LFS Today Oct 16, 2020

LFS Check in/Check out Surveys

We would like to give you a heads up that there will be some small changes to the LFS Check in and Check out survey questions starting today, Friday October 16 at 5pm.

Name input (free text will be changed to First name, Last name)
Time of entry/exit will be REMOVED
Dominant work location (instead of free text, this will become a choice of building, then floors)

Please note that you can continue to access the surveys at the homepage of my.landfood.ubc.ca or using the QR codes.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for our Covid-19 plans and preparation, please submit it to our anonymous feedback survey or email us at lfs-mcm-ops@lists.ubc.ca.

Assessing Student Workload for 2020 W1: Some Suggestions

A sustainable workload is key to students’ learning and wellbeing. The University has encouraged instructors to address students’ workload concerns.

Some suggestions on streamlining your course:

allowing students to drop a certain number of quizzes or homework assignments (e.g., best 10 from 12);
considering a ‘no-penalty grace period’ (e.g. of a few hours, or overnight) for submissions online;
considering ways to simplify or streamline the organizational elements / learning tools and platforms for your course (to reduce the time students take to find materials, assessments); and
recognizing the two statutory holidays that fall this semester and adjust workload expectations for those weeks accordingly so that students are able to take those days off.

Here are some potential ideas for reducing administrative workload:

when offering grace periods or free passes, offer these options to the whole class. Use an announcement and update the syllabus;
create a Frequently Asked Questions page in Canvas. If you’re getting the same question multiple times over email, post your response there, and send students to the link; and
set expectations around responding to student questions and queries such that students get used to using Course Q&A Discussion boards rather than emailing (unless the question is private), so that the query I also visible to other students;

Please note that:

as per UBC Policy V-130, you are required to communicate the change details to students in writing; and
any student who sees the change as detrimental to their academic progress is entitled to discuss their concern with the instructor for a resolution. As per the Academic Calendar regulations, if a resolution is not found, students are encouraged to discuss their concern with Program Director, Associate Dean, Academic and Dean.
according to the Senate Curriculum Committee guidelines, a typical workload of 8-9 h/week/3 credit course for all learning activities, synchronous and asynchronous.

Please refer to the email distributed for the details.

Workload calculators:

Final Notice: LFS Curriculum Change – Today is Oct 16 Deadline

Time again to submit any Curriculum Change Proposals you are considering.

Proposals can include a variety of changes to an LFS course or program, from changing the title of a course to adding a new program.

Please forward your Curriculum Change requests to Virginia Frankian by 12 noon today, Oct. 16, 2020.

The process for curriculum change is:

Create the proposal using the Curriculum Proposal Form (2-Column form;https://senate.ubc.ca/vancouver/curriculum-submission-guide/curriculum-forms). You can find the guidelines in the Downloads sidebar on the right-hand side of the page.
Obtain approvals from your disciplinary group (e.g., applied animal biology, food science, and food and resources economics groups) followed by your corresponding Program (APBI, FRE, and FNH).
Submit the approved form to the LFS Curriculum Committee via Virginia Frankian (virginia.frankian@ubc.ca). If needed, the Curriculum Committee will return the proposal to the originator for clarification or revision.
Proposal approved by the Committee will be presented to the LFS Faculty Council at its meetings for approval.
For a Category 1 change (e.g. new course and new degree program), a proposal approved by the Faculty Council typically requires external unit and library consultation, and budgetary approval. Subsequently, the proposal will be submitted to the Senate Curriculum Sub-committee, then to the Senate Curriculum Committee and finally to the Senate for approval.
For a Category 2 change, a proposal approved by the Faculty Council will be submitted to the relevant Senate Curriculum Sub-Committee for approval.

The Curriculum Proposal review and approval process, especially Category 1 change, is a long one. Items can go through edits at any level, and be sent back to the originator for corrections. Some Proposals require consultations with outside parties.

For these reasons, it is important to plan and submit your Proposal as early as possible. Please find the Curriculum Change Proposal submission deadline schedule for the upcoming year below:

September 18, 2020
October 16, 2020
November 20, 2020
December 18, 2020
January 22, 2021
February 26, 2021

Please add these dates to your calendars. Proposals submitted after the LFS Jan 22, 2021 deadline may not be approved in time to be included in the UBC Academic Calendar for the following September.

SOIL 500 Graduate Seminar Series – Today

Date: Friday, October 16, 3:00pm
Title: Methods and instrumentation in Biometeorology: A tour of the Agassiz eddy-covariance system, UBC Climate Station, and Biomet Lab
Speaker: Patrick Pow, PhD student (supervisor Andy Black)
Abstract & bio available here.

If you have registered previously for one of our seminars, you do not need to register again – the weekly zoom link is the same.
If you need registration information, please email sandra.brown@ubc.ca.

Updates to Canada Research Continuity Fund (CRCEF) Stage 3

Please find below important updates regarding Stage 3 of the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF).

There are two major changes:

The UBC deadline for application submissions has been extended to November 30, 2020.
The salaries of research personnel can be eligible for partial reimbursement up to 75% by CRCEF at Stage 3 for the period of August 30, 2020 to November 15, 2020 provided that they meet the Stage 3 eligibility criteria.

Other updates include expanded eligibility of internet connection, land line, cell phone connection, equipment for working remotely, and animal per diems.

UBC’s application process can be found here at https://research.ubc.ca/CRCEF/Stage3. For questions, please email director@ors.ubc.ca.

Information about the CRCEF program can be found at https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/crcef-fucrc/index-eng.aspx.

Western Canadian Dairy Seminar

The Western Canadian Dairy Seminar will be taking place virtually next year, from March 8 – 12, 2021 (2-3 hours per day). This seminar is a place to network and gather the latest information in dairy production and technology advances. It is designed for people who want to improve their knowledge and decision-making abilities in dairy production and management.

See the event program here, which includes a welcome message by Nelson Dinn from the UBC Dairy Centre. Registration is now open, $50 includes all presentations, virtual farm tours, and access to the virtual trade show area.