Welcome to Red River College Polytech!

You are invited to attend our upcoming new student orientation event: Red River Ready. This virtual event is hosted over 3 days (Dec 14-16th) offering a variety of optional sessions to help prepare you for success as you embark on your academic journey at RRC Polytech.

You can customize your own orientation experience based on your needs and interests. You’ll have the opportunity to socialize with other peers in your program and learn about parking, ordering textbooks, student support services, studying in Canada, finding balance at college and more!

To register and view the full schedule, please visit our Red River Ready website.

If you have any questions or need any assistance registering for the event, please visit the Connect With Us page on the Red River Ready website.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Update on the naming campaign

Last week, the Academic Success Centre (ASC) invited the RRC Polytech community to help name their new tutoring space. This modernized room, located within the Library at the Notre Dame Campus, is equipped to support tutoring and staff work areas.

So far, staff and students have submitted nearly 50 creative and diverse name ideas!

How will the final name be chosen?

After the campaign closes, managers will review the list of names. Then, staff in Library and Academic Services (Academic Success Centre, Library, Assessment Services), will be given an opportunity to vote for their favourite. When the results of the vote are in, it will be finalized by our leadership team, and we will make a public announcement in early January.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to submit an idea. If yours is selected, you will have the honour of knowing this name will be referenced a million times over and will become an integral part of the ASC and its services for years to come!

To learn more and view photos of the space, visit New Space, New Name.

Light therapy, also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy, uses a light box to mimic outdoor lighting.

Exposure to artificial light helps adjust the body’s regulation of melatonin, a hormone that controls the body’s sleep cycle, and serotonin, a natural mood-stabilizing hormone.

Three main benefits of using light therapy are:

• Increased energy
• Improved sleep patterns
• Enhanced mood

It is easy to use, safe (UV free), and can be done in your own home. The light box needs to be placed at a 45-degree angle, 2-3 feet away on a flat surface. For the best results, use consistently every morning for 20-30 minutes. You should start seeing improvements in your mood within 2-4 days.

Light Therapy is not recommended for everyone, consult a physician first if you have an eye disorder or are taking medications that may cause your skin to be sensitive to light.

Interested in “lightening” up your mood?

Light boxes are available at the RRC Polytech Library for a one-month loan period.

To reserve a light box, complete our AV Booking Form, requesting a light therapy lamp and selecting your preferred pick-up time and location.

Questions?

If you have any questions, connect with us! We are always happy to help!

Written Jennifer Vandenbosch – Library and Information Technology student

The Academic Success Centre (ASC) is excited to announce the opening of its newly renovated space at the Notre Dame Campus (NDC). This space has been modernized and equipped to support tutoring and staff work areas. Now that the space is ready to use, it needs a new name to reflect the incredible teaching and learning that takes place in tutoring spaces.

We want your input to come up with a name that reflects the active and collaborative learning and review that happens here. If your idea is selected, you will have the honour of knowing this name will be referenced a million times over and will become an integral part of the ASC and its services for years to come!

Learn more and suggest a name >> New Space, New Name 

Earlier in the fall term, we arranged for a small sample of students to review and critique our new Library and Academic Services website. Since we had redesigned the site last summer, we were wondering how it was performing.

In our site redesign we used principles of user centric design. In a nutshell, we attempted to create a site for our users, who were defined in two personas: “Average Student User” and “Average Instructor User.”

This particular test targeted students.

Our Academic Support Coordinator, Melissa Coyle, arranged for meetings with students. Melissa designed the test questions (with input from Linda Fox and Mark Nelson), and she facilitated the meetings, which were formatted in a focus group format, and included a standardized set of questions and a slate of tasks she asked students to perform on our web site.

The students were chosen from different programs and with varying tech literacy and language skills.

There were two sessions for each student. An individual meeting (in Webex) where each peer tutor met with Melissa for 1-hour to complete a list of twenty-three tasks. Afterward, all students met in a group meeting, where the whole group met (in Webex) and discussed, provided feedback, and shared ideas.

In some cases the questions were designed to discover the accuracy of our student persona. In other cases the tasks were prescribed to see if students could satisfy a task, again based on their persona. I.e. Average students wants to “Discover and attend Library and ASC workshops.”

The facilitator used some “Guiding Questions,” to focus on some specific topics:

• Is the website well-organized and easy to navigate?
• What do students expect to find on the website?
• Which features and tools are most helpful?
• Are the names for each service clear?
• What tasks are most difficult for students and how can we fix this?

We immediately learned that students felt our top navigation menu was well-named, well-organized, and easy to navigate. The search panel was well-noticed and easy to interact with, and use. Students felt the icon panel presented a clear way to navigate to important places, and it broke down language barriers.

In response to the question, “What do students expect to find on the website?” we discovered many points that were contained in our Student Persona. For example “conducting research for a paper that requires sources for information,” “asking a question,” learning about “copyright,” discovering “Library hours and locations,” “finding a tutor,” and “learning about Library services.”

Tasks

The facilitator asked the students to attempt a slate of twenty-three tasks. The tasks were important, because they showed whether a student could actually use the website for the purpose it was intended. Interestingly, the technology for accomplishing this type of test was made easy by WebEx and the ability of the student to share their screen while the facilitator monitored their progress.

In our testing, some of the tasks we asked students to complete immediately indicated that adjustments were necessary.

In trying to find the “Inter-Library Loan” service, we discovered that students simply identified it as a “request” service, which we also have a page for on our web site. Of course, from a student’s point-of-view these are both “requesting” services, and should be found in the same place. It seems it is only Library staff who consider these two services to be vastly different.

Our new icon bar was well used, however we discovered some changes were necessary. For example, the “Book Equipment” icon took our patrons to a booking form, when it would have been better to send users to a page that described what equipment can be booked (which has a link to the booking form.)

On pages like “Browse & Borrow,” we discovered there is a perception of the importance of the photo tiles being much greater than the icon panels. We thought this was probably true, but it just confirmed that we need to keep important items as photo tiles and move less-important options into the icon panel area.

We also discovered that “Guides” is a generic term used by Library staff, and a student does not know to click “Guides” unless an Instructor had previously used that term to describe the content on the web site. Students felt that the term “Program Guides” might alert them that there are program specific resources on the site.

Students looked for past events on our web site, especially when looking for workshops or sessions that may have been recorded. We did not have a good way for students to accomplish this task.

It was also noticed that the easiest to complete tasks had an icon or image tile available on the homepage, demonstrating the power of these sub-navigation areas.

Conclusion

When we build a web site, we think we can do plenty by considering how users will interact with the site. However, until we have some real users try the site, and we watch how they do it, we cannot know the whole story.

At RRC we did this testing with a relatively small set of four students. Truth be told, we may have learned more if we had included more students in our test. However, a study by the Nielsen Norman Group discovered that the amount discovered in such a test does not greatly increase when you add more individuals to the test. In fact, they found the magic number is five.

So, grab some users and test your web site. You will learn so much!

Mark Nelson
Library Systems Specialist
Red River College Polytechnic

Remembrance Day, November 11^th

Each year in Canada we observe Remembrance Day on November 11^th.  Originally observed as Armistice Day, it marked the signing of the armistice agreement to end the First World War, at 11 am, on the 11^th day, of the 11^th month, 1918.   

In 1931, the name was changed to Remembrance Day in Canada. Traditionally marked by a moment of silence and ceremony, Remembrance Day honours the men and women who have served and currently serve Canada during times of peace, conflict and war. In Manitoba it is a statutory holiday.

The poem In Flanders Fields, by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel and physician, John McCrae, gave rise to the poppy being forever associated with Remembrance Day.

Canada is not alone in marking this day; the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Poland, Australia, and others also observe November 11^th. Other nations observe similar days, such as ANZAC Day in New Zealand or Veteran’s Day in the United States.

National Aboriginal Veterans Day, November 8th

National Aboriginal Veterans Day was first observed in 1994 in Winnipeg, and has since spread nationally.  It honours aboriginal contributions to service in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and all military service.  It is observed on November 8^th each year.

You may recall a story featured in Student and Staff News this past April titled Lunch (and Language) is served: EAL Support for Jane’s Restaurant Practical Students.   The story described how a small group of Hospitality and Tourism Management students taking Restaurant Service Practical (HOSP-1019) attended a communication workshop series led by Emilie Jackson of the Academic Success Centre (LAS).  With the goal of preparing students to provide professional tableside service in Jane’s fine dining restaurant, workshop students poured over the language of menu items and role-played server scripts with classmates to get ready for their first day serving tables in the restaurant.   

Fast-forward to the start of a new fall term with a new group of first-year HTM students.   ASC’s Emilie Jackson again delivered a communication workshop series for students preparing to serve tables at Jane’s.  Throughout September students met three times weekly for three weeks completing their training series with a virtual lunch event where they served guests via Webex breakout rooms and received feedback on their tableside communication.  With the pronunciation of menu items mastered and scripts memorized, students were set to serve their first tables at Jane’s.  And a few days later, they did.  

After pressing pause on a long-standing tradition of regular lunch dates at Jane’s with colleagues, I recently found myself again enjoying one of the unique restaurant experiences in Winnipeg. I walked into western Canada’s oldest skyscraper, flashed my vaccine QR code, joined my colleagues at a table for four, and ordered the Pan seared chicken breast with du puy lentils, glazed carrots, grilled fennel, caper olive tapenade and crème fraiche.  It was wonderful to meet with colleagues outside of their video call boxes (‘I don’t remember you being so tall, Carleigh’), but the real stars of the show were the HTM students working the room.   Looking sharp and confident seating guests, tending bar and serving tables, students were three weeks into a six-week dining room practical experience, and it was fantastic to see (and hear) these students in action, an experience even sweeter than the White Chocolate Pumkin, Lemon Matcha and Dark chocolate Espresso Pot de Crème Trio we all had for dessert.  From start to finish, the students provided a warm welcome and excellent service.   They even agreed to smile through their masks for a photo.  Don’t they look great!   

Through workshops, small group tutoring, and 1:1 tutoring, the Academic Success Centre provides integrated communication support for many college programs including Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ace Project Space, Science Laboratory Technology, Pharmaceutical and Food Manufacturing, Nursing, Creative Communications, Early Childhood Education, Technology Management, International Business, Civil Engineering Technology, and more.  For faculty looking for information on ASC program integrated communication supports and for students looking for EAL tutoring, contact Kaleigh Quinn or Stephen Sawchyn at EALsupport@rrc.ca.   

To check the menu and book your lunch or dinner table at Jane’s, look no further: https://www.rrc.ca/janes/. 

Written by Stephen Sawchyn, EAL Specialist (Academic Success Centre)

It has been a busy fall within the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Centre and the Writing Centre of the Academic Success Centre. We have been working collaboratively with many programs to support the language and writing skill development of students, expanding our reach of program supports across the college. We have been expanding the self-directed resources available to students and instructors. Additionally, we have been continuing to support students with individual tutoring, for both language and writing skill development. We invite you to learn about the range of supports we have been delivering this term, and to find out more about how to get involved with our team! 

Integrated EAL Supports: 

Our team has continued to demonstrate flexibility and creativity this fall, in our delivery of language development in the online environment. Some examples of our current range of EAL supports integrated across academic programs include: 

• The practice, delivery, and assessment of hosting and serving role-plays for Hospitality and Tourism Management students in the Jane’s dining experience. 
• The development and delivery of professional presentation skills for students in International Business, to address both technology and speaking skill development.  
• Language support to prepare for employment-related language tasks, including developing resume and cover letters, with Civil and Electrical Engineering Technology students, including collaboration with Student Employment Services. 
• The development of speaking skills critical for program and coop success for Early Childhood Education students through small group and individualized online speaking practice. 

For more information about Integrated EAL Supports across programs, visit us online or email EALsupport@rrc.ca. 

Integrated Writing Supports: 

The Writing Centre has continued to work closely with a range of college programs to offer support for students with larger writing assignments in the fall term.   Some examples of current integrated writing support include: 

• Weekly participation in Nursing’s Scholarly Writing-1501 writing communities peer-review sessions, offering ongoing guidance with research techniques and writing process questions and conversations. 
• Planning with Diagnostic Medical Sonography faculty to provide research paper support starting in November. 
• The development of a peer-tutor writing program and the hiring of three peer-tutors to support Creative Communications students to address identified needs. 
• Writing workshops and individual consultations for students in Disability and Community Support, Comm-1174 and DCSP 2190 courses. 

A range of synchronous group supports are also available through the Writing Centre, including workshops on the following topics:  

• Writing for College 
• APA Basics and APA Advanced 
• Research Papers 
• Professional Writing 
• Proposal Writing 
• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing 

If these topics will not address your needs, Writing Centre staff is happy work with faculty to customize workshop content. For more questions about or to book Writing Centre workshops, visit us online or contact Nick Schroeder at writing@rrc.ca. 

“Communication Strategies” Resources: 

With the launch of the newly developed suite of Communication courses, including COMM-1162, COMM-1173, COMM-2174, and COMM-3175, the EAL and Writing Centres have developed a “Communication Strategies Student Resources” landing page with a range of self-directed supports to assist students to develop the communication strategies required for success across these courses, including advocating, clarifying, investigating, making decisions, organizing, participating, planning, questioning, reflecting, repairing, and setting goals. We invite students to explore these resources to continue to strengthen these human skills, which are critical for success in both the college and the workplace. 

We have also developed a parallel “Communication Strategies Faculty Resources” landing page to support instructors with students’ skill development relating to the 11 core strategies within the core Communication courses at Red River College. The resources in this webpage incorporate tools to develop and apply the 11 core strategies in class, at work, and at home for students to communicate and enhance their human skills. 

For more information or questions about these resources, or our collaboration with the Math, Science, and Communication department, please contact us at EALsupport@rrc.ca. 

Self-Directed Learning Resources: 

We have continued to expand the range of self-directed learning resources available to both students and faculty to support language and writing skill development. A small selection of our vast range of resources includes the following: 

• 15 Hybrid LEARNing modules: These offer learning strategies and resources that faculty can share with their students to further develop foundational skills for success in their studies; they can be embedded directly into LEARN courses, or students can self-enroll. 

• Get Red River Ready: This hub helps students to get oriented and ready for their studies, including many recordings and resources on academic skills, communication and language skills for college, Diversity training, International Education, library research, technology skills, and more! 
• Use the following videos as a starting point to learn on your own about three writing skills essential to student success. 
• Student Success Skills.  These resources and website links can help you as you complete your course work. 

Individual and Small Group Tutoring: 

As always, we have individual and small group EAL tutoring and writing tutoring available for free, at students’ request and by instructor referral. Learn more about helping your students connect with us, and connect with us at EALsupport@rrc.ca or writing@rrc.ca with any questions. 

We look forward to collaborating with and supporting you and your students! 

EAL and Writing Centre Team 

“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.” 

- Margaret Mead 

When people think of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), autism, and other conditions, we often see those from a disease-based perspective originating from human brain science and outdated ideas regarding disability. These perspectives lack an anthropology or sociology framework and disregard individual differences from the standpoint of a diversity model.

The new Neurodiversity Library Guide provides learning resources to understand some brain conditions from a diversity perspective, highlighting how some cultural values affect our perceptions of these brain conditions.

In addition, without ignoring the challenges and barriers that individuals within the spectrum of neurodiversity navigate during every-day life, this guide takes a strength-based approach focusing on an individual’s hidden strengths and talents as a way to advance efforts towards inclusion and removing stigmas.

The Neurodiversity Library Guide includes sections on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum, Anxiety, Dyslexia, Mood Disorders, and Intellectual Disabilities. The content includes recommended books, articles, videos, and podcasts, as well as some additional College and community resources.

Special attention was paid towards selecting films and videos with testimonies sharing lived experiences within the spectrum of neurodiversity. Books can provide a foundation of knowledge, but it is the personal stories that can contribute to make emotional connections in order to build understanding and empathy.

The guide was developed by Fatima DeMelo (Information & Program Delivery) and Nora Sobel (Academic Success Centre). The content of the guide is based on the work of Thomas Armstrong, Howard Gardner, and Norman Doidge, and has been reviewed by staff from the Disability & Community Support program, and Student Support Services.

The guide is being launched in October, during Disability Employment Awareness Month, and it is already available at https://library.rrc.ca/neurodiversity.

Written by Nora Sobel (Academic Success Centre)

Library staff member, Rosemary Woodby, recently worked with three RRC Polytech Nursing instructors – Joanne Loughry, Krystal Boyce-Gaudreau, and Carla D. Andreamatteo – on the creation of specialized Library Guides for their courses. It was a rewarding experience for everyone, but most importantly, it made the learning materials required for these programs easier for their students to access.

Before diving into the benefits of Guides, are you familiar with what they are?

What are Library Guides?

Library Guides pull together and organize Library books, videos, and databases, along with a variety of online sources such as webpages, videos, and reports. Guides present all of this information in one place, where any student can access them. You can link to Guides in your LEARN site, and we can update content as needed.

Learn more >> Visit the Library Guides

How do Library Guides benefit students?

“The guide has the potential to save the students valuable research time and cultivates a supportive and progressive learning opportunity… These essential research skills and increased exposure to credible resources will prepare our students to be practice ready when entering the workforce.”

— Joanne Loughry, Nursing instructor

At RRC Polytech, our mission is to help students succeed in their studies and move on to rewarding and successful careers. The greatest benefit of Library Guides is felt by the students, which is one of the main reasons our instructors request them. Feedback from Nursing instructors confirms this fact.

Krystal Boyce-Gaudreau describes her newly developed guide, Leadership, Management and Collaborative Practice, as a time-saving and learning opportunity for her students. Through the Guides, students are presented with a gateway to high-quality information categorized by topic, saving “students time searching through website and journal articles for relevant and appropriate resources.” Carla D Andreamatteo, who requested the Nutrition and Lifestyle Guide for her students, describes it as “a great one-stop location for students to access resources to assist with their learning in the course.”

Joanne Loughry requires her students to utilize several kinds of resources from varied sources. In her opinion, Library Guides help students learn to develop their research skills and gain exposure to navigating credible sources. In her words, “The guide has the potential to save the students valuable research time and cultivates a supportive and progressive learning opportunity… These essential research skills and increased exposure to credible resources will prepare our students to be practice-ready when entering the workforce.”

How does an instructor set up a Library Guide?

Guides are created by the Library staff member assigned to your program area, as listed in our Collection Development Contacts. You may send a request to your subject specialist directly, or send a general inquiry to the Library through our Contact Us page.

Follow Library and Academic Services on social media!

For everything from fun series to service and programming updates, follow us on social media. We’re active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Written by Linda Fox – Library Technician, Program Support and Promotion