Reflections on 2020 from the VIU Voices Editor
December 18, 2020
By Alyson Winks, Internal Communications AdvisorOne of the things I like most about my role as Internal Communications Advisor at VIU is the variety of people with whom I get to work. As such, we have decided to create an editor’s column that will run in every other issue of VIU Voices, which will hopefully reflect some of our shared experiences. This is my first attempt after a crazy year.... Read more
VIU ELDERCOLLEGE: Where Wisdom Meets Knowledge
December 17, 2020
By Regan McKeever, Program Coordinator VIU ElderCollege has reinvented itself! The fall session was an overwhelming success with 45 courses exclusively online, via Zoom. While the technology is still a challenge for some seniors, the opportunities to connect with friends and family during the pandemic provides significant motivation for many to acquire new skills and abilities. VIU... Read more
The Share Drive Podcast
December 17, 2020
Three New EpisodesDr. Kathleen Bortolin, and Anwen Burke, both of whom are Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialists in the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL) have been hard at work producing three new episodes of the Share Drive Podcast to help enhance, inspire and perhaps provoke some thoughts. Check out the latest episodes below. Evandra Panych:... Read more
VIU Culinary Arts Program Donates Surplus Food to Salvation Army
December 10, 2020
Extra food prepared by students as part of their program is finding its way to the stomachs of people in need through charitable organization in Nanaimo.Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Culinary Arts program is donating the equivalent of about 200 meals every week to the Nanaimo Salvation Army New Hope Centre on Nicol Street. VIU’s hybrid model of education delivery... Read more
VIU Introduces Bachelor of Kinesiology Program
November 13, 2020
VIU professor reflects on the progression of a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree as well as his own evolution as a teacher in the program over the past four decades.Les Malbon, Professor of Kinesiology at Vancouver Island University (VIU) has fond memories of when he was a student in the Physical Education program in 1974 – when Malaspina College was operating out of the old Nanaimo hospital... Read more
Business Donations Benefit VIU Horticulture Program
November 5, 2020
Industry support provides VIU students with opportunities to investigate environmentally sustainable lawn alternatives and become certified Allan Block installers.With help from a variety of businesses, students in the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Horticulture Technician Foundation Program are in the process of converting an established lawn and garden area at the G.R. Paine... Read more
Tips and Tricks for Synchronous and Asynchronous Course Delivery
October 28, 2020
We know there are a variety of ways to approach online teaching and learning, and just as each instructor develops their own style, techniques and best practices to deliver face-to-face instruction, the same process occurs online.Even within departments, professors are choosing different methods, honing their skills and making the online medium their own. Here are two approaches being taken in... Read more
Taking some stress out of Online Course Development
October 28, 2020
Kathleen Bortolin and Anwen Burk, both Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Specialists in the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning, produce a podcast called the Share Drive, which is all about sharing inspiring, helpful, interesting strategies, stories and tips from VIU’s own faculty members for creating a fantastic online classroom. Their latest episode is an energizing interview with... Read more
VIU Student Recognized for Supporting Community
October 20, 2020
Vantaishia Tommy, who recently won a citizenship award for community service and commitment to her studies, is focused on helping animals when she graduates. DUNCAN, BC: Vantaishia (Taish) Tommy knows exactly where she wants to be when she has finished her educational journey – protecting the rights and habitats of animals of all kinds and sizes around the world. The Adult Basic... Read more
Fires are "Just the Tip of the Iceberg" of Climate Change's Impact on Forests
October 5, 2020
EXPERT COMMENTARY: As wildfires continue to rage across parts of Western Canada and the United States, we were curious about some of the other impacts climate change is having on forests and what forest management tools are being taught in classrooms today to address these issues. Bill Beese, a VIU Forestry Professor and Forest Ecologist, shares some insights.The catastrophic wildfires... Read more