Recipients of the Faculty of Arts Learning Futures Fund

Department of Communication Part-Time Professor Jennifer Dumoulin’s project recognizes the need to rethink skills and competencies acquisition post-pandemic. Seeing the effects of the pandemic on students’ learning and progression, in part due to a reliance on digital technologies, her course bridges the gap for incoming students and prepares them to maximize their success throughout their University experience. It emphasizes flexibility, allowing students to take whichever of the three modules offered are the most relevant, and to customize their first module to optimize  their learning trajectory. In a world ever-dominated by technology, it teaches students to use it as efficiently as possible, while avoiding or mitigating traps and pratfalls caused by some forms of technology. Students come out of this program with writing and critical thinking skills and with the confidence necessary to make their University experience exactly what they want it to be. 

This course, spearheaded by David Pratt, Part-Time Professor at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute aims to equip students with essential communication skills for remote work and virtual learning environments. It covers techniques for video presentations, online discussions, and managing virtual interactions effectively. Through guided practice, students will learn how to communicate clearly, engage with audiences remotely, and handle challenges unique to virtual settings. This course meets a growing demand for digital communication proficiency for students in communication, education, and business to name but a few. It will equip students with practical skills for their studies and their professional lives, with the added bonus of enhancing their overall employability. 

Reza Farzi, Director of Undergraduate Studies Program and Parvin Movassat, Associate Professor at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute hope to launch his Language Excellence and Advancement Program (LEAP) with his Learning Futures funding. Their ambitious program will offer comprehensive language training, leading to a mastery of French and/or English, for prospective and current government employees and it will strengthen the University and the Faculty’s standing as a leader in official languages and bilingualism training. By tapping into this segment of the market, and the high demand for language training, the program will only bolster these employees’ upward career trajectory and strengthen the prominence of official languages and bilingualism in our capital region and throughout our federal government.

Luis Abanto Rojas, Professor at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has been advancing new and innovative ways to train and teach Spanish to students of all stripes since he started at the University in 2007. He continuously meets students where they are in their learning journey, offering not only greater flexibility, but also access to learning materials through an asynchronous online model. With his Learning Futures funding, he’ll be able to tailor students’ learning opportunities while also boosting the Department’s curriculum through cost-savings and increased funding.

Jennifer Macklem, Associate Professor, Department of Visual Arts, and Anne Vallely, Associate Professor, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, both received funding for their initiative, which aims to attract new clientele by addressing a desire/need within the community at large, by tapping into the power of creativity to build well-being and resilience. Their four-part series is ideal for professionals and aspiring professionals in the fields of mental health, art therapy, education, social work, healthcare and corporate wellness as well as upper-level students in psychology, visual art, education and social work. First of its kind in a Canadian University, the program would attract a new set of students, interested in further developing their emotional intelligence and integrating art and contemplative practices to enhance personal and professional effectiveness. 

Anne Pitman, Part-Time Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies (Mindfulness & Contemplative Studies) and Neeta McMurtry, Part-Time Professor and Doctoral Candidate, Religious Studies, plan on using their funds to develop an online course on Mindful Aging in the Community to explore the powerful cultural taboos surrounding aging in contemporary society, engaging students in reflections, discussions, and contemplative practices that encourage them to navigate the inevitable changes that life brings. The in-person format of this course having been enormously successful, their online version will allow for greater participation and a diversity of views, by including a broader community, including seniors, thus enabling rich discussions and providing well-rounded perspectives on aging and mindfulness, all to attain the course’s core mission of fostering intergenerational understanding and learning.

Anne Vallely, Associate Professor, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, and Andra Smith, Full Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, dedicate their time to exploring this new field that is emerging around the study of the emotion of awe and its influence on human life as part of her project. They aim to explain how the emotion of awe acts as a powerful catalyst for creativity, personal growth, social transformation, and even increased cognitive flexibility. 

Their microprogram will consist of four courses designed to explore the “core themes” of awe in depth: 

Psychology of Awe and Wonder ; 

Sacred Spaces and Places of Pilgrimage ; 

Art, Music, and the Aesthetics of Awe ; and, 

Nature, Ecology, and the Sublime. 

It will also attract a new subset of students to the Faculty, including older adults, healthcare and mental health professionals and educators.

Through their research, Meredith Terretta, Full Professor at the Department of History, and Robyn O’Dell, Assistant Research Manager for Canadian Development Consultants International and PhD Student in History, have uncovered that there is a high demand for historical expertise for litigation support in the Nation’s capital, most notably for members of the federal government. While one can gain experience in this field by doing non-government work, there is no clear pathway to training and/or promotion. Their training seeks to remedy this by providing support to those working in the field of historical expertise for litigation, by enabling them to hone their skills in:

Navigating archives; 

Document management; 

Research analysis; 

Professional and concise historical writing; and, 

File review and Meeting Management.

It will also learners to apply for a Research Assistantship to acquire a set number of days worked in this field. This will allow learners to not only gain specialized skills, but also to advance in this specialized domain. 

Melanie Houle, Adjunct Professor, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, hopes to put her course ‘History of Medicine’ online via an asynchronous model in order to improve access to its content and attract students from various backgrounds and regions. The possibility of increasing their knowledge of the historical roots of medicine throughout various eras and cultures will interest not only our students here at the Faculty, but also young health professionals taking preparatory courses in medicine and the health sciences as well as non-traditional learners passionate about continuing education. The proliferation of such courses, leading to the eventual creation of a Certificate in medical terminology, will favour flexibility and adaptability for those hoping to learn at their own pace according to a microlearning format.