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Winter 2021 course development is underway in the Learning Communities project, with six teams and a total of twelve teachers working on eleven new courses to be launched in the F21 and W22 semesters.聽 Working remotely imposes significant constraints on the course design process, just as it does with teaching.聽 However, as in the second half of last year’s winter semester, MS Teams is allowing co-teachers to work on documents asynchronously, meet via video chats, access all the relevant course design resources, and in short, create an almost satisfactory stand-in for in-person collaboration.聽 聽

Collaboration between teachers from different departments on the design and delivery of interdisciplinary courses is the very heart of Learning Communities.聽 Supported by colleagues and by a Dawson-developed course design toolkit, participating teachers work together on learning activities, integrative assignments and synched class schedules aimed at creating connections across disciplines. The goal is to create authentic and innovative learning experiences for students – but the LC teachers are also on their own unique learning trajectory.

鈥淭he process of co-designing has revealed to me, once again, the social nature of learning, and how much more exciting and thus motivating it is to work with a partner on a project. As someone who doesn鈥檛 necessarily excel at systems thinking, the course design materials have also been a welcome and useful guide in helping me to think through how we can work our vast topic into a structure that will be coherent and manageable for both students and ourselves.鈥� 聽聽聽鈥� – Andrew Katz (English), SPACE English & Humanities

Each of the six teams is supported by a LC lead with previous experience in developing and co-teaching paired courses: in Science, Jean-Fran莽ois Bri猫re (Physics) and Annie-H茅l猫ne Samson (Biology); in Social Science, Lisa Steffen (History); and in Certificates and General Education, Pat Romano (Humanities).聽 Consulting and troubleshooting with the leads allows project teams to rapidly address challenges and develop workable solutions at each stage of the design process.

鈥淚nitially, the idea of organizing and synchronizing two brand new courses (ultrasound physics and ultrasound instrumentation) seemed like an almost overwhelming task. 聽But thanks to a recommendation from Jean-Fran莽ois Bri猫re to build a shared MIRO whiteboard for course planning, it now actually seems pretty straight forward!聽 Creating our MIRO board has helped us to clarify the content, order, and prior knowledge for each of the modules and it has allowed us to write clear, concise learning outcomes. 聽The board also allowed us to identify opportunities for integrative assessments and joint exercises/labs. 聽This is an amazing, versatile tool that all collaborators should try.鈥澛�– – Diana Glennie (Physics), Physics & Ultrasound Technologies

Interested in learning more about each of the six projects?聽 Check out the project abstracts below, which offer a concise explanation of the objectives driving the course development work of each team.聽 And don鈥檛 hesitate to get in touch with LC project lead Ian MacKenzie if you have questions about how you, your department or your program can get involved in Learning Communities.

Winter 2021 LC Project Teams and Abstracts

I. Physiotherapy Technologies: Anatomy 1 (144-111-DW) + Biology 1 (101-941-DW)

• Richard Calve (Biology) and Erika Hasler (Physiotherapy Technologies)

Understanding the human body聽not only from an anatomical perspective聽but also a biological one聽is of the utmost importance for a future health care practitioner.聽 Biology I and Anatomy I are two integral, foundational courses that introduce聽Physiotherapy Technologies students聽to the human body. 聽Biology I聽has聽a focus inherent to the systems of the human body down to their microscopic level of structure, function and organization. Anatomy I聽on the other hand focuses聽more聽on聽the macroscopic levels of structure, function and organization.聽聽Bridging these contrasting perspectives, our synchronized curriculum will provide聽learners聽with a holistic聽and聽integrative聽view聽of the human body and its systems (e.g.聽musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory, etc.) The integration of these two courses will enhance聽students鈥� ability to contextualize the importance of the structure and function of the human body, providing the the strong foundation required for future courses in the program and聽for a career as a Physiotherapist Technologist.聽

II. DIS Certificate: Foundations in Decolonization & Indigenization聽鈥� Complementary Contemporary Issues (365-BXP-DW)

• Jocelyn Parr (History) and Jennifer Smith (Anthropology)

Indigenous Resilience, Refusal and Resurgence in the face of ongoing colonialism on Turtle Island is centuries old, yet the聽study of Indigenous-Settler relations聽has tended to聽focus on聽the聽study聽of settler聽systems. This course聽challenges that tendency by being聽grounded聽in聽lessons taught by聽Indigenous聽Knowledge Keepers. This course聽opens聽a space for聽students,聽both聽Indigenous and non-Indigenous,聽to come together and work towards understanding聽complex truths, collaborating on dynamic projects, and聽practicing Indigenous聽ways of learning.聽聽Drawing聽from multiple fields,聽including what Indigenous聽Knowledge聽Keepers聽might call land-based-pedagogy or Two-Eyed Seeing,聽and what Western pedagogies would call disciplines (e.g., anthropology,聽history,聽economics, etc.),聽a variety of topics will be explored.聽Students will learn about the complexity聽and聽differences among Indigenous peoples聽with a focus on resilience, refusal and resurgence.聽Many events and materials presented in this class are聽from聽Indigenous聽Knowledge聽Keepers聽(elders,聽artists, activists, leaders聽etc.)聽and will take place聽in the classroom,聽and聽beyond the college聽on the land and in the city.聽While the content and topics聽(such as聽Kanien鈥檏eh谩:ka聽perspectives聽on this region;聽relationships聽to plants, animals, lands and waters;聽and lived聽histories,聽languages,聽art and storytelling)聽explored in this class聽will vary year to聽year, offering a decolonized pedagogical experience will remain the guiding principle.聽

III. Law Society Justice Profile: Human Rights, (In)justice, and Democracy in Canada鈥檚 Past and聽Present 鈥� Canadian History 330-201-DW + Canadian Democracy 385-306-DW

• Catherine Braithwaite (History) and Christopher Bourne (Political Science)

Why did certain groups such as Japanese Canadians, Indigenous nations and homosexuals suffer inequitably at the hands of the Canadian state over past centuries? Why were the rights of these individuals repressed by provincial and federal governments historically and how did they achieve justice, equality and conciliation through the passage of such legislation as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? How does the Canadian state try to balance the emerging human rights and freedoms of the individual with the state鈥檚 suppression of human rights for the sake of the 鈥榗ommon good?聽This paired Canadian Democracy and Canadian History course will offer students a learning community where they will explore intersecting themes that examine our unquestioning beliefs in Canadian equality and democratic institutions through particular historical events that have challenged concepts of 鈥榡ustice鈥�.聽 Working as a team in this interdisciplinary / transdisciplinary approach, the class will examine the historical and political聽balance between human rights and democracy,聽聽through the such lens as gender, ethnicity, race, and equality, and question how our ideologies and institutions, have not always lived up to its Canadian promise of equality for all.聽 In this shared thematic learning community, students will have the opportunity to hear multiple historical voices and examine a variety of political institutions and ideologies, culminating in a capstone historical-legal re-enactment experience allowing them to analyze/assess both the strengths and weaknesses inherent in Canadian democratic society today and yesterday.聽

IV. Social Science General Studies: How Can I Know Who I Am? General Psychology (350-101-DW)+ Introduction to Philosophy (340-101-DW)

• Susan Finch (Psychology) and Brian Redekopp (Philosophy)

Who am I? What do I want to聽become?聽聽Finding answers聽to these questions聽can involve tremendous pressure:聽pressure from the judgments of others, pressure to conform, pressure to k苍辞飞听苍辞飞听what one鈥檚 path is going to be, pressure to make聽the聽right moral choices in a world in peril, and the anxiety聽that comes with聽all of this.聽 In this聽paired introduction to Psychology聽and Philosophy, we聽will explore聽how聽each discipline聽investigates the聽self and identity聽and聽how聽the results of these investigations聽can help you聽navigate the pressures聽along the path of self-discovery.聽聽In聽the聽Psychology聽course,聽we聽will explore current and historical聽perspectives聽in the field,聽the brain聽and聽its聽many聽functions,聽why people behave the way they do, and more聽–聽all contributing聽to answering聽the聽all-important聽question of who you are!聽(and how to be okay with that). In聽the聽Philosophy聽course,聽we will聽explore聽how philosophers have聽attempted to answer聽questions such as聽the nature of the self (and whether there even is one), the relation between mind and body, how free one is to create one鈥檚 own identity, the nature and value of self-love,聽the possibility of altruism,聽and the聽existential聽roots of anxiety.聽聽Together聽these courses will聽provide tools to gain a deeper understanding of聽oneself聽and to聽understand,聽manage and cope聽with the pressures聽of navigating life as a young adult in 2021.聽Class activities will include traditional聽elements such as聽lecture, discussion聽and聽readings,聽and also聽more experiential elements聽such as nature walks,聽interviews聽and journaling.聽Students will leave the course with聽the聽knowledge and聽the聽skills聽in critical thinking聽to achieve greater聽peace with聽themselves聽in the face of聽their聽own聽particular challenges.聽聽

V. SPACE Certificate: Investigating聽Story聽Value(s)聽鈥� English 603-BXE-MQ + Humanities 101-BXH-MQ

• Andrew Katz (English) and Robert Stephens (Humanities)

Why was Tal Al-Mallouhi,聽a聽19-year old聽Syrian student, imprisoned聽in 2009聽for writing poetry and social commentary on her blog?聽In聽the 1970s, when scientific study after study聽linked聽the burning of fossil fuels聽to climate change,聽why聽did oil and gas companies embark on a public campaign to聽question聽the聽authority of聽these聽studies?聽Why聽do #OwnVoices聽advocates聽argue聽for the聽importance of marginalized people聽being able to聽tell their own stories?聽Why聽is聽simply聽a shared set of facts聽often such a difficult achievement among groups in conflict with each other?聽This pairing of聽Applied English聽(603-BXE)聽and Humanities Ethics聽(345-BXH) titled聽Investigating Story Value(s), will offer students a learning community where they will explore the territories of both personal and public discourse across the disciplines and will consider the moral implications of the stories we tell.聽 Students聽will聽discover聽how these territories are聽marked by good-faith discussion, argument and聽research聽as well as by censorship, propaganda and 鈥渇ake news鈥�, and how聽so much of our聽discourse聽is聽organized聽by a common聽device聽as old as the human species聽itself:聽Story.聽In the English course,聽we will聽study the anatomy of story鈥撯�搃ts basic building blocks and the聽myriad ways those elements can be put together, with examples that range from fiction to creative non-fiction to news stories.聽 Meanwhile,聽in the Humanities course we will聽examine聽the聽ethics of聽storytelling, and both the conscious and unconscious ways that values shape our perceptions and descriptions of the world.聽Both聽courses will also look at聽some of聽the聽larger forces, psychological, social,聽political聽and others, that shape how聽story is used in our world today.聽For the聽major integrative assignment, students will聽research and present a case study that illustrates how聽story is聽employed聽in their particular field of study and聽analyzes聽the moral聽stakes involved.聽The course will also聽offer聽opportunities for students interested in crafting聽their own stories of various kinds.聽The course will place聽special emphasis on how story is used in both聽common and distinct ways in the Arts and the Sciences,聽and聽students聽will be encouraged to聽share their聽major integrative assignments with聽the Dawson Community through the venues hosted by the SPACE initiative (Sciences Participating with Arts and Culture in Education), such as the SPACE website and end-of-year SPACE showcase.

VI. Ultrasound Technologies: Physics of Medical Ultrasound (203-910-DW) + Ultrasound Instrumentation and Imaging Modalities (142-U13-DW)聽

• Diana Glennie (Physics), Ania Stosiak (Ultrasound), Monica Lopez (OAD)

Ultrasound imaging is deeply rooted in the physics of sound waves. From choosing the right transducer to interpreting the images,聽a solid foundation in physics聽principles will help students to properly聽apply their skills and聽critically聽analyze the results rather than just performing聽a set of memorized steps.聽聽 Students in their first year of Medical Ultrasound Technology will have the opportunity to take their Physics co-requisite simultaneously with their聽Ultrasound apparatus course.聽These two courses will be tightly paired,聽with complementary material and activities presented in a synchronized manner. 聽Students聽will be able to聽use their knowledge of the underlying physics to properly operate the ultrasound apparatus, while learning how to use the聽machines will聽provide students with a real-world application聽of physics principles.聽 This integration should聽solidify and enrich student understanding of聽how physics concepts and ultrasound applications are connected.