There is a new initiative at UBC to train graduate students to teach as instructors in science undergraduate classes. This Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) at UBC offers students a certification as a CIRTL Associate, Practitioner, or Scholar which can boost your CV.

To become a CIRTL Associate, you can participate in our Foundations of Pedagogy course. The course is non-credit and free of charge. At the end of the one-term course, you will be able to use concepts in evidence-based teaching to effectively teach a lesson in a STEM undergraduate classroom, with emphasis on alignment of learning objectives, activities, and assessment.

Schedule:

Tuesdays, 2 pm – 4 pm, January 09, 2018 – March 06, 2018 (no course during reading week).

Koerner Library, RM216

More information and sign-up:

http://cirtl.ubc.ca/get-involved/foundations-of-pedagogy/

Questions:

If you have any question about this course or CIRTL, please contact cirtl.info@ubc.ca

Sincerely,

Lacey Samuels

CIRTL co-leader

Prof. A. Lacey Samuels

Department of Botany

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4

 

phone: (604) 822-5469

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC CGS Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements – 3rd intake for 2017-2018

The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (CGS-MSFSS) Program supports high-calibre graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences at research institutions abroad. By accessing international scientific research and training, CGS-MSFSS recipients contribute to strengthening the potential for collaboration between Canadian and foreign institutions.

The Tri-Agency has launched a third intake for the 2017-2018 competition with the intention of awarding the remaining supplements from the two previous intakes. CIHR has sufficient funds for approximately 25 awards, NSERC has sufficient funds for approximately 18 awards, and SSHRC has sufficient funds for approximately 13 awards. Eligible applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Complete and eligible applications will be forwarded to the funding agencies as they are received by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Applicant eligibility: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who hold a Vanier CGS or a Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) at the Master’s or doctoral level. Please note that international students who hold a Vanier CGS are not eligible for this award.

Award value: Up to CAD $6,000 for three to six months

Applicant deadline: First come, first served – Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline: 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 26 January 2018.

For details about this competition, please see: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/canada-graduate-scholarship-michael-smith-foreign-study-supplement-3rd-call

Deferred Standing 

As you know, there is a campus-wide policy on Deferred standing in coursework: 

UBC Calendar – Campus-wide Policies and Regulations: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,42,97,0

 

There has been no change in this policy.  

G+PS has seen an increase in the number of  students who have been given an extension to time to complete course requirements without formal Deferred standing. In some cases the outstanding requirements have not been completed, and the missing grades have not been noticed until final checking before graduation. Such a situation can be very difficult to resolve, particularly if the instructor is no longer available either to provide a grade on work that was completed or to review the student’s submission of the outstanding material to complete the course. This can have serious consequences for a student who is expecting to graduate. 

In order to prevent such occurrences, we will be offering more support to programs to identify students who have missing grades and who may need Deferred standing. One month after the end of each term, we will run a report that identifies students with missing grades, and will inform graduate programs. The programs can then contact their students and the course instructors to determine whether the students still have work to complete and whether Deferred standing is appropriate. Programs follow up with G+PS and either request Deferred standing or enter a grade for the work the student has completed. 

If the program decides to request Deferred standing, the instructor must provide an interim grade that will be entered in the student’s record in addition to SD (for Deferred standing). This ensures that if the instructor is no longer at UBC when the SD is completed, another faculty member can grade the remaining work and calculate a total grade using the interim grade.   

Please see Deferred Standing in the Policies and Procedures section of the G+PS website for details on the procedure for requesting Deferred standing.

The form for requesting Deferred standing has been updated to clarify this procedure. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me (max.read@ubc.ca) if you have questions. 

Kind regards, 

Max 

Max Read
Associate Director, Student Academic Services
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies | Office of the Dean and Vice-Provost
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
170-6371 Crescent Road | Vancouver BC | V6T 1Z2 Canada
Phone 604 822 0283
max.read@ubc.ca | http://www.grad.ubc.ca