northwest Territories shows climate change is causing extensive lake expansion and landscape flooding in the southern Northwest Territories, affecting the protected habitat of the Mackenzie wood bison herd. Wood bison are listed as “threatened” under Canada’s Species At Risk Act and the Mackenzie herd plays a key role in efforts to conserve and increase wood bison populations in the Northwest Territories.

  “The Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, is home to an important population of wood bison. Observations over the last decade by local land users and wildlife managers suggested the lakes of the region have expanded, flooding large areas of sedge meadows. We set out to assess these changes to better understand their impact on bison populations,” says co-lead author Dr. Jennifer Korosi, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at York University, who completed the work while a Banting Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa.

  The team measured the area covered by water in a 10,000 km2 section of the region using satellite images taken between 1986 and 2011. Their findings show that the lake surface nearly doubled over that period. The expansion of water on the landscape is disproportionately flooding essential bison habitat by inundating sedge meadows that were prevalent in previously dry lake basins.

  “Surveys of the bison population at the same time indicate that, as the lakes have expanded, the Mackenzie herd appears to have abandoned the former core of its range within the protected area of the sanctuary in search of forage” explains co-author Dr. Michael Pisaric, professor of geography at Brock University. Bison movements, caused by habitat changes, have led to a higher risk of collisions between bison and vehicles on the highway in recent years.

  The study relied on information preserved in a dated core of sediment taken from the largest lake in the area to track lake surface changes over the last few centuries, before satellite imagery became available. Sediment cores record the history of changes to the lake and its surrounding area, based on the analysis of materials deposited over time at the lake bottom. The team recorded increases in chemical markers that are produced exclusively by land plants, tracking inundation of the surrounding landscape over the last ~20 years that is unprecedented in more than 200 years of history in the area.

  “The results of our study, both from the satellite imagery and lake sediments, point to recent climate change as being the primary driver of lake area expansion in this region” says Dr. Joshua Thienpont, co-lead author on the study, and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa. Thienpont notes there are various mechanisms by which lakes can expand or decline with climate change across the vast northern landscape, which are currently being studied.

  “Our findings clearly indicate that increases in lake size, as a result of climate change, have directly impacted the use of the land by threatened wood bison,” explains Dr. Jules Blais, co-author, and professor of biology and environmental toxicology at the University of Ottawa. “This represents an additional challenge for the conservation of wood bison herds that have also been affected recently by diseases like anthrax and tuberculosis as well as forest fires.”

  Read the study in Nature Communications.

  Members of the research team
  Dr. Jules Blais (University of Ottawa), Dr. Joshua Thienpont (University of Ottawa), Dr. Jennifer Korosi (York University), Dr. Michael Pisaric (Brock University), Dr. John Smol (Queen’s University), Dr. Myrna Simpson, Ms. Jamylynn McDonald (University of Toronto), Mr. Peter deMontigny, Ms. Joelle Perreault (Carleton University), Dr. Steve Kokelj (Northwest Territories Geological Survey), and Dr. Terry Armstrong (Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories).

  Funding
  Funding for the research was provided by the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (Government of the Northwest Territories), the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

  Media inquiries:
  Amélie Ferron-Craig
  Media Relations Officer
  University of Ottawa
  Cell: 613-863-7221
  aferronc@uOttawa.ca

• University mourns the loss of Steven Renzetti

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on February 22 2017

  From The Brock News
  February 3, 2017

  People across the Brock University community were stunned and deeply saddened to learn of the death of colleague and scholar Steven Renzetti, who passed away Friday Feb. 3 after a brief illness.

  A service to celebrate his life and work will be held for friends and colleagues in the spring. Details will be announced at a later date.

  A Professor of Economics whose research made him an internationally-renowned thought leader on fresh water resources and conservation, Renzetti was known on his own campus as a reassuring friend and confidant who made an indelible impression on colleagues and students.

  “This is a sad, sad day,” said Tom Dunk, Interim Provost and Vice-President Academic. “Steven was a fantastic scholar and a great member of the Brock community. But more importantly he was a wonderful person. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”

  Having joined Brock as a Lecturer in the Department of Economics in 1988, Renzetti was appointed Assistant Professor two years later, then received tenure in 1993 and promotion to Associate Professor. He was made a Professor on July 1, 2002.

  In an era when Brock was building a reputation for research, Renzetti became a go-to reference for government agencies and news media across Canada, who sought his counsel on topics ranging from the sale of public water as a commercial commodity, to using residential water meters to reduce consumption.

  Parallel to his stream of academic accomplishments, leadership would play a role in shaping Renzetti’s career. In January 2016 he agreed to serve as Brock’s Associate Vice-President of Research for Humanities and Social Sciences, then in August 2016 was appointed as the University’s Interim Vice-President of Research. He stepped down three months later due to illness.

  One of his biggest legacies was helping create the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, a Brock transdisciplinary hub, working alongside fellow researcher Ryan Plummer, who was mourning his close friend.

  “It was such a privilege to work with him,” said Plummer. “Steven’s commitment to scholarly excellence was unwavering. He embodied what it means to truly be an academic — internationally recognized for his expertise in water resource economics, dedicated to the enterprise of higher education, and devoted to service in Niagara and the Canadian water community. Brilliant, ever approachable, humble and generous, the impacts of his contributions will continue to shape Brock University and the field of water resources in Canada and beyond.”

  Renzetti specialized in environmental economics, which seeks to understand the two-way relationship between the economy and the natural environment. His primary area of research was the economics of water resources, which he has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals.

  His significant achievements also included:

  • helping create Brock’s Sustainability Science and Society graduate program;
  • being appointed by the International Joint Commission(IJC) to the Science Priority Committee of the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board;
  • securing a $2.3-million SSHRC Partnership research grant to set up the Water Economics, Policy and Governance Network, a national research and policy group formed to address Canada’s pressing water issues; and
  • serving on numerous editorial boards, government commissions and panels.

  From The Brock News

• Lincoln and Brock sign MOU to focus on community priorities

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on February 22 2017

  From The Brock News
  February 16, 2017

  Brock University and the Town of Lincoln formalized an agreement that could help the municipality and the school identify joint projects that enrich Brock’s educational opportunities while advancing the town’s economic, social and community development.

  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton and Brock Interim President Tom Traves on Wednesday, Feb. 15 is the latest venture to see the town and university collaborate on initiatives that support the strategic intentions of both parties.

  This helps build communities but also strengthens Brock and makes it increasingly valuable to the entire region as a key resource for education and knowledge.

  The MOU will see the two partners create a joint steering committee that explores ways of moving forward by matching the University’s areas of expertise with the Town’s needs and opportunities.

  Traves said Brock is committed to supporting the development of local communities, especially in ways that benefit both partners.

  “For the University, initiatives like this typically lead to work-integrated experiential learning opportunities, while advancing cutting-edge research and transferring Brock’s innovation into our host communities, supporting social and economic needs,” said Traves.

  This new genre of collaboration between universities and municipalities allows for community co-research models, where the town is an active partner who not only helps define the scope of a project, but participates in research whose outcomes are specific and can be realistically implemented by a local municipality.

  Easton said the MOU provides the knowledge and expertise of Brock faculty and students, bringing “a much broader perspective that can only assist us in our vision of a future, sustainable Lincoln.”

  “This collaboration serves as a local think tank with focus and expertise,” said Easton, “a relationship to benefit Council, our community, and our staff.”

  From The Brock News

• New funding helps Brock add new online alternatives

  Sunday, February 26, 2017 | By Amanda Smits

  Published on February 11 2017

  From The Brock News
  

  Brock University is getting nearly $430,000 from the Ontario government to help develop content for new online courses.

  A $330,000 eCampus Ontario grant will let the University create an online four-year bachelor’s degree program in Adult Education, while a separate grant of nearly $100,000 supports development of open course modules associated with the University’s Environmental Sustainability in Practice course in the Environment Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC).

  The Adult Education expansion builds on the success of Brock’s existing three-year bachelor’s degree program — the first fully online degree program introduced by the Faculty of Education in 1999.

  “It makes a direct contribution to the University’s strategic goals when it comes to online learning,” said Associate Professor Camille Rutherford in the Department of Teacher Education.

  New courses will be developed over the coming year in partnership with Niagara College as a supporting institution.

  The program’s fourth-year option is expected to launch in September 2018.

  Work will be done in conjunction with Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation to look at best practices for online learning and how to incorporate them into the program’s technical design.

  “Most highly engaging online courses aren’t just text,” Rutherford said, adding there’s an opportunity to include the effective use of audio, video and various digital activities.

  With the grant money, Brock can work with videographers, digital editors and multimedia specialists to develop a stimulating online experience.

  “The Ministry (Advanced Education and Skills Development) has given us the resources to be able to do this and to do it in a high-impact way,” Rutherford said.

  The intent is to develop strategies and templates for online courses that can be used across the University.

  Rutherford said online learning is crucial for people who require a flexible approach to post-secondary education. For instance, most students in the Adult Education program have day jobs, and need a work-around as they endeavour to improve their teaching skills.

  “We have a large number of learners that teach within the college system, people in social services, health care, in instructional roles in the military and a large cohort at the Bruce Nuclear Plant,” Rutherford said, adding those students enrol from across the province.

  “This gives them an opportunity to engage in those learning experiences regardless of their location. It fits into their work life.”

  The expansion, she said, will allow Brock to “continue to distinguish ourselves as a desired place to be, a leader in e-learning and supporter of future-ready skills.

  “This will be an exemplary program, not just here at Brock, but across the province.”

  The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), one of Brock’s five transdisciplinary hubs, also has plans to share its grant-funded work once its new Environmental Sustainability in Practice course is created.

  The course, set to launch in September, will be available to students in various undergraduate programs looking to take a minor in Environmental Sustainability.

  Once the modules are completed, they will be made available to institutions across the province for incorporation into various undergraduate programs.

  “This is a chance to create something that is special to Brock,” said ESRC Director and Professor Ryan Plummer.

  “The fact that our proposal was successful is a real nod to what we have in terms of talent and expertise here at Brock. We’re creating materials that can be used throughout Ontario.”

  The project shows the University is “making it a priority to respond to learners of the 21st century and rethinking how we do some things in terms of our innovative pedagogy,” Plummer said.

  “This is allowing us to realize some of the dreams that we have of how we ideally want to engage learners. It allows us to push the boundaries of what we can actually do online.”

  The funding will allow for content development using multimedia professionals, advanced audio and video techniques.

  “The University is absolutely delighted to see these successful eCampus Ontario grant proposals in online course module, program development and research and innovation categories,” said Vice-Provost Anna Lathrop.

  These projects, she said, will add to Brock University’s reputation as an institution that prioritizes 21st century learning in forums that integrate technological fluencies and personalized learning.

  Brock University offers 72 online courses across all Faculties, including 27 within Adult Education.

  While Adult Education was once the University’s only fully online undergraduate program, that recently changed with the introduction of the Masters of Public Health program.

  Brock has previously succeeded in obtaining eCampus Ontario funding for development of online courses in human geography, diversities in actor training and history.

  The non-profit collaborative centre of excellence in technology-enabled learning acts as administrator for a web portal that houses more than 13,000 online courses from post-secondary institutions across the province.

  From The Brock News