Month: June 2020

Algonquin’s virtual classroom expertise gives learners an edge

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The first time that Tayyebe Seif took an online course, she initially thought the three-hour French class would be a bit boring, but she was surprised by how engaging it turned out to be.

“I found it even better that the actual class, because I had the opportunity to work with every single student in the class,” said Seif. “I found it even more interactive, because usually in the class you are always sitting at the same seat.”

Emma deWever took Autism and Behavioural Science, which is a program that is only offered online at Algonquin College. At the beginning, she wondered if she would still be motivated by just taking online classes. In the end, she was pleased with the experience.

“I found it easy to stay on track and stay motivated because the instructors were very helpful, and you are connected to other students,” said deWever. “I got a job in my field immediately after, because what I have learned in the program prepared me so well for my placement.”

Online learning at Algonquin

 

Due to COVID-19, many programs at Algonquin College will be delivered online for the Fall term. This might be a new experience for most students, but Algonquin has been delivering virtual classes for over 25 years. The college was actually one of the seven founding members of OntarioLearn, a program that was created to make education available to as many learners as possible.

Before the pandemic, Algonquin College was already delivering more than 800 online courses and had more the 17,000 students registered for virtual classes.

In 2019, the college was ranked first in Canada in online enrolments. The Dean of the Centre for Continuing and Online Learning at Algonquin, Patrick Devey, said that the college uses new technology, additional course-design specialists, more interactive elements and custom video content to enhance its online offerings.

For Seif, continuing with the online classes is an easy choice. “If I had to choose between an in-person class or a virtual class, I would choose the virtual class again,”she said.

Five movies Algonquin students enjoyed watching over the past few months

1-Contagion

This medical thriller came out in 2011 and made the top of the list for most watched movies on Netflix during the pandemic. While the virus in the movie is many times deadlier than COVID-19, the scenario shows enough to grab the viewer’s attention.

2-Onward

Onward is the first non-sequel Pixar movie since 2017’s Coco. In the film, two elf brothers go to an adventure when they are given the chance to bring their dad back to life for one more day!

The movie was based on the life of the director and co-writer of Onward, Dan Scanlon, who lost his father when he was just a year old.

3-I don’t feel at home in this world anymore

This American comedy thriller was release in 2017 and tells the story of a nursing assistant who returns home and finds out she had been robbed. Ruth reports to the police, but only to be chastised for leaving the door unlocked.

Ruth finds the location of one of the stolen items, her laptop, and starts a journey to try to get her items back.

4-The Lighthouse

This horror film is an international co-production of the United Stated and Canada. The movie tells the story of two lighthouse keepers who get stranded on the remote island where they work after a storm.

The Lighthouse received praise for its unique aesthetics and was nominated for Best Cinematography.

5-Once upon a time in Hollywood


The comedy-drama was release in 2019 and it was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The movie includes a star-studded cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Once upon a time in Hollywood received 10 nominations for the Oscar.

The movie takes place in the 60’s in Los Angeles and tells the story of a TV actor and his stunt double, in their search for making their names in Hollywood.

Some services Algonquin students can access online

We may be apart physically, but we are here for your, virtually. Check out this of services available online that can help and support you in your student journey!

Student Support Services

Student Success Specialist

Are you struggling in a course or are you having a tough time in your program? Maybe it is time to see a Student Success Specialist. At Algonquin College, there is at least one Student Success Specialist per faculty/school. The SSSs play a vital role in a student’s academic success, working closely with Faculty, Program Coordinators, Chairs and Academic Advisors, as well as other stakeholders around the College, providing support and resources during a student’s academic journey.

During COVID-19, students can access help from the SSS’s via phone, email or virtually.

Want to know more? Click here!

Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL)

The role of the CAL is to provide students with the academic accommodations and support required due to their disability.  During COVID-19 CAL services are being offered remotely, via Zoom.

“Students register for many reasons including mental health disabilities, learning disabilities, physical conditions, hearing impairments, whatever it is we help the student to determine their needs and then communicate that to their faculty or help them connect with the services we offer,” says CAL’s Intake Coordinator, Tim Comerford.

Click here to access this service.

Employment Services

The Employment Support Center is open to students as well as alumni. The centre offers one-on-one sessions for students that can help them with employment challenges such as resume, cover letter an even LinkedIn profile. During the COVID-19 closure, all services are being offered virtually.

Appointments can be booked by email or over the phone and there is also a list of online tools available. Students can practice, for example, their interview skills through an online platform and get feedback on it, or they can also book a mock interview in person.

Counselling Services

Whether it is something on a personal level, a mental health challenge, a relationship issue or any variety of things, counselling services is there to offer support to Algonquin College students.

On the academic side, students are also offered support if they are struggling with motivation to get their assignments done or if they don’t know if they are in the right program or career path.

Students can ask to speak to a counsellor by contacting the Welcome Centre by phone or by email.

In addition, the Spiritual Centre also has spiritual counselling available.

Connections: The Campus Store

The Campus Store is now offering a contactless Curbside Pick-Up option at the Ottawa campus to allow orders to be picked up in a safe and physically distanced manner.

Unable to pick-up? The Campus Store has extended free shipping within Canada and the U.S. until August 31, 2020!

For more details and to shop online 24/7, click here.

Health Services

Health Services is the medical clinic on campus, opened to registered Algonquin College students and staff. The clinic has a staff of family physicians and nurses.

During COVID-19, Health Services is still open from 10:00am to 3:30pm. They are not accepting walk-ins at this time, but appointments can be booked online. For more information, please visit here and here.

The Early Learning Centre

The Early Learning Centre (ELC) is licensed under the Ontario Ministry of Education. What differs the ELC at Algonquin from other centres is their role as a demonstration lab school for early childhood education students and also for other programs that study human development.

The Early Learning Centre is closed at this time but does continue to update the waiting list for the infant, toddler and preschool programs. If you are a student with a child on the wait list, please email elc@algonquincollege.com to provide an update to your file. Please include your child’s name, your program of study, indicate if you study full or part time, and your anticipated graduation date. We will add this information to your child’s file.

If you have any questions about the Early Learning Centre and the wait list please include your questions in your email.

Algonquin students’ top 5 playlist

Studies have shown that music can have many effects on humans. It can change the mood, lower stress levels and even combat depression, playing a therapeutic role. We have selected the top 5 names that came up when we asked our students what their go to music during physical distancing has been. Tune it!

1. Arcade Fire

Here is a Canadian choice for you. The indie rock band released their first album in 2004. All their studio albums have received nomination for the Grammys. They are known as a multi-instrumentalist band. In their concerts they play some unique instruments such as French horn, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy.

2. Radiohead

This English rock band was formed in 1985, but it was only in 1997 that they became well-known internationally. They were included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, with some of their influences including Queen, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and Elvis Costello.

3. Saint Motel

This American indie pop band is formed by ex-film students and they released their first album in 2007. Saint Motel was even featured on the FIFA 17’s soundtrack.

4. George Ezra

The English singer, songwriter and guitarist is the newest artist on the list. He started his career in 2013 when he played the BBC Introducing Stage at a music festival in England. Ezra has received several awards such as the Brit awards, the BBC music awards and the MTV video music awards.

5. Tenacious D

The American comedy rock duo was founded by the actors Jack Black and Kyle Glass. Before releasing their first album in 2001, the duo participated on a TV series released on HBO. The band has among their influences ABBA, The Who and Led Zeppelin. They received a Grammy Award in 2015 for best metal performance.

Cover letter: how to write one while making the best first impression

Student writing a cover letter

 

Writing cover letters can be tricky, right?! So, now that some of you have a bit more time, we thought we would help you improve your cover letter skills. Jessica Andrews works as an Employment Officer at Algonquin College and has helped us put together the following tips.

1-Tailor it

Just like the resume, the cover letter should also be tailored to each job you are applying for. We know that this seems like a lot, but it will show the employer how much you want the job!

2-Address it

Try finding out who is the person you would be working for! “If you can’t find the person that you’re applying to specifically, like their name, put “Dear Hiring Manager”, rather than “to who it may concern,” says Andrews.

3-Keep it simple

Four paragraphs, one page. “You don’t want to send this three-page essay to an employer,” Andrews advises. The body of the letter should highlight your education and the experience that is specific to the position you are applying for.

Instead of using the same words over and over to describe things that you have done, here is a resource with some powerful language that you can explore.

We have also put together a template that will help you out!

4-Research!!!!

A very important tip is to do research on the company you are applying for and write in your cover letter the main reasons why you want to work for that company. “Look at their about us page, their mission statement, values, and their services to find something that resonates with you,” tells Andrews. It does not need to be anything long, two or three sentences at most, to show that you are really interested in their company and to demonstrate how you would fit into their specific organization.

5-Always write a cover letter

Even if a job posting does not ask for it, always send a cover letter with your resume. The cover letter is your opportunity to make your application stand out.

“If there’s an employer who receives two applications and both have similar education, similar experience, but one of them has a super tailored cover letter that really demonstrates how they’re going to fit into the company’s team, the application with a cover letter is going to be more appealing,” says Andrews.

6-The more is not always the merrier

Like they say, applying for a job is really a full-time job, but if you follow those tips, chances are that you will soon get that job you want! Andrews also says that it is better to apply for a few jobs with a tailored resume and cover letter than applying for 50 positions with no tailoring involved.

“You would have better luck I think, than if you just sent a general resume that didn’t have any specific words or keywords.”