Academic News

Happy Halloween

November 3, 2022

Hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween as our Nursing students did working on the Pediatric ward on Halloween!

Written by: Jennifer Johnson – Nursing Lab Manager

Photos by: Monica Nash – Nursing Instructor

Explore IT Employment at Red River College Polytechnic

October 31, 2022

Instructor Recruitment Event

Would you like to work at a place where you can make a positive, direct impact on the next generation of professionals in your field?

Learn about exciting employment opportunities for instruction and curriculum development in Information Technology at Red River College Polytechnic. Join senior academic leaders and faculty:

Date: Tuesday, November 15
Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, at 319 Elgin Avenue (view on Google Maps)

We have full-time, part-time, or contract employment opportunities.

Learn about the many benefits of being an RRC Polytech employee. We are looking for people with experience in information technology, application development, data science, machine learning, and security experience for the following programs:

  • Business Information Technology
  • IT Operations
  • Information Security
  • Data Science and Machine Learning

Agenda

TimeActivity
4:00 pmPresentation on RRC Polytech employment
4:30 pmPresentation on ACE Programs
5:00 pmTour of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae
5:30 pmRefreshments and networking

Benefits of Employment at RRC Polytech

We offer competitive salaries, extensive benefits, and the opportunity for personal and professional growth in a rewarding career. We’re also one of Manitoba’s Top Employers, one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, and one of Canada’s Greenest Employers.

Register to attend

Please share information about this event with people in your network who may be interested in attending. Register to let us know you are attending this in-person event.

Learning in Times of Crisis: Digital Stories Created by Nursing Students Have a Powerful Impact on Faculty

October 20, 2022

On September 23, 2022, in the Black Lecture Theatre, we hosted a video premier event from a digital storytelling workshop held with four nursing students in the RRC Polytech BN program. The students were invited to share the digital stories they had created, including their challenges and success with learning to be a nurse during the pandemic. The video workshops and the research were funded by the RRC Polytech STAR grant fund. Four nursing student volunteers participated in the workshops and produced the videos linked below: Brynn Clifford, Lami Omidele, Nengi Shadrack, and Donna (Wenying) Wang.

The Video creation was the final phase in a study conducted by Breanna Sawatzky, Campus Mental Health Specialist, and Kim Mitchell (formerly of RRC Polytech, now Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Manitoba). The study began prior to the pandemic in fall 2019 as a way to test the impact of several mental health interventions on student wellness and resilience. After the pandemic-related shut-down, however, we pivoted the study focus to the entire student body of nurses and conducted several surveys from June 2020 to June 2021. In the fall and spring of 2021, we held several focus groups with faculty and students.

The digital storytelling workshops were held both virtually and in person during the month of July 2022. Special thanks to Deb Gural who gave her support and expertise with WeVideo during the workshops. Breanna, Kim, and Deb all participated in the StoryCenter digital storytelling workshop in preparation for this phase of the study.

The first workshop with the students included topics such as the principles of storytelling, scriptwriting, and use of the WeVideo platform for video creation. We shared the focus group findings with students as inspiration for the video creation, but invited them to tell any story they felt willing to share. The second workshop focused on perfecting their scripts in preparation for recording. We then sent them off to spend two weeks finding images, music, and video clips that would support the telling of their stories. During the third workshop, students shared their rough video edits and worked on editing their videos.

The videos produced are moving renditions of the lives of students learning to be nurses in the midst of a pandemic while navigating parenthood, marriage, jobs, supportive and unsupportive instructors, mental health issues, and English as a second language. Each story is its own unique journey and reflects common issues we heard about from students during the survey and interview phases of the research.

Nengi Shadrack: The Tunnel of Dreams

Donna Wang: Nursing Adventure
Lami Omidele: Unexpected

Brynn Clifford: Behind the Smile

Post written by Kim Mitchell – Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Manitoba

Part-time “Business for Communicators” Program Widens Job Horizons

October 20, 2022

Just over a year ago, RRC Polytech launched Communication Management, a post-graduate diploma program to help professional communicators boost their business acumen and leadership skills. The program’s first cohort is a mix of professionals who specialize in various communication disciplines.

Their common link is that they’re all now working in organizational communications, and came to the Communication Management program to build experience that will open more professional opportunities.

“I have already put my new skills into practice in my work at Manitoba Hydro,” says Kathleen Hodgson, Community Investment and Public Safety Specialist at Manitoba Hydro. “The course content is designed specifically for people like me, who may have mastered the fundamentals of communications but are still eager to learn more. I believe the confidence I gained from taking Business for Communicators 1 gave me the edge I needed to bid on an exciting new role within my organization, and get it.”

“The program has really helped boost my confidence and renewed my passion for my work, which is great for me and Manitoba Hydro,” says Hodgson.

The Communication Management program is offered online, on weekday evenings. The courses cover traditional business topics ranging from operating fundamentals (finance, governance, reporting, labour law) to professional project management and leadership skills. In addition to those, courses provide deeper dives into skills particularly relevant to mid-level communicators, from stakeholder engagement to change management and digital content marketing.

To complete the program, each student will complete a capstone project that puts their skills into practice for a real-life client of their choice – either an employer or another organization they want to help.

“Our Creative Communications grads develop strong communication skills in their diploma program, but we just don’t have the time to build the extensive business knowledge, project management and leadership skills we’d like to,” says Melanie Lee Lockhart, M.A., APR, who coordinates the Communication Management program. “Having taught Public Relations and Communication Management in CreComm for more than a decade, I know the vast majority of our grads find industry jobs quickly. But some eventually need additional training to help them move up.”

“We developed the Communication Management program to connect CreComm grads’ communication skills with the business knowledge and management skills they need,” says Lee Lockhart.

The Communication Management program comprises 12 courses. This coming winter term (January – April 2023), the program will offer its Managing Major ProjectsDigital Content Marketing, and Labour Law and Management courses.

Communication Management

To enrol on a part-time basis in an upcoming course in Communication Management, you first need to submit an application. Learn more about the benefits of the program to apply with confidence, and get ready to advance your career.

Explore program

Communicators Leveling Up Project Management Skills in New Course

October 19, 2022

Between pandemic-related changes in the way we all work and the evolving influence of technology, professional communicators are doing more and more project management. Project management programs and designations are growing out of this need, and are equipping professionals to move up the ranks as they can handle more responsibility. The Managing Major Projects course aims to fill that gap for professional communicators in the Communication Management program.

Team planning a meeting with calendar on computer, search time slot between events, tasks, and appointments, busy business people using time management tool to organize work, colleagues in office

While programs like RRC Polytech’s Creative Communications equip their graduates for the communications side of their roles, they don’t have enough time to develop extensive project management practices and skills.

Enter Managing Major Projects, a course in RRC Polytech’s new post-graduate diploma in Communication Management.

“The fact is, you can’t possibly learn everything you need to manage communications for an organization in a two-year program,” says Rose Regier (CreComm 2015), who has managed major projects for clients, including the Canada Summer Games, and will be teaching the evening course in the Winter 2023 term. “And besides that, you really need to have experience in an organization before you can really understand how project management should properly work.”

“This course was designed for people who are working as professional communicators. We build on what they already know and do, to develop high-level project management skills that will help them successfully play more important roles,” says Regier.

Like all courses in the new Communication Management program, the Managing Major Projects course develops related professional project management skills and picks up at the skill level its students achieved in a communications-related diploma or degree program. The students learn principles and best practices and then apply them to real-life client situations, in their own workplaces where possible.

“[Communication Management] is an innovative, industry-driven program,” says Joey Pothe, Communications Officer, Association of Employees Supporting Education Services (AESES), who is pursuing the post-graduate diploma in Communication Management and took Managing Major Projects in the Winter 2022 term. “It has small, flexible online classes; instructors are knowledgeable industry experts, and the real-world assignments can benefit your current employer.”

Managing Major Projects classes begin the evening of January 3, 2023, online, and are open to anyone with a diploma or degree in business communications, advertising, marketing communications, public relations, or communication management, or who has worked as a professional communicator.

Register for this course

Managing Major Projects is a course that can be taken on a part-time basis as part of the Communication Management program. Once you apply to the program, you’ll have the chance to enroll in this and other courses available in the upcoming Winter term.

Learn more about communication management

Nursing Simulation

October 6, 2022

The Sim family is happy to see everyone in person again! It has been an exciting term so far with everyone back in the labs and simulation. In-person simulation is expanding into courses that have not had simulation in the past. Simulation participants (actors) are back and interacting with students, giving them real life experiences. This allows students to have a unique learning experience providing them an opportunity to increase knowledge and skills with increased authenticity.

Virtual simulation continues to be integrated into courses within the curriculum. This allows students to begin transferring their theory to practice. Our research continues in virtual simulation through the CI Can Virtu-WIL grant with new virtual simulations being developed and more opportunity for upcoming paid research participation for students.

The research study that many of the Nursing Students at Red River College Polytechnic participated in will now be published. The link is below, and we thank you for your participation and continued support of furthering nursing research.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876139922000743?dgcid=coauthor

Allyson Cooper & Kim Pinel – Nursing Instructors

A Special Thank You from Brenda!

September 29, 2022

Brenda E. Enns would like to send out a special Thank You to all the students who nominated her for the Teachers Award of Excellence 2021-2022. She appreciates and loves her job teaching in the Nursing Techniques lab, and receiving this award shows that her students appreciate her too.

Post created by

Jennifer Johnson

Nursing Lab Manager

Employer Information Session: How to Engage with IT Students

September 21, 2022

You’re invited to an information session on how your organization can support student work-integrated learning.

Information Technology Students are available for co-ops, applied research, and industry projects.
 

Exterior view of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae at Princess St and Elgin Ave
Exterior view of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae at Princess St. and Elgin Ave.

Would you like to make a positive, direct impact on the next generation of IT professionals? Join us for an information session in person or virtually on:

Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Time: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Location: Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, Roundhouse at 319 Elgin Avenue (view on Google Maps) (or virtually).

We would love to meet you to discuss how you and your organization can allow technology students to apply their learning through a co-op, industry project, or applied research project. You will hear from other businesses that have worked with our students.

Read More →

Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge

September 12, 2022

Brought to you by Red River College Polytechnic, Tech Manitoba, and Faculty of Science-UM

Sprint to Innovate brings together post-secondary students from varied disciplines such as technology, business, entrepreneurship, and more. Manitoba students, and invited international partner institutions, will learn about innovation while collaborating in a fun and exciting challenge to build a minimum viable prototype in two days.

We are pleased to announce that our next Sprint to Innovate: The Innovation Challenge presented by Access Credit Union is the weekend of January 27 to 29, 2023! This year we will be starting the event with a Networking session on Thursday, January 26 with keynote speaker Michael Henderson, Managing Director at Ubisoft Winnipeg.

We invite all companies to review our sponsorship and mentorship opportunities, and to consider submitting a business challenge; and for post-secondary students to consider participating.

HOW THE EVENT WORKS

Teams of 4 to 6 students will choose from available business challenges provided by industry. Students will then work together with support from mentors to create a solution, including developing a prototype to be presented to judges on the final day.

A prototype is a simple experimental model of the proposed product used to learn from. Prototypes range from low-fidelity (paper-based) prototypes that are used to explain concepts all the way to high-fidelity prototypes that have functional elements with more detail.  Teams may consist of technology and business students.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

As an Organization

  1. Sponsor the event.
  2. Volunteer your time as a mentor.
  3. Provide us with a Business Challenge that your organization has.

As a Student

Students from any Manitoba post-secondary student may participate in a team at Sprint to Innovate.

Students may register a team of 4 to 6 students. You may register as an individual if you would like to be added to a team. Register today for a chance to win $15,000 in prize money!

Registration is closed.

Keynote Speaker

All attendees are invited to our Networking and Keynote on Thursday, January 26 at Red River College Polytechnic – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae.

Michael Henderson, Managing Director at Ubisoft Winnipeg

Originally from California, Michael Henderson spent more than 20 years in the film industry in feature animation and visual effects before joining Ubisoft. His work includes time with the core technology group of Disney and founding the production engineering team Dreamworks Animation. he then took on studio leadership, opening international studios in both India and China before returning to the United States as a production executive. He joined Ubisoft Winnipeg in 2020 as the Director of Technology and took over the role of Managing Director for the studio in 2021.

Event Schedule

Networking EventThursday, January 26, 20234:00 PM – 6:00 PMRRC Polytech – Agora Manitou a bi Bii daziigae
Kick-Off/TrainingFriday, January 27, 20231:00 PM – 4:00 PMVirtual
Challenge Work BeginsFriday, January 27, 2023EveningVirtual
Challenge Work ContinuesSaturday, January 28, 2023Day-longVirtual
Challenge Work ContinuesSunday, January 29, 2023 MorningRRC Polytech – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae Campus
Semi-Final &
Final Presentation
Sunday, January 29, 20231:00 PM – 5:00 PMRRC Polytech – Roundhouse – Manitou a bi Bii daziigae

Challenge Statements

CHALLENGE #1 Campus Safety

How might we create and deliver Campus and bus safety training for post-secondary students, and a system for reminders to help these practices become habit. – Dan Saltel

CHALLENGE #2 Fintech Startup, Access Credit Union

Open banking is set to change financial services in Canada. Design a fintech (financial technology)start-up company that leverages open banking principles and design a new innovative payment or financial service for a Manitoba Credit Union System. – Access Credit Union

CHALLENGE #3 Renterii Challenge

Renterii is a platform that allows rental merchants and individuals to lend their items or space.   How might we incentivize existing rental merchants to use the Renterii platform in a low-cost or cost-effective manner?

CHALLENGE #4 City of Winnipeg Snow Clearing

How can we change the City of Winnipeg snow clearing into the smartest snow clearing in Canada? – City of Winnipeg

CHALLENGE #5 IntegrationWorx – Engaging Virtual Office

Integrationworx has no physical office.  How can we foster an engaging work environment and company culture, when all employees work virtually and are located across Canada? – IntegrationWorx

CHALLENGE # 6 Selection of Candidates – CIPS

How might we develop a system using the SFIA Skills Credentialing Framework to objectively and responsibly evaluate job candidates and candidate resumes, while improving over time? – CIPS Manitoba

CHALLENGE #7 I’m Leaving On A JetPlane

How might we engage passengers post-security while they wait for their flight to board. – Winnipeg Richardson Airport

Sponsorship

Thank you to our Title sponsor Access Credit Union, Support sponsor BHER, and Event sponsors City of Winnipeg, Riipen, InvisionEdge, University of Manitoba-Faculty of Science, Red River Mutual, CIPS Manitoba, National Research Council Canada, and Integrationworx. We have $15,000 in prize money for our winning teams!

EVENT SPONSORSHIP – $1000

We are looking for sponsors to provide $1000 towards prize money to the winning teams.

Your $1,000 sponsorship would earn you:

·Recognition throughout the event

·Recognition on event materials

·Social media recognition

·The opportunity to be a mentor to a team throughout the weekend.

Email Cristy at ckubara@rrc.ca for more information

Be A Mentor

Our Sprint to Innovate mentorship team will specialize in the following areas to provide well-rounded support to the student teams throughout the weekend.

·Help the team establish and foster a positive team environment

·Provide ideation tips and tricks

·Advise on prototype development

·Advise on pitch preparation

·Review final pitch presentation and provide advice

Email Cristy at ckubara@rrc.ca for more information

Provide a Business Challenge

Student teams will be provided with a list of business challenges that they will have a choice between to work on.  This is where you come in!  We are asking a few different companies to provide a general business challenge and students would create a solution. 

Do you have a general business challenge that our student teams can help solve? 

Email Cristy at ckubara@rrc.ca for more information

Student Information

Do you want to learn how to be innovative, and win some money?
Sprint to Innovate is about learning innovation, being innovative, building deeper relationships, problem-solving and developing solutions to real business challenges. Whether you win, or not, you will have the skills to innovate, problem-solve, and work as a team.

How the event works
Teams of 4 to 6 students will choose from a variety of business challenges provided by industry. Students and mentors will then work together on a solution, including developing a prototype to be presented to judges on the final day. A prototype is a simple experimental model of the proposed product used to learn from. Prototypes range from low-fidelity (paper-based) prototypes that are used to explain concepts all the way to high-fidelity prototypes that have functional elements with more detail. Teams may consist of technology and business students.

As part of the weekend festivities, student groups will attend various workshop sessions. Facilitators will be leading workshops on Innovation, requirement gathering skills, mind mapping, the design sprint, and to help them get started thinking innovatively.  The workshops will be integrated within the challenge and throughout the weekend.

What to expect

  • To attend the orientation, networking, and kick-off training sessions
  • Work on a real business challenge
  • Meeting with a client regarding the challenge
  • Business mentorship
  • Teamwork experience
  • Sunday pitch presentations to judges, participants, and mentors

Sprint to Innovate Competition Guidelines

Prize Money

Semi-Final Challenge Prize

The winning team that is selected to advance to the Final Presentations will be awarded $550.

Final Presentation Prizes

First Place – $6000

Second Place – $3000

Third Place – $2150

Register A Team

Registration is closed.

Nursing Welcome Back!

September 1, 2022

Welcome back everyone. I hope that you have had the opportunity to rest, relax, recharge and spend time with family and friends over the summer. The faculty are excited to welcome students back and start to work with you to advance your studies. The past few years have been a remarkable challenge for you. My hope for the coming year with the return to closer-to-normal learning experiences, including a return to campus and in-class instruction, will be a positive experience for you.

Regards,
Patrick Griffith
Chair, Nursing


Welcome back to RRC Polytech Nursing Department. As we transition back to in-class learning in BN theory courses, we are provided an opportunity to build on relationships with instructors and students and to enhance the critical thinking and learning that takes place. I have been smiling as I have enjoyed seeing the faces of both students and faculty at the Notre Dame Campus. All instructors, course leaders, advisors, managers, and support staff are present to guide the educational journey of all students. Please reach out to any of these individuals if you have any questions. Enjoy your time at RRC Polytech and keep smiling.

Keep smiling,
Tracey Fallak
Acting Program Manager – Theory


On behalf of the Clinical instructors and course leaders, we would like to welcome you back for the start of the new academic clinical year. Clinical is an opportunity to practice your skills, assessments and communication; implement critical thinking skills and draw from the theory learned in the classroom. Instructors and course leaders are once again looking forward to ‘walking along side’ your learning and support your development in obtaining all these skills. One of the greatest moments an instructor can experience with a student is what we refer to as an ‘aha’ moment. This is the moment when a student smiles and shares their true understanding of the connection between theory and the application of that theory in regards to their clients’ care. We look forward to seeing those smiles once again and in sharing those moments with you!

My door is always open; please feel free to drop by and share with me your clinical experience.

All the best for the new clinical academic year,
Sandra Holben
Nursing Program Manager – Clinical


Welcome Back Everyone! I hope you all had a restful, relaxing summer and took the time to enjoy! It has been nice seeing everyone back in person this week and hearing the laughter and chatter. I look forward to seeing all of you in the hallways and classrooms and working with each of you.

Take care!
Joanna Simmons-Swinden
Acting Program Manager – Academic Operations

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.

Learn more ›