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Indigenization of Teaching and Learning: Classroom Experience
No full textThe 94 calls to action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015 include calls on education, such as Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history and Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect. (Atlas of Public Management accessed 10 Dec. 2018). As Moira MacDonald (Apr. 2016) states in Indigenizing the academy (University Affairs. accessed 10 Dec. 2018), Indigenization can take different forms from constructing buildings inspired by indigenous cultures or creating campus gardens with traditional plants to erecting bilingual street signs on campus roads
Adventures in Diverse Classrooms in Complex Times: Which Policies Guide Academic Freedom in the Classroom?
No full textTRU’s unique demographic composition represents an advantage, but also a challenge. While the cultural plurality of our student body, faculty, and staff is an undeniable resource for the development of a rich and cosmopolitan university experience, the increasing convergence of groups with different ethnic backgrounds also creates the potential for cultural frictions and even acts of discrimination and inequitable treatment. Moreover, the increased public presence of ethnic nationalism around the world and in Canada has sparked renewed interest in the balance between free expression and equality rights at universities. All around the world, prejudice has been emboldened and we witness increasing forms of racism and cultural intolerance in the public space. In this session we will unpack some challenging classroom moments and explore the rights of students and educators when cultural conflicts arise
Opening up the Human Body (but not literally)
No full textWith the support of CELT, the TRU Library, OL, and individual SD #73 science teachers, Christine Miller (from the Faculty of Education and Social Work) is in the process of adopting/adapting an open textbook for Adult Basic Education Provincial Level Biology. This textbook will fit the needs of both Provincial Level Biology (Human Biology) and Grade 12 Biology. This presentation will outline the research project informing this textbook development content and format, describe the scope of the project, highlight future goals, and then end with a short question and answer period. The presentation will hopefully inform the audience about the process of adopting/adapting open educational resources and provide helpful suggestions to faculty members hoping to incorporate OER into their own courses
Why TRU Needs a Self-Access Language Learning Centre: Lessons Learned from Both an Underperforming and an Exceptional Language Learner
No full textThis session will use the words of students themselves to relay two distinct language learning adventures. Though both narrators are twenty-year-old classmates registered in intermediate level English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes, the adventures they each have to tell are quite different. Aki’s1 adventure is a tale of success. She says “I [am] very happy and interested in studying English…. I feel that my learning [is] successful.” Chen,[1] narrator of the second story, has been studying in Canada fulltime for four years. He has yet to have much success on his adventure. “I don’t like English, so my English level has been bad. Now I just keep alive with no problems. I don’t have more strategies for learning English”. This mixed-methods paired case study attempts to identify causes for such disparate adventures of two learners in the same program by analyzing contextual and individual difference factors such as motivation, anxiety, L2 Grit and learning strategies. Results show a shocking difference in L2 proficiencies between the two learners, something that has led to difficulties as these learners advance to academic studies. What guidance can Chen receive that might help him make his adventure more successful? The researcher argues for a new approach to supporting language learners at TRU that includes resources for a self-access learning centre staffed by language learning advisors who guide learners towards more self-directed approaches, using individualized learning plans, and meta-cognitive strategy training for future success. [1] Pseudonyms of participants are used to protect their identities
Using eBird Data to Track Changes in Migration Patterns of Vaux’s Swifts (\u3ci\u3eChaetura vauxi\u3c/i\u3e) Due to Climate Change
No full texteBird is one of the world’s largest databases for ornithological data. eBird uses citizen science data and standardized checklists to log sightings of an array of bird species worldwide. Unusual sightings recorded on eBird are checked by regional professionals to ensure high quality data is being recorded. This data has been used in recent peer-reviewed studies to track species presence, distribution, and community health. There are endless research possibilities for the use of eBird data, one of the salient opportunities being climate change. (Sullivan et al.2009)
Climate change has varying affects globally. In North America, forest fires are increasing as summers get warmer and drier, and water levels are rising as glaciers in northern Canada melt. In Mexico, drought is becoming more prevalent and temperatures are predicted to increase by 3-4°C in the next decade. These phenomena have real consequences, not only for humans and native flora and fauna, but also for migratory species that use these habitats for only part of the year. (U.S. Global Change Research Program 2014)
Combining eBird data on migratory birds and current knowledge on climate change presents the opportunity to find trends in migration patterns that may be driven by climate change. Here I propose tracking migratory patterns in Vaux’s Swifts using eBird data and comparing these patterns to climate change trends to see if there is a correlation.
Literature Cited
Sullivan, B.L., C.L. Wood, M.J. Iliff, R.E. Bonney, D. Fink, and S. Kelling. 2009. eBird: a citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation 142: 2282-2292.
U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2014. National Climate Assessment. Accessed on Jan 14. 2019. Accessed form: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/download
Does Habitat Structure and Diet Predict Colouration?
No full textA combination of both natural and environmental factors influence the evolution of plumage colouration in different bird species worldwide. This variation in colour is seen amongst species and sexes as a result of selective pressures. These pressures could include guild, habitat structure, migratory and social tendencies, nesting type, etc. This research investigated whether plumage colouration can be predicted by looking at a species guild and habitat structure. The plumage colouration of 2834 passerine bird species and subspecies, located throughout North and South America, was determined using an online description and picture library. The presence (1) or absence (0) of colouration was determined in five regions of the adult male and females’ body. These regions included the head, breast, wings, tail, and back. The four different types of plumage colouration that were investigated included melanin, carotenoid, structural and white. In each colour class, a score from 0-5 was assigned to each (sub)species of both males and females. Using the phytools R package, a phylogenetic tree was built based on the colouration data and the character traits associated with each species. The phylogenetic tree enables testing of colour-related hypotheses to determine how colour correlates with particular selective pressures among species, while taking into account sexual dimorphism and how selective pressures lead to variations between sexes
The Effect of Microvesicles on Insulin Transcytosis by Endothelial Cells
No full textInsulin resistance is a resultant condition from prolonged periods of muscle disuse. As such, in addition to disturbances in glycemic homeostasis, vascular perturbations on insulin signalling as a result of physical inactivity may also contribute to etiology. Delivery of insulin to peripheral tissues, such as skeletal muscle, requires capillary recruitment and movement from circulation to interstitial space. Endothelial cells form a continuous endothelium lining the microvasculature of muscle tissue. Interaction of insulin with high affinity receptors on the apical surface of endothelial cells allows insulin transport through the active process of transcytosis. Unlike other insulin sensitive cell types, endothelial cells are capable of transcytosis through a non-degradative pathway; integral in the regulation of insulin availability to skeletal myocytes and modulating insulin sensitivity. Current research investigating insulin resistance suggests exercise countermeasure, which has been observed to alter concentrations of circulating microvesicles. The aim of the present study was to explicate the effect of microvesicles on insulin transcytosis by endothelial cells. Plasma samples collected pre- and post- 45 minutes of high intensity exercise were obtained from a previous study and the microvesicles isolated through centrifugation. Transcytosis assays were performed using the Ea.hy926 cell line, and exposure to microvesicle containing or platelet poor plasma occurred prior to incubation with fluorescently conjugated insulin and dextran. Fluorescence was quantified using the Quantstudio system, and the rates of transcytosis compared. Results of this study demonstrate the effect of microvesicles on the glucoregulatory process of transcytosis by endothelial cells, and the influence of exercise on this action
Exploring Elements of Responsible Tourism: A Case Study at the Adams River Salmon Run
No full textWhile tourism has numerous positive impacts, it is also capable of damaging communities and environments irreversibly. This is particularly prevalent in the context of natural events, which are often extremely fragile by nature. These types of events have been described as events which occur at a specific place, at a specific time, lasting from a few seconds to a few weeks and are not organized by humans. While studies have been conducted on the behaviour of tourists and their willingness to partake in sustainable tourism, little research has been undertaken regarding whether natural events can act as a catalyst for responsible tourist behaviour. Responsible tourism is defined as tourism that minimizes negative social, economic and environmental impacts and focuses on the creation of optimal places for people to live and for tourists to visit. This project uses the Salute to the Sockeye festival held at Ts’utswecw Provincial Park in Squilax, BC, as a case study to assess the sustainability of the visitor experience at the salmon run and seeks to provide insights from both a supply and demand perspective through analyzed stakeholder interviews and visitor profiles
Lunch
No full textAfter the morning lecture sessions end, drop by the IB Foyer to pick up a boxed lunch (vegetarian and gluten-free options available).You\u27re welcome to find a quiet corner, head outside for a break, or sit out in the IB foyer to eat your lunch