The University of Windsor has selected Turnitin to replace Blackboard’s SafeAssign as the University’s text similarity, or plagiarism, checker. It is now available within Brightspace’s Assignments tool. Turnitin will be facilitating an initial workshop open to all instructors, staff, and graduate assistants at 2 p.m. today — Wednesday, Jan. 4. Register to attend.

Those interested in attending but unavailable at this time are encouraged to register to receive a link to the workshop recording after the session. This workshop will provide instructors with an overview of Turnitin and Brightspace settings and how to interpret the similarity report.

More training for Turnitin’s Originality and Feedback tools will be offered throughout the term to assist instructors wishing to use Turnitin.

It was a week of wins at the Faculty of Human Kinetics for Maranatha Christian Academy’s Owen Turner.

Turner, a Grade 12 student, was a member of the winning team at the Sport Management and Leadership Case Competition hosted by the faculty Dec. 14. Turner was back on campus two days later to collect a prize at the faculty’s annual Book Awards.

The Book Awards event, sponsored by the faculty since 1982, recognizes high school students for their academic achievements, their dedication to sport, and their contribution to their communities. Students receive a certificate and a book — this year, a copy of Fitness and Wellness in Canada co-authored by UWindsor kinesiology professor Sarah Woodruff.

Turner is not only a stellar student, he is the captain of his school’s senior boys volleyball team; he plays golf, tennis, and hockey; and he volunteers at his church and at community events such as the Transition to Betterness annual walk.

“I’m studying very hard for my post-secondary endeavours,” Turner said. “I’m hoping to go into either business or sport management.”

Turner was among students from 23 local high schools who received the award. Each award recipient was chosen by their school and submitted a video outlining their interests and accomplishments.

In her video, award recipient McKenna Ferrand from St. Anne Catholic High School not only spoke of her academic achievements and success as a cross-country athlete, but noted the Book Awards is a family affair.

“My dad won the same award in 1985 from F.J. Brennan High School,” she said. “He also graduated from the Faculty of Human Kinetics here at the University of Windsor.”

Linda Rohr, dean of the Faculty of Human Kinetics, said the Book Awards are an important tradition in the faculty.

“These students embody what we promote and teach here in our faculty — healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy communities.”

This year’s winners are:

• Académie Ste. Cecile International Academy — Pari Singh
• Assumption College School — Elayna Milne
• Belle River District High School — Jesse Grondin
• Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School — Kyla Anscombe
• Catholic Central High School — Natalie Fortier
• Essex District High School — Evelyn O’Neil
• F. J. Brennan High School — Ava-Jude Coscarella
• Herman Secondary School — Aidan Musson
• Holy Names High School — Benjamin Najem
• Kingsville District High School — Teagan Handley
• Leamington District High School — Jason Friesen
• L’École Secondaire L’Essor — Amélie Sfalcin
• L’École Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse — Alexander Tannous
• Maranatha Christian Academy — Owen Turner
• Massey Secondary School — Abdullah Ghoneim
• North Star High School — Mya Forman
• Riverside Secondary School — Stella Law
• Sandwich Secondary School — Abby Primeau
• St. Anne High School — Mackenna Ferrand
• St. Joseph’s High School — Steven Elford
• St. Thomas of Villanova — Mackenzie DeLisle
• Tecumseh Vista Academy — Jack Berthiame
• Walkerville Secondary School — Sonja Kollar

—Sarah Sacheli

A new tool available in the Brightspace learning management system will enable instructors to provide accessible document formats, including PDF, text-to-speech, high contrast, text, EPUB, Braille, audio podcasts, and more.

The tool, Panorama, ensures digital content keeps open to learners doors that might otherwise be closed. UWindsor instructors using Brightspace can opt into a pilot project to add Panorama to their course sites.

Panorama also offers instructors an accessibility report, which includes the identified accessibility concerns and information on how to fix them. There is also a visual gauge for an at-a-glance review of each eligible document so instructors can quickly address any significant issues. Instructors can also have access to a site summary report. Students can choose which documents to generate in such accessible formats as Braille or text-to-speech.

The Office of Open Learning offers workshops on digital accessibility, including options available in Brightspace. A Panorama specialist will offer sessions Jan. 13 and Feb. 13 to explore the application in more depth. It is recommended that instructors access some training to get an overview of the tool before enabling it on their course sites.

Growing post-secondary student enrolment creates an additional challenge to Canada’s housing market, says Tim Brunet.

A sessional instructor in economics and co-ordinator of Outstanding Scholars and student leadership programs, he argues in an article published in the Conversation that governments and universities have failed to prepare for an increase in housing demand driven by recruiting international students and treating living space as an investment rather than a human right.

Canada tripled its population of international students between 2009 and 2021, Dr. Brunet notes, without an accompanying increase in available rentals.

“Whether the solutions are dormitories, partnerships with private investors with specifically designed regulations and inspections, government-run housing, or a combination of these strategies, student housing needs more policy and more planning,” he writes. “We need specific policies and regulations for student rentals that are based on housing as a human right.”

The Conversation is an online publication that shares news and views from the academic and research community. Read the entire article, “Universities and colleges want to enrol more students. But where are they supposed to live?”

WE-Spark Health Institute continues to host monthly networking series in 2023.

These events focus on networking by providing a casual forum to bring together the Windsor-Essex health research community. The evening does not have an official agenda, no RSVP is required, and all are welcome.

This is an opportunity for anyone interested in health research to make connections in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere.  The next event will be held Thursday, Jan. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa St.

WE-Spark Health Institute is a partnership supported by the University of Windsor, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital designed to take healthcare to the next level through research.