Live from the 2023 CEWIL Conference in Halifax, NS, I sit down with Cora Dupuis, Co-op Coordinator at Brandon University and Ph.D. student in Educational Studies at Brock University who is researching what we know (and don't know) about Co-op Supervisors. We chat about existing research in this area, what motivates someone to become a co-op supervisor and what institutions can do to better prepare first time supervisors.

Guest: Cora Dupuis, Co-op Coordinator, Brandon University, MB

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

Live from the 2023 CEWIL Conference, I sit down with one of our sponsors, Elina Chow, Founder of Jot Tech - a networking app that lets you build strong relationships and eliminate the post conference admin work of laying business cards on a table trying to remember who each belongs to. On this episode, we discuss the origins of the platform, how it can fill a need with today's student and other areas where the platform can be of value.

Want to connect with Elina directly, find her on Jot by clicking here: https://app.jotjotjot.ca/qr/elina

Download the Jot app today: https://onelink.to/wyhr59

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

It's National WIL month for us here in Canada with this year's theme #WILinternational - tag it in your posts!! That means another virtual flight for me and this time my boarding pass lands me in Wollongong, Australia where the weather is lovely this time of year. On this episode I am joined by the wonderful Michelle Eady, Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Wollongong Australia. We chat institutional frameworks for scaffolding WIL across degree, what's changed in the world of e-teaching and I pose the question "Is Higher Ed is prepping teachers to actually build WIL into their future classrooms or not?". Michelle's extensive background with Indigenous communities also provides invaluable insights on engaging with Indigenous students, building frameworks, having conversations and the most important aspects of WIL for everyone.

Guest: Michelle Eady, Associate Professor, Wollongong, AU

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

Just over a year ago, I looked into Canada's tourism and hospitality industry to find out how it was trying to recover and the role that WIL played in getting more students and new grads into this sector. Fast forward to today and it's still very much in a state of recovery, but in a better place than it was in early 2022. I am joined once again by Joe Baker to discuss Tourism HR Canada's role in the national conversation. On this episode we talk the return to in person business events, the rise of hotel and restaurant alternatives, and how to achieve a sustainable workforce in the future. I also share my deep frustration with home delivery ice cream.

Guest: Joe Baker, Tourism HR Candada

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

How do you celebrate the career of someone who has spent 36 years in the wilderness that is Work Integrated Learning? You dedicate an entire episode of your WIL podcast to them, that's how! On this episode I am joined by the one and only Scott Davis, who, after 36 years at the University of Waterloo is trading in his office for an Adirondack, his parking spot for a bike trail and his daily dose of meetings for some R&R. When you go from student to employee at the same institution, after a lengthy career you have a lot of stories to share and today we relive only a handful of those memories. He’s helped students navigate their career journeys for over three decades, aided in a marriage proposal for a former campus recruiter and even fell in love with, and married, a colleague. Most importantly, he was on the very first episode of this show! Today we chat early day challenges in WIL, involvement with multiple organizations and what lies on the road ahead. 

Guest: Scott Davis, Retired, University of Waterloo, ON, Canada

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

There’s something to be said about gaining actual experience in your field of study prior to graduating. It’s helpful on a number of levels; do I like this? Do I dislike it? Do I have a full understanding of what’s involved in this industry/sector? Are there other avenues I could explore or paths I could take? With some disciplines, it’s extremely difficult to get answers to these questions without WIL. There is perhaps no better example than in Psychology. You can’t sit down and assess patients as a student, you need certifications. It’s challenging, you end up working in those offices, but on the peripheral. Well at StFx in Antigonish, NS, they’re saying…not anymore! On this episode I explore an innovative WIL program where students in StFX's Applied Forensic Psychology program partner with the Correctional Service of Canada to obtain first hand experience working in their field.

Guest: Ryanne Chisholm, Practicum Coordinator, Applied Forensic Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University, NS

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

As we near the end of 2022, I am joined once again by my amazing co-host Charlene Marion to recap the year that was! It's our very own top 10, CEWIL style. Tune in for a quick recap of our favourite highlights from the last 365 - all of which can be summarized in one word, EXCITING! There's a ton for me to be thankful for this holiday season, including the amazing team at CEWIL Canada and to all of you for continuing to listen and engage. Here's to a great 2022 and an even better 2023, we'll see you in the new year!

Co-Host; Charlene Marion, Executive Director, CEWIL Canada

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

Since Feb. 2021, CEWIL Canada has been distributing funding nationwide through The CEWIL iHub! It operates as a centre of expertise that provides grant-based funding to enable and promote curricular work-integrated learning (WIL) focusing primarily on industry projects, entrepreneurial WIL, field placements and service learning. This partnership with the Government of Canada's Innovative WIL program includes $16.3 million to grow WIL across this country! So to kick off a new series of episodes, I will be sifting through the iHub vault and sharing the stories and WIL opportunities that have been created by some amazing WIL practitioners.

Have you ever wondered if you could study Biology, learn everything you can about human cells, viruses, disease, pack your lab coat in your backpack and head into the studio to help design...a video game??? On this episode I uncover the backstory that went into developing Cells at War, a collaborative educational biology-based video game project from George Brown College and McMaster University students. By bringing together students from multiple programs, different years of study and a wide array of skills, an innovate WIL opportunity was born.

Guests: Rosa da Silva, Associate Professor of Biology, McMaster University, ON // Jean-Paul Amore, Program Coordinator for Entertainment Programs, George Brown College, ON

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

It's not a secret that non-profit organizations (NPOs) stand to benefit from engaging in WIL just as much, if not more, than their for-profit counterparts. However there are a significant number of challenges that often emerge when partnering with NPOs or that prevent the partnership in the first place. This is further complicated the farther you get from a metropolitan hub that houses some NPO "head offices". What about Indigenous NPOs? Another layer of complexity. Add this all up and you've got quite the investigation on your hands - how do you navigate WIL in the Non-Profit Sector in Northern Canada? My guest this week just happened to do her PhD dissertation on that exact topic! On this episode we discuss partnering with NPOs, how to better prepare them for WIL, how to better prepare your students, the role WIL plays in prepping students for the future, and the role Indigenous NPOs feel they need to play. All this and I accept the fact that I will never play water polo.

Guest: Dr. Amelia Merrick, Acting Dean of ACCESS and Continuing Education, College of New Caledonia, Prince George, BC

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife

When I kicked off Season 2 I mentioned I would be joined by some co-hosts to get into the weeds on some more opinion driven topics. After some technical difficulties and scheduling conflicts, I am pleased to welcome David DiPietro back to the show in the co-host seat. Fresh into his new role as Manager, Business Development at Niagara College, David joins me to have an honest conversation about our preference when it comes to optional or mandatory WIL. Sure, there's room for both, but we each put our foot down and make a stand. We cover different WIL types and different scenarios, exploring pros and cons of each, faculty implications, student perceptions and everything in between. Whether you're looking for validation on your own opinion or looking for a reason to yell at your radio/phone, tune in to find out our thoughts on the topic.

Guest: David DiPietro, Manager, Business Development, Niagara College, ON

"Fallen Leaves" by Electric Wildlife