New Technology and Collaboration Connects Thunder Bay and Antigonish Students
(February 2, 2009 --Thunder Bay, ON) This term, eight students from Lakehead University and St. Francis Xavier University will be participating in a new Community Service Learning (CSL) opportunity. In two separate Political Science courses - in two separate provinces - students will meet over the Internet and compare experiences and research outcomes.
Dr. Doug West of Lakehead's Department of Political Science, and Dr. Lars Hallstrom, Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Governance at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, decided to team up to provide students a new approach to education in CSL.
CSL is an educational approach that integrates service in the community with intentional learning activities. Within effective CSL efforts, members of both educational institutions and community organizations work together toward outcomes that are mutually beneficial. (Canadian Alliance for Community Service Learning http://www.communityservicelearning.ca/en/)
With partial funding from the St. Francis Xavier Service Learning Faculty Development and Research Support Fund, the project seeks to better connect students to civil society and non-governmental initiatives in their immediate community and share their experiences coming from different, yet similar, locales.
In Thunder Bay, students are working with Environment North, Lake Superior Place, and Earthwise Thunder Bay. In Antigonish, students are working with Antigonish Sustainable Development and with the Antigonish Area Partnership.
Dr. West explains, "With this new format, the learning environment at Lakehead University is connected to other learning environments in the country. This e-learning modality has the potential to leverage advances in technology and globalization that can have a real and very tangible benefit to our students."
If positive outcomes are identified at the conclusion of the course, there is the potential to widen the application of the learning platform. "In the future, Lakehead University students may be able to connect with students all over the country, and beyond," says West.
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Media: Dr. Doug West is available for media interview. For more information, and to arrange interviews, please contact Lisa Pelot, Communications Officer, at 343-8177, or commun@lakeheadu.ca
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 7,900 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca