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Peer Tutor Tuesdays with Kiana Benoit

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Name:       Kiana Benoit

Program:  GTEC (Graphic Communications Technology Management)

What attracted you to becoming a Peer tutor?

It was recommended to me by my COMM instructor, who’s opinion I really respect so I was interested right away. I quickly realized how great the entire team is at the Learning Commons and that made me even more excited to be a part of the team!

How has tutoring helped you?

Being a part of the tutoring team has given me a lot more exposure to other programs within BCIT. I get to practice critical thinking way more often, and it has allowed me to feel more involved in the BCIT community.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

Don’t try and do everything on your own. Get help if you need it, whether it be instructors, classmates, or a counselor. BCIT programs can be intense and it’s a lot harder if you feel you are doing everything on your own.

Do you have any successful online studying tips to share?

Make sure you are using reputable sources. Anything that ends in .edu is generally a safe bet.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

My (realistic) dream job is to work in sales for a print company. My (unrealistic) dream job is to run a wiener dog farm.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

I don’t like being too busy in my free time to give my brain a rest, any free days I do have I like cooking and going for walks on the seawall with my boyfriend.

Open Education successful proposals. New date for fall rolling call.

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The following projects have been approved over July and August:

  • Create a series of video lessons on human pathology, Jen Kong
  • Develop a Lectures Library on aircraft maintenance engineering, Scott Paterson

Congratulations to all!

Grant Categories

Adoption – up to $250 – review and adopt an open textbook or other open learning resource, this can include minor revisions to customize it

Revision – up to $2K – take an existing OER and make substantial revisions to better suit class learning outcomes

Creation – up to $8K – create a learning resource – this can be in any category or format, eg.: textbook, video series, question or test banks

Key Dates for Fall Rolling Call

There will be a rolling call for grant applications for any of the grant categories over the fall.

Deadline 1: September 28, 2020
Deadline 2: October 26, 2020
Deadline 3: November 30, 2020

Support

The LTC and the Library can provide some support for grant projects. Request for this support should be part of the grant application.

BCIT Library is running an open education publishing program pilot over the next several months. If you have digital learning materials that are suitable for conversion to PressBooks and that you want to license openly, the library will do that conversion for you.

Additional Information

Open BCIT is sponsored by the AVP, Education Support and Innovation, and is supported by the Open Education Working Group, the Library, and the Learning and Teaching Centre. BCIT Open Education Working Group supports and promotes the development and use of OER and OE teaching practices. The Group is under the umbrella of Education Council’s Educational Technology and Learning Design Committee (ETLDC).

Open education grant funds, for the most part, are distributed as part-time studies contracts so are subjected to tax and benefits deductions.

All learning materials developed in whole or part with the support of an open education grant must be licensed openly and deposited in the BCIT Open Institutional Repository.

Learning materials should be developed using platforms and formats that are as open and editable as possible such as PressBooks. When closed formats are used, editable files, such as MP4s for videos, must also be included with the final project for submission to the Open IR.

Grant money cannot be used for travel expenses or to purchase or rent equipment, hardware, or software.

Find our more about Open Education at BCIT

Review BCIT’s Open Education Best Practices and Guidelines

Open Education Grant application form

Peer Tutor Tuesdays’ with McKenzie Wills

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Name:        McKenzie Wills

Program:   Nuclear Medicine Technologist

What attracted you to becoming a Peer tutor?

I wanted to give back to my program, be a figure to the lower-level student, and just help people!

How has tutoring helped you?

It has helped me stay fresh in the material from the previous year and be prepared for my upcoming certification exam.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

A good night’s sleep before a test is always worth it.

Do you have any successful online studying tips to share?

If you come across an unclear topic during lecture, pause the video and review the content right then and there!

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

Nuclear medicine technologist and professional barrel racer on weekends!

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

Sleeping in, riding horses, and hanging with friends and family.

Peer Tutor Tuesdays’ with Henry Wong

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Name:        Henry Wong
Program:   Electrical Engineering

 

What attracted you to becoming a Peer tutor?

Becoming a Peer tutor means I can meet new friends and work with them to solve engineering problems together through a collaborative process. It is a platform to practice my communication and teamwork skills, and at the same time, helping friends 😊!!

How has tutoring helped you?

Being a peer tutor can help me refresh on the knowledge that I have learned.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

Do not just memorize the concepts but understand the reasoning and know when to apply it.

Do you have any successful online studying tips to share?

I find I know the material much better if I write them out on paper, whether it be definitions of a conceptual question or line by line derivations of a calculation problem. Merely reading does not help.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

Working as an Electrical Engineer, possibly in the power industry.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

Chilling at home, watching Netflix.

Ask an Expert : How to Pitch

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When: Wednesday, October 28th
Time:   5:30pm – 6:30pm, via online
BCITSA Entrepreneurship is hosting a 1-hour seminar on How To Pitch on Wed, Oct 28th, 5:30 PM. Dr. Vicky Roy is running the webinar, which will explain all the essentials of designing and delivering an effective pitch. It will cover:

– How to create an effective pitch
– The essential elements to include in a pitch
– Do’s and don’ts of delivering a successful pitch
– How best to field questions after your pitch

This seminar is useful not only for founders/entrepreneurs, but also any students who might be preparing for competitions, or even to help students deliver strong presentations in class.

Peer Tutor Tuesdays’ with Asha Pratt-Johnson

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Name:       Asha Pratt-Johnson

Program:  Marketing Communications

 

What attracted you to becoming a Peer tutor?

I was attracted to peer tutoring because I’d been succeeding in courses that focused on writing. I was finding myself assisting peers with their work and thought “why not make this official?”

How has tutoring helped you?

I have not personally used peer tutoring at BCIT as a student. But, so far, I have been making friendly connections with the other peer tutors!

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

Make sure you understand what the expectations are for assignments. If you are unsure communicate, communicate, communicate. Instructors, tutors, and peers can help!

Do you have any successful online studying tips to share?

Attend lectures as they are happening! You don’t want to stack up a bunch of unwatched content. This will be overwhelming.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

When I leave BCIT I want to be working at an Advertising Agency as a copywriter.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

On a free day I like to go on long walks and watch shows and movies with my boyfriend. I also love cooking so I’d probably try a new recipe as well.

Media Literacy Week, October 26th – 30th, 2020

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Media Literacy Week (MLW) is an annual event promoting digital and media literacy across Canada. Schools, libraries, museums and community groups organize events and activities throughout the week.

Join us in celebration during October 26th – 30th.

Media Literacy Trivia

Are you media literate? What is your interpretation of media literacy? Each day during MLW we’ll be posting a multiple choice question on Instagram. Comment with your answer and at the end of the week we’ll make a random draw from all the correct entries. The winner will receive a gift pack valued at over $30.

SUSO Get Crafty : Digital Art & 3D Printing

Monday, October 26th, 4:30pm-6:00pm via Zoom.
MediaWorks in collaboration with the Student Association

Curious about 3D Printing and interested in creating a FREE model that you can take home or gift to a loved one?
Then join us for this fun, free virtual craft night as we get de-stress through art and socialize with other students.

In this session, we will cover some of the basics of 3D modeling and printing. We will explore a free online tool called TinkerCad to create and modify 3D models, set up your models for 3D printing in CURA, and print your work using our 3D printers at MediaWorks.

After the session, you can pick up the free model you created from BCIT Library or we can mail it to an address of your choosing!

To register visit: https://www.bcitsa.ca/associationevents/3d-printing/

Reducing media literacy barriers with accessible educational materials and Universal Design for Learning.

Tuesday, October 27th, 11:30am-12:30pm via Zoom.
Corrie Playford, Accessibility Librarian, CAPER-BC

Corrie Playford is an Accessibility Librarian at CAPER-BC, a specialized library providing alternate format educational materials for students with print disabilities who attend post-secondary educational institutions throughout the province of BC.

 

 

 

A Deaf Lens perspective: What is now expected of “Accessibility” for your product or service?

Wednesday, October 28th, noon-1:00pm via Zoom.
Jamie Finley, Research Assistant, NRG, Applied Research

With the federal “Accessible Canada Act” now law and consultations complete for British Columbia’s “Accessibility through Legislation”, what is expected of accessibility now for your product or service?  Using a software example in the field of Computing/IT, Jamie will briefly show how to examine your product/service from a Deaf lens with emphasis on accessibility as a structural concept.

Success stories in the fields of Broadcast/Media and Health will be looked at.  An update on provincial accessibility will be shared.

Jamie Finley has been a research assistant with Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG) since December 2007 and is involved in applied research of quality control of products, process improvement and method validation. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Diploma of Technology from the joint BCIT/UBC Biotechnology program.  He has advocated for ASL interpretation in BC’s sport sector and has given presentations on accessibility, most recently with Diversity Circles at BCIT, titled: “the Power of Allyship: Through the Lens of Audism.”  This combined experience as an amateur athlete, student and academic researcher has given Jamie a lived experience of what works in accessibility topics.

 

Student Life Hangout

Wednesday, October 28, 5:30 pm

Join us to talk Face news with the Student Life Ambassadors and see how well you do on our Fake New Quiz!

 

The Burnaby Campus Library is partially re-opening!

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The Burnaby Campus Library will re-open Tuesday, October 20th, however due to COVID-19 your visit will be a little different. Here’s what to expect:

  • Hours of operation Mon-Fri | 8am-3pm
  • Access the Library through the north entrance
  • Reduced occupancy available on the main floor only
  • No computers available
  • Individual study tables can be booked at: https://bcit.libcal.com/r/new
    • minimum booking is 30 minutes, maximum booking is 3 hours
    • bookable up to 7 days in advance
    • The ehPod and the third floor will remain closed
  • Pay printing available
  • Please review the Institute’s COVID-19 information for students before your visit. Masks are recommended.

 

Library floor plan partial opening

You can:

  • Visit us to pick up your holds and borrow items
  • Use a study table (by appointment)
  • Bring your own or borrow a laptop
  • Pick up your ID card
  • Printers are available
  • Join us for virtual events

We have:

  • Bookable study tables available on the main floor only
  • Closed our collection for browsing (which means that only staff members can retrieve library items for you)
  • Implemented social distancing and strict cleaning protocols

For more info on virtual and in-person services available visit: https://libguides.bcit.ca/Covid

 

Open Education Week, October 19th – 25th, 2020

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Plant Press: An openly licensed plant identification game for classroom learning.

Tuesday, October 20th, 12:30pm – 1:30pm via Zoom.

Celebrate Open Access Week with Julia Alards-Tomalin and Amy Miedzwiecki who will present their open education grant project Plant-Press: A Plant Identification Game.

Julia conceived, hand-drew, and painted the card images and Amy created the backgrounds, style, and layouts for the game. They will walk you through the development of the game and how the game is used with classes. Julia will also talk about her current open textbook project, an online plant identification textbook that focuses on winter identification of trees in the Pacific Northwest. We will open the event with a quick introduction to open education at BCIT.

Find the Plant-Press: A Plant Identification Game in BCIT’s Institutional Repository.

Julia Alards-Tomalin works as an instructor in the Renewable Resources department at BCIT and teaches into both the Forest and Natural Areas Management diploma and the Fish, Wildlife and Recreation diploma programs. She is a double grad from BCIT with both a diploma in Forestry and a degree in Ecological Restoration. Her passion for teaching led her to complete the Provincial Instructors Diploma program and she is currently enrolled in a Masters of Education degree program at Simon Fraser University. One of the things she enjoys the most about teaching  is coming up with creative and fun ways to interact and engage with the students.

Amy Miedzwiecki works as a Media Specialist at MediaWorks which is a digital workshop based in the library at BCIT. She has a Masters in Video, Audio and Social Technologies and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the UK. Amy is a multi-media creative who has worked in industry and taught Game Design and Media at post-secondary institutions. She is interested in using technology to help develop fun and engaging learning experiences for both students and faculty.

Open Access in action : tales from five institutions.

Wednesday, October 21st, 1:00pm – 2:00pm via Zoom.

This is a joint-institutional event. Carol Wenzel and four other Open Access recipients from different institutions will be presenting their open education projects and be on hand to answer questions. Make a tea or coffee and join in!

For more info and to register visit: https://bccampus.ca/event/open-access-in-action-tales-from-5-institutions/

Peer Tutor Tuesdays’ with Ahmed Beltmer

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Name:         Ahmed H Salem Beltmer

Program:    Marine Engineering

 

What attracted you to becoming a Peer tutor?

It was a request from my Chief instructor to tutor my fellow classmates when I started my first year at BCIT BMC. But then I loved it and I discovered that I am really good at it.

How has tutoring helped you?

It was very helpful because it is also a kind of socializing process with classmates, fun environment, and also kind of review for knowledge and skills.

If you could give one piece of advice to a BCIT student what would it be?

I would advise myself and every BCIT student to keep studying, keep trying, keep working, and never give up. In the end of the pain is success.

Do you have any successful online studying tips to share?

Actually, it will be my first time tutoring online. I need to discover some tips during my first session.

What would your dream job be when you leave BCIT?

I have a plan to work as a 4th engineer in shipping companies. I will also upgrade my tickets as I am progressing in the company to become chief engineer. I am planning to finish my civil engineer bachelor’s degree since I have already finished 3 years. I would like to have master’s degree in management so that I can have a management position in the company I work for.

If you had a free day, how would you spend it?

Being with my family, going sailing or be at the beach together.