NEWS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Teaching
      Initiatives
      Create
      Buzz
      on
      Campus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stacey
      Murray
     
     
      Advertising
      Manager
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Joe
      Velaidum
      spent
      most
     
     
      of
      last
      semester
      in
      bed
      with
      the
      flu.
     
    

    
     
      For
      a
      two-month
      period,
      he
     
     
      would
      teach
      a
      lecture,
      go
      home
      and
     
     
      try
      to
      sleep
      off
      the
      sickness.
      It
      was
     
     
      while
      he
      was
      in
      bed
      and
      taking
      cold
     
     
      medication
      that
      he
      thought
      up
      a
      new
     
     
      way
      to
      teach
      his
      class.
     
    

    
     
      “Why
      do
      I
      have
      to
      go
      to
      lectures
     
     
      live?”
      he
      asked
      himself
      and
      thought
     
     
      maybe
      the
      Internet
      could
      provide
      an
     
     
      answet.
     
    

    
     
      He
      went
      to
      his
      Christian
      Eth-
     
     
      ics
      class
      seeking
      feedback
      on
      the
     
     
      idea,
      which
      would
      include
      recorded
     
     
      lectures
      students
      could
      access
      at
      any
     
     
      time
      and
      small
      group
      meetings
      to
     
     
      discuss
      the
      material.
     
    

    
     
      “What
      would
      you
      guys
      think
     
     
      about
      that?”
      he
      asked
      the
      class.
      He
     
     
      received
      mostly
      positive
      feedback.
     
     
      They
      did
      say,
      however,
      they
      don’t
     
     
      mind
      attending
      his
      lectures
      as
      they’re
     
     
      presented
      so
      well.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      Velaidum’s
      most
      recent
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BURGER
      101
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hamburger
      +
     
     
      Fries
      +
      Pop
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
      sae
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SHROOM
      101
     
     
      Mushroom
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      +>
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Swissburger
     
     
      :
      7
      Fries
      +
      Pon
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ff7]O°
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ATS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      idea
      that
      came
      from
      thinking
      outside
     
     
      the
      box
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      teaching.
     
    

    
     
      In
      a
      class
      last
      semester,
      he
      intro-
     
     
      duced
      an
      oral
      testing
      component
     
     
      worth
      50
      per
      cent
      of
      the
      final
      exam,
     
     
      students
      meeting
      with
      him
      for
      half
     
     
      an
      hour
      while
      answering
      questions
      on
     
     
      the
      material
      they’ve
      learned.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      been
      well
      received
      by
      students
     
     
      and
      helps
      develop
      oral
      skills,
      which
     
     
      will
      be
      useful
      after
      university
      when
     
     
      students
      are
      asked
      to
      make
      presenta-
     
     
      tions,
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      you
      can
      explain
      it
      to
      someone,
     
     
      you
      know
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      Jess
      Slayter,
      a
      fourth-year
      biology
     
     
      student,
      took
      his
      class
      last
      semester
     
     
      and
      said
      the
      oral
      testing
      was
      less
     
     
      stressful
      but
      it’s
      not
      an
      excuse
      to
     
     
      slack
      off.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      have
      to
      study
      and
      you
      have
     
     
      to
      know
      your
      stuff.”
     
    

    
     
      As
      for
      this
      semester’s
      class,
      Myths
     
     
      of
      Hate
      and
      Evil,
      Velaidum
      is
      offer-
     
     
      ing
      a
      series
      of
      lectures
      online
      through
     
     
      Moodle,
      including
      guest
      lectures
     
     
      from
      experts.
      He'll
      also
      organize
      op-
     
     
      tional
      group
      discussions
      throughout
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "CHEESE
      101
     
     
      Cheeseburger
      +
      |
     
     
      Fries
      +
      Pep
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      semester.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      class,
      he
      has
      bought
      a
     
     
      Macintosh
      computer
      and
      has
      used
     
     
      Garage
      Band,
      a
      program
      that
      records
     
     
      audio
      files.
     
    

    
     
      He
      said
      the
      new
      method
      has
     
     
      solved
      many
      problems
      for
      him,
      from
     
     
      getting
      students
      out
      of
      bed
      for
      an
     
     
      8:30
      a.m.
      class,
      to
      finding
      room
      to
     
     
      accommodate
      his
      overflowing
      class-
     
     
      rooms.
      With
      120
      students
      enrolled
     
     
      in
      this
      semestet’s
      class,
      live
      lectures
     
     
      would
      have
      prevented
      students
      from
     
     
      having
      meaningful
      discussions.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt’s
      shocking
      that
      ’m
      the
      one
      do-
     
     
      ing
      this,”
      he
      said.
      “Technology
      never
     
     
      solved
      anything
      for
      me
      in
      the
      class-
     
     
      room
      before.”
     
    

    
     
      While
      it
      helps
      students
      with
      tight
     
     
      schedules,
      it’s
      been
      a
      time-consuming
     
     
      process
      for
      him
      as
      he’s
      had
      to
      learn
     
     
      the
      technology
      and
      edit
      voice
      clips.
     
    

    
     
      But
      it’s
      also
      been
      a
      way
      for
      him
      to
     
     
      rethink
      the
      way
      he
      teaches.
     
    

    
     
      If
      this
      method
      is
      as
      effective
      as
     
     
      live
      lectures
      it’s
      worth
      a
      shot.
      It
      also
     
     
      allows
      students
      to
      learn
      at
      their
      own
     
     
      pace.
      “I
      want
      to
      inspire
      students
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CHICKEN
      101
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Crispy
      Chicken
     
     
      +
      Fries
      +
      Pop
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      at
      UPEI.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      get
      inside
      my
      head,”
      he
      added.
     
    

    
     
      Richard
      Kurial,
      the
      dean
      of
      arts,
     
     
      is
      one
      of
      the
      guest
      lecturers
      who
      will
     
     
      be
      featured
      this
      semester.
      He
      said
      the
     
     
      idea
      is
      innovating
      and
      exciting.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      designed
      to
      enhance
      and
      en-
     
     
      rich
      what’s
      already
      being
      offered.”
     
    

    
     
      Slayter,
      who’s
      also
      enrolled
      in
      the
     
     
      class,
      likes
      the
      flexibility
      it
      provides.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      a
      good
      course
      to
      have
      this
     
     
      kind
      of
      setup,”
      she
      said,
      adding
      it
     
     
      wouldn’t
      work
      for
      every
      class.
     
    

    
     
      Velaidum
      said
      for
      this
      method
      to
     
     
      work,
      professors
      must
      know
      their
     
     
      class
      well,
      as
      they
      need
      to
      be
      aware
     
     
      what
      students
      struggle
      with
      and
     
     
      when
      to
      slow
      down.
      And
      while
      it’s
     
     
      not
      for
      everyone,
      it
      may
      be
      an
      alter-
     
     
      native
      for
      some
      professors.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      semester,
      he’ll
      ask
      for
     
     
      feedback
      from
      students
      on
      whether
     
     
      it
      help
      students
      learn
      the
      material
     
     
      better.
      :
     
    

    
     
      “The
      students
      are
      going
      to
      decide
     
     
      if
      it’s
      successful.”
     
    

    
     
      Next,
      Velaidum
      is
      exploring
      the
     
     
      possibility
      for
      a
      liberal
      arts
      program