Priority 2: Teaching and Learning

The Bachelor of Health Sciences in Integrated Rehabilitation and Humanities has been approved and will welcome its first cohort in September 2024. The program is the first of its kind in Canada.

The Faculty of Humanities has emphasized the development of curriculum to support the interdisciplinary minor in African and Black Diaspora Studies, including partnering with the Faculty of Engineering to offer two new courses in the Interdisciplinary Minor in Africa and Black Diaspora Studies.

The DeGroote School of Business launched the inaugural sessions of its third and fourth year Undergraduate Commerce Student Experience and Development courses, which provide opportunities for students to engage in real-world consulting projects, social hackathons, and mentorship opportunities with community partners.

The DeGroote School of Business is undertaking a multi-year transformation project to build applied learning experiences within its curriculum. Curriculum redevelopment is underway to align McMaster’s MBA program with evolving market needs that include experiential and interdisciplinary managerial curriculum and work-integrated learning.

The School of Nursing expanded learning methods to enhance learning in mental health, addiction, sexuality and gender orientation, and Indigenous ways of knowing.

McMaster University Library, University Technology Services and the Health Sciences Library have spearheaded an initiative to offer site license access to Endnote, a bibliographic citation management tool used to support research. Over 1,600 students and staff users have taken advantage of the service in less than a year. By centralizing the purchase price within the library, the project has saved McMaster almost $200,000 in individual licensing costs.

The Student Wellness Centre and Athletics & Recreation hosted Mactivate, a program with a proactive mental health approach that promotes regular physical activity. The eight-week program focuses on general goal setting, action planning and coping strategies.

The Office of Academic Integrity worked alongside the MacPherson Institute in the adaptation of “Academic Integrity for Undergraduate STEM students, six online modules developed to enhance their understanding of academic integrity topics and challenges. The modules will be available to all instructors in early Winter 2023.

The Faculty of Social Sciences launched three new co-op program options for students pursuing economics, political science, and work and labour studies. To facilitate these new options, the Faculty doubled the size of their experiential learning staff complement to offer co-op support, career advising and employer support.

The Faculty of Engineering introduced a three-year pilot program, “Talk Spot,” aimed at providing students with immediate first contact with a mental health professional and help to prevent crises by removing barriers to accessing mental health support.

A new collaborative anatomy class between the Faculty of Humanity’s School of the Arts and the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Education Program in Anatomy and its Program for Interprofessional Education, Practice and Research allows art and health sciences students to learn anatomy alongside each other to foster a sense of collaboration, mutual education and curiosity. 

The Health Sciences Library has a narrative medicine and health project underway. It includes elements of storytelling, graphic arts, and art therapy to enhance learner communication skills and help mitigate stress and anxiety. A student art therapy program entitled “Expressions” will launch in fall 2023.

The Health Sciences Library provides institutional access to Covidence, software designed to support knowledge synthesis and systematic review research. As of March 2023, over 5,500 projects were registered in Covidence, representing the work of 2,300 McMaster faculty, staff, and student authors.

The Faculty of Health Sciences Office of Continuing Professional Development, partnering with the Health Leadership Academy, has developed Health Improvement and Faculty Innovation, a new senior academic health leadership program. Through simulation and problem-based learning, participants engage in a blended learning experience focused on complex and multi-stakeholder leadership and management issues. 

Indigenous Student Services, Six Nations Polytechnic and Mohawk College piloted the Pop-Up Study Hall in Six Nations of the Grand River. Funded by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, it provided an alternative learning space with reliable internet for community members.

The Fireball Academy in the Faculty of Engineering offered initiatives such as the New Faculty Orientation and Leadership Academy to support new and emerging leaders in academic administrative roles and equip them with tools to stay current with technological advancements in teaching, especially during the transition to virtual and hybrid learning environments.