Organizational Development, Equity, and Health

FoMD Academic Leadership GOLD Program pilot orientation After more than a year in planning, the Office of the Provost in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry (FoMD) and Organizational Learning and Effectiveness, launched the FoMD Academic Leadership Development Pilot program with more than forty in attendance. Over a year ago, Dr. Verna Yiu (Acting Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry), Dr. Stewart Hamilton (Director, Faculty Professionalism and Leadership, FoMD) and Victor Shewchuk (Senior Advisor, Organizational Learning and Effectiveness), identified a need to provide academic leaders with opportunities to enhance their leadership skills. After setting a Gold Standard for quality and excellence, the Academic Leadership Development GOLD program was initiated. The Orientation session was attended by a learning cohort of twenty Physicians, Chairs, and Department Heads from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Also in attendance and bringing openi...

OLE employees: Karen Hackenbrook & Kim MacLock “We’re ready to WOW you.” Week of Welcome (WOW) runs for the first week of the new school year and is put on by the Students‘ Union. This week, OLE PeopleSoft Training Coordinator, Kim MacLock and Program Assistant, Karen Hackenbrook had an especially exciting week volunteering for the Office of the Dean of Students for the Welcome to the U event. Decked out in UofA aprons and baskets full of prizes, Kim and Karen wandered through Quad challenging students’ minds in exchange for school supplies and UofA merch. “What is the tallest building on campus? What is the name of the radio station on campus? Who do you call to walk you home late at night?” These are just some of the questions students were encouraged to answer during the Welcome to the U event. The Students Union also hosted a pancake breakfast, various music concerts, BBQs, and of course, Beer Gardens. Visit http://www.su.ualberta.ca/ for more information on student ev...

  Edmonton Clinic Building The School of Dentistry is gearing up for a new start in the brand new Edmonton clinic building for September 2012. As part of the transition process, OLE Senior Advisor, Alan Day has been working with the School of Dentistry, introducing and applying change and transformation in preparation for the new academic year. On Monday August 20th, the School of Dentistry conducted a two day orientation for staff. The orientation is part of the readiness strategy adopted by the school. The purpose was to learn what’s new and what’s the same, share feedback, and to create new habits. Alan Day, OLE Senior Advisor A key element of the orientation was the patient simulation where seven patient scenarios were carried out from tooth extraction to X-rays. It reinforced what procedures worked well and exposed areas of improvement. The outcome is to drive continuous improvement. OLE Senior Advisor, Cara Jones, took on the role of an orthodontic surgery p...

Organizational Learning and Effectiveness (OLE) is pleased to welcome the newest member of our team, Training and Development Specialist – Jim Boyes. Jim worked at the University of Alberta within the Faculty of Extension between 2001 and 2008. His first role was within Academic Technologies for Learning (ATL), then moved on to the role of Facilities and IT Manager, and finally worked directing the efforts of a group responsible for curriculum development and instructor support. Most recently Jim managed one of Canada's largest timeshare resorts located in Fairmont Hot Springs, B.C. His role was largely responsible for guest services and communications to an ownership group of approximately 12,000 lease holders. Sounds like pretty nice digs, so why come back to the U of A? We talked to Jim to find out more: OLE : What made you decide to come to/return to the university? JIM : I missed the academic environment with all its complexities and challenges. I also missed family and fri...

The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) provides eligible support staff with funding for professional development courses. Oversight of the Fund is carried out by the Learning and Development Committee (HRDF Committee). The goal of the HRDF Committee is to increase access to learning and development opportunities and maximize the use of the Fund. To this end, the committee made recommendations to redirect additional dollars towards job enhancement opportunities. Negotiations resulted in agreements that altered several articles about HRDF. The full $400,000 fund remains available to eligible staff at a maximum individual reimbursement level of $750/fiscal year. Two changes made to the administrative processes of HRDF were: Funding allocation The wellness portion of the HRDF has been detached, enabling an additional $50,000 to be used towards job enhancement learning activities. The Lifestyle & Wellness Account for benefited employees on January 1, 2013, will provide acces...

The purpose of Workplace Learning (WL) is to provide faculty and staff members with learning opportunities to enhance their skills and perform their work effectively. The Workplace Learning Workshops consist of courses and events that are open to all Support Staff, Faculty, and other Academics. Workplace Learning workshops are typically: short, free, diverse, tailored to U of A environment, and provide employees with the opportunity to network with other U of A Employees. On July 17 OLE ran two sessions on Generational Differences in the workplace . The sessions were well attended by a diverse group of 40 participants.   Quotes from the evaluations included: “It was nice to participate in a class offered by the University for staff.   Bill and Cynthia put "a face" to the fact that the University cares about me as a staff member, and wants to equip me to not just to know about generational challenges, but learn to engage all of those around me, not just those who are mo...

OWN THE EXPERIENCE! – Exceptional Communities, Engaging work, Extraordinary Performance The Experience -> This aspect of OLE’s work explores the elements that lead to highly successful work teams, those who demonstrate extraordinary performance, apply positive engaging practices, and create exceptional workplace communities.  Our work is a highly consultative process that supports individuals, leaders and teams to grow. Philosophy -> The Faculty and Staff Experience is about People… -     engaging in the spirit of our community -     promoting our community where everyone fits and all contributions are respected -     providing orientations to our community that are immediately welcoming and inclusive -     valuing the gifts that diversity brings us -     fostering meaningful relationships and building a web of connections among the citizens of our communi...