What and why

In UBC-Okanagan’s Dep’t of EEGS, a Canvas “course” is regularly used by all advisors and students pursuing EEGS degrees. It provides information about their programs, advising, career preparation and departmental activities. It includes short videos with information from advisors or interviews with alumni and experts such as Head of Registration for EGBC (professional engineers and geoscientists in BC). It was generated and is maintained by Prof. Craig Nichole at UBC-OK. A version of this resource has been prepared for EOAS for consideration. See the Canvas site itself (CWL required)

Delivering resources in this manner has several benefits:

1. All students can find information when they choose rather than having to book appointments with advisors. Meeting with advisors should still be expected, but these can focus on individual needs if the basic information is available at a familiar location.
2. A Canvas site is not public but is automatically accessible to all students.
3. Videos and documents provide succinct information that would normally have to be presented frequently and sometimes repeatedly. This saves time for advisers and students.
4. Information from people outside the Department is efficiently presented, such as a video explanation of how professional registration works in BC.
5. Links to external resources, such as scientific and professional organizations and their information can be provided so students can be directed efficiently as needed.
6. Canvas announcements can be used for regular or one-off communications, and all students will ‘automatically’ be made aware of these information updates.
7. Maintaining content is in a format that is both online and easily accomplished since all instructors are familiar with the Canvas interface. Similarly, files (eg PDFs) are easily delivered to a Canvas site.
8. Communication with all students, a subset, or individuals is easily accomplished without having to go through the email lists that are accessible only to Dep’t staff or advisors. This should help increase the immediacy, relevance and effectiveness of faculty – student relationships, thus increasing everyone’s sense of community within EOAS.
9. Materials that may be of interest in more than one course can be made available and maintained. For example, this Canvas site could be a source or starting point for learning activities related to career preparation, exposure to scientific organizations, access to databases, etc.. This approach to delivering such content will make it more efficient for instructors to incorporate corresponding activities into their courses.
10. Departmental activities such as seminars, awards events, networking opportunities, etc. can be announced, with scheduled event-announcements prepared in advance for timed release.
11. Key students such as club presidents could be given limited access to generate their own announcements or materials.

A prototype called “EOAS Student Info 2023/24”  tailored for EOAS is being prepared (August 2023) by modifying a copy of the EEGS resource, and incorporating insights gained in the geoscience careers workshop that FJ and SBS attended at EER 2023. Manuel Dias (SkyLight/CTLT) has initiated this Canvas site so that EOAS undergraduates can enroll themselves as students using this URL: https://canvas.ubc.ca/enroll/KLHK6T and their CWL. Any (or all) instructors can be give access as needed, to update or add content.

Feedback from EOAS faculty:

• One professor involved in advising EOAS students agrees such a facility has potential.
• Quotes from another EOAS faculty reviewer:
  • I like the student info canvas site. Would love to sit and go through some of the things with you if you have some time soon.
  • I think this would be a great place for students to find things, but only if it is managed and kept up to date. The problem with all of these things is that they get old fast.
  • A cool addition could be Graduate testimonials – maybe some short video clips from recent graduates on what they are doing in their careers. Possibly a few from not-so recent graduates too.
  • I flip between liking and hating the modules in Canvas – its so bland with lots of things to click on. Perhaps each Module could be a page – where you can embed images and video clips? It might make it more engaging for students? Anyway – just a few thoughts for now. I like it, and think it will be a great resource.

Suggested content for EOAS – to be discussed

A balance will be needed between public facing content which should be on the main EOAS website (see the marketing ideas page) and content that is more appropriate for students already enrolled in EOAS programs that can be provided on this Canvas “course” site.

Suggested content is outlined in a planning document on the Canvas site. If the Canvas resource is not considered viable in EOAS, the content produced can be distributed partly onto the EOAS website, and partly into this QuEST document.

As of Aug. 2023, the home page, with an outline of content, looks like this:

The original EEGS facility’s modules