Ten with Ken (Video)

Ken Steele went to the Ontario Universities' Fair, in September 2016, and asked 45 experts for their best advice for young people trying to choose a program or field of study after high school. And these are people who ought to know: 11 university presidents, 9 recruiters and admissions professionals, and 25 current undergraduate students. (For 1080p version, see https://youtu.be/ng-xADfIkio )

In the end, there was consensus on 7 key pieces of advice you should keep in mind, if you're trying to make a decision about your post-secondary path:

1) Don't Panic! 2) Start Early 3) Follow Your Passion 4) It's OK Not to Know Yet 5) Don't Limit Yourself 6) Keep an Open Mind 7) University will Expand Your Horizons

Interviewed for this episode:

Algoma U: Craig Chamberlin, President & Vice-Chancellor Brad Lloyd, Admissions Advisor Anna Stilin, Student Ambassador Brock U: Brian Hutchings, Acting President James Mandigo, Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management & International

Carleton U: Suzanne Blanchard, Vice-President, Students & Enrolment Lakehead U: Brian Stevenson, President & Vice-Chancellor Adriel Martin, Student Ambassador Kelsey Agnew, Student Ambassador Laurentian U: Dominic Giroux, President & Vice-Chancellor Abegail Villaruel, Student Ambassador Alexander Mayhew, Student Ambassador

Nipissing U: Mike DeGagné, President & Vice-Chancellor Victoria Bass, Student Ambassador Deanna Jackett, Student Ambassador Jordan Andrews, President, Nipissing University Student Union

OCADU: Sara Diamond, President & Vice-Chancellor

UOIT: Tim McTiernan, President & Vice-Chancellor Happy Inibhunu, Student Ambassador Alykhan Sumar, Student Ambassador Devon McGrath, Student Ambassador

uOttawa: Steve Perry, Dean of Science Karen D'Souza, Student Ambassador Chantal Breton, Student Ambassador Queen's U: Stuart Pinchin, Executive Director, Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment Laura Wyatt, Intern, Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment Maura Mackenzie, Recruitment Representative Ryerson U: Mohamed Lachemi, President & Vice-Chancellor

Trent U: Leo Groarke, President & Vice-Chancellor Dexter Fichuk, Student Ambassador Gytha Chapman, Student Ambassador Western U: Amit Chakma, President & Vice-Chancellor Haley Everitt, Senior Campus Tour Guide Maher Alazzam, Campus Tour Guide Michael Maximino, Senior Campus Tour Guide King's UC: Brandon Csendes, Admissions & Liaison Officer Paul Wilton, Admissions & Liaison Officer

Wilfrid Laurier U: Ty Ackerman, Student Ambassador Jordan Baechler, Student Ambassador Urbashi Das, Campus Ambassador Coordinator

uWindsor: Alan Wildeman, President & Vice-Chancellor John-Michael Lemaire, Student Ambassador Abrial Cooke, Student Ambassador OUAC: Deanna Underwood, Manager of Communications

Thank you to all who agreed to be interviewed! And our apologies to those we missed because of time constraints. (We had just 1.5 days onsite this year.)

Recent episodes have examined the top reasons why people love attending the OUF, and new booths and recruitment marketing tactics. Next week: Advice on Choosing a University.

For exclusive early access, subscribe to our free email newsletter at www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

In the second episode from the 2016 Ontario Universities' Fair, Ken Steele surveys the exhibit floor and interviews university representatives to summarize what's new in student recruitment marketing this fall. (See the first, "Why Go to the OUF?" at https://youtu.be/CyXKcQ7fsac ). This podcast includes some flashback photos, video and even some unused interviews from previous years' OUFs, from 2006 to the present.

Data Collection: The underlying goal for student recruitment offices at the Fair is to collect contact information for as many prospective students as possible. As Deanna Underwood of OUAC explains, in previous years that meant that prospective students had to enter their contact information in 21 different ways, on paper, iPad, laptop or computer, at all the various booths. That also tended to mean that many universities offered prize incentives to collect data. Last year we interviewed Craig Chipps of Wilfrid Laurier about the branded hoodies they were giving away; Deanna MacQuarrie of uGuelph about their prizes ranging up to an iPhone 6; and both York's Jock Phippen and Carleton's Jean Mullan about their draws for free tuition.

All this repetitive data entry seemed pointless for students, and after years of discussion, this year finally introduced centralized data collection: the OUF Passport. Prospective students were encouraged to register online in advance, and thousands did so. Many more registered at the computer terminals in the OUF lobby, or on their smartphones with the assistance of staff at the university booths. By day two, universities were collecting more contacts than in previous years. In place of all the various contests of previous years, this year COU had a "money booth" for students.

Exhibit Booths: Ontario universities are investing six figures in spacious, professional booths, so they use them for years, with minor updates. (This year, Laurentian added more bilingual signage, Laurier added a new photo collage, and Windsor added its new tagline, "Promise.")

This year, considerable floorspace in the exhibits was freed up from the various desks and kiosks that were so critical for data collection. Many universities rearranged their booths to allow much more space for conversation. New booth layouts for Nipissing, Carleton and Brock focused on kiosks for each major faculty or program, where prospective students could speak with recruiters, faculty or current student ambassadors. Brock wanted to emphasize the transdisciplinary opportunities for students. Carleton wanted to leverage more technology, like video screens and an interactive robot, to engage students and tell its story. McMaster's new booth adds many backlit images of campus and animated video screens, but unlike the open-concept designs, Mac's booth seems to create corners and cubbies for small conversations to occur.

Western's Lori Gribbon took time to describe their brand-new exhibit, which utilizes the maximum 12-foot height, plenty of backlit graphics and video screens to convey a sense of the beautiful campus. They analyzed the previous booth, and modified the layout to optimize traffic flow. A new "student experience" corner focuses students on co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, from athletics to residence.

Virtual Reality: Last year, we reported that UOIT was pioneering the use of 3D (VR) campus tours using beta versions of Oculus Rift headsets. https://youtu.be/7YVIz2RMXCg Now that 3D video is supported on YouTube and Facebook, and easily available on most smartphones, the cost has come down and more universities are creating VR tours. Western shot dozens of 360° videos of campus, from residence rooms, classrooms and labs to outdoor orientation events. The videos are available on the Western welcome page, on Facebook and Twitter, and Western ambassadors had branded iCardboard viewers for prospective students and parents to take a look. uWindsor likewise had branded cardboard viewers for students. Lakehead was using plastic HooDoo viewers, which fasten to your head with velcro. Laurentian's Jean-Paul Rains showed us their ViewMaster brand viewers, using an app designed by Laurentian CompSci students. He explained that the initiative was very cost effective, using a tiny $500 Ricoh Theta S camera, $30 headsets, and $500 smartphones.

Travel Incentives: Algoma U has started offering all-expense-paid visits to its campus in Sault Ste Marie, for interested prospective students. President Craig Chamberlin says they provide transportation, housing and meals, and tour potential students around campus to meet their future faculty members and attend classes.

In the next episode, we'll ask people at the OUF for their advice for high school students contemplating their post-secondary futures.

(For 1080p version, see https://youtu.be/p3u-K_15cOM )

Remember, subscribe to our free email newsletter to get exclusive early access to upcoming episodes. www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

Ken Steele goes on location at the largest PSE exhibition in North America, the Ontario Universities' Fair in Toronto. Over 2 days he interviewed 11 presidents, 9 front-line staff and 25 student ambassadors.

This week, we find out what they like best about the OUF, and why they recommend prospective students attend. It should be interesting to anyone who has ever attended the fair, or is considering it!

(For 1080p version, visit https://youtu.be/CyXKcQ7fsac )

Algoma U: Craig Chamberlin, President & Vice-Chancellor Brad Lloyd, Admissions Advisor Anna Stilin, Student Ambassador Brock U: Brian Hutchings, Acting President James Mandigo, Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management & International

Carleton U: Suzanne Blanchard, Vice-President, Students & Enrolment Lakehead U: Brian Stevenson, President & Vice-Chancellor Adriel Martin, Student Ambassador Kelsey Agnew, Student Ambassador Laurentian U: Dominic Giroux, President & Vice-Chancellor Abegail Villaruel, Student Ambassador Alexander Mayhew, Student Ambassador

Nipissing U: Mike DeGagné, President & Vice-Chancellor Victoria Bass, Student Ambassador Deanna Jackett, Student Ambassador Jordan Andrews, President, Nipissing University Student Union

OCADU: Sara Diamond, President & Vice-Chancellor

UOIT: Tim McTiernan, President & Vice-Chancellor Happy Inibhunu, Student Ambassador Alykhan Sumar, Student Ambassador Devon McGrath, Student Ambassador

uOttawa: Steve Perry, Dean of Science Karen D'Souza, Student Ambassador Chantal Breton, Student Ambassador Queen's U: Stuart Pinchin, Executive Director, Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment Laura Wyatt, Intern, Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment Maura Mackenzie, Recruitment Representative Ryerson U: Mohamed Lachemi, President & Vice-Chancellor

Trent U: Leo Groarke, President & Vice-Chancellor Dexter Fichuk, Student Ambassador Gytha Chapman, Student Ambassador Western U: Amit Chakma, President & Vice-Chancellor Lori Gribbon, Associate Registrar, Admissions & Recruitment Haley Everitt, Senior Campus Tour Guide Maher Alazzam, Campus Tour Guide Michael Maximino, Senior Campus Tour Guide King's UC: Brandon Csendes, Admissions & Liaison Officer Paul Wilton, Admissions & Liaison Officer

Wilfrid Laurier U: Ty Ackerman, Student Ambassador Jordan Baechler, Student Ambassador Urbashi Das, Campus Ambassador Coordinator

uWindsor: Alan Wildeman, President & Vice-Chancellor John-Michael Lemaire, Student Ambassador Abrial Cooke, Student Ambassador OUAC: Deanna Underwood, Manager of Communications

Thank you to all who agreed to be interviewed! And our apologies to those we missed because of time constraints. (We had just 1.5 days onsite this year.) Also apologies to those who will be at the Ontario College Information Fair next month - unfortunately Ken's travel schedule prevents him from attending this year.

Watch for upcoming episodes about new booths and marketing tactics, advice for prospective students, how universities are evolving to serve the needs of 21st century learners, and much more. For exclusive early access, subscribe to our free email newsletter at www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

Meanwhile check out these past episodes about college and university fairs:

Overview - 2015 OUF - https://youtu.be/hD0dDn2iP3Q Hot New Programs - 2015 OUF - https://youtu.be/O5c1OrH73RQ Bringing the Campus to the 2015 OUF - https://youtu.be/7YVIz2RMXCg

The 2013 Ontario College Information Fair - https://youtu.be/jYO2JlqCQWI

The 2013 OUF - https://youtu.be/jyyMXXIMjYs

This week, Ken reviews this fall's back-to-school college and university videos, from presidential welcomes to o-week excitement, from bubble gum records to Pokémon Go!

We looked at "O-Week Winners & Sinners" in a previous episode. https://youtu.be/imr8-zMyEDg This time, we're focused on more official videos:

UPEI provided vital orientation information in their video. https://youtu.be/xzzWt_xswSY

Trinity Western University recaps the excitement of move-in day. https://youtu.be/jMm7Mw1FqNI

Ryerson University organized more than 1200 students, staff and faculty to "pop" the Guiness world record for bubble gum blowing. https://youtu.be/AgI0arSkyLI

But back-to-school videos also tackle "heavier" issues. In a previous episode we looked at campus and dorm room safety videos. https://youtu.be/NRPY2RSSfK8?t=2m1s

Respect and sexual consent campaigns are also widespread at this time of year, and for good reason: The first few weeks of school are when the vast majority of sexual assaults occur. In an effort to keep things gender-neutral, this fall the Sexual Assault Resource Centre at Montreal's Concordia University enlisted some unusual spokesfruit to explain sexual consent. https://youtu.be/zzuTjVwlcgo

Just as we've seen holiday greeting videos proliferating in December, it's no surprise to see presidential "welcome back" videos in September. Most just capture a president's welcome to new students, although others are specifically directed at staff and faculty, and some manage to incorporate some quirky humour, like this from St Lawrence College president Glenn Vollebregt: https://youtu.be/i2jSZd9wjYM

And then there is Pokémon Go, perhaps the viral sensation of the summer. Within weeks the new augmented reality game attracted more than 21 million active daily users in the US alone – more than Candy Crush or even Twitter! Old fogeys took delight in mocking the distracted gamers, but some Pokemon players "poked" fun at themselves: https://youtu.be/go-UKdfStHg

Colleges and universities quickly discovered that their campuses were popular locations for Pokemon hunting. If you take a left turn at Albuquerque, you'll find plenty of Pokemon players at the University of New Mexico: https://youtu.be/m8siqgCkjB0

Many institutions quickly leveraged Pokemon to get students exploring more of the campus, like Wright State University in Ohio: https://youtu.be/Md1JgRxTQBU

Johnson County Community College, in Kansas, mapped their Pokestops and gyms: https://youtu.be/z9VO5le86gc

BCIT organized a real-life scavenger hunt they called Pokemon Go Day, to bring students, staff and their families to campus: https://youtu.be/DgGsiF85SWs

(If you haven't already discussed ways to incorporate Pokemon Go into your next student recruitment cycle, your competitors have!)

At a time when public health experts are worried about the impact of a sedentary gaming lifestyle on North American young people, fans of Pokemon Go were quick to emphasize the exercise component of the game.

Campus student life and mental health professionals are hopeful that augmented reality games like Pokemon Go may create a stronger sense of community, particularly for introverts.

Naturally, school mascots were among the first to get into the Pokemon craze, like Duke the Lion at Florida's Warner University: https://youtu.be/SxO-gFa-Jlo

This summer, some students were already starting to worry that their obsession with the game might be interfering with their studies, but at least one professor at UC Berkeley is playing along, and considering using Pokémon lures during his office hours. https://youtu.be/XZsudfgZ7iQ

In fact, within weeks Fresno City College announced a new Pokemon credit course in Phys Ed. https://youtu.be/ZtIpE9Yuy-8

Perhaps my favourite back-to-school video this year comes from the Student Union at Dalhousie University. They welcomed students back to campus with a rousing 3-minute music video, a tribute to their school colours, "Black and Gold." https://youtu.be/QkeYEa9jKto

Don't forget to subscribe to my free email newsletter, to get exclusive early access to upcoming episodes! www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

Governments invest in higher education hoping to see short-term economic benefits in the form of job creation, knowledge mobilization, and increasingly, the launch of entrepreneurial new start-up businesses. In this week's episode, Ken Steele provides a quick overview of college and university research commercialization, from the first research parks to the latest business incubators and accelerators.

In many ways, academic culture is antithetical to entrepreneurship. Scholars and scientists are often perfectionists, conducting exhaustive research, consulting their peers for input and consensus, and avoiding career-limiting risks. Academic culture is centred around credibility, caution, and certainty. Successful entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are often shameless self-promoters, confident or even arrogant, first to market regardless of quality control, and frequently keeping trade secrets from their competitors.

Many question whether modern schools are the right environment in which to nurture entrepreneurs or innovators. Typically, higher ed researchers transfer intellectual property to the private sector for commercialization. Last year, UBC licensed a potential treatment for drug-resistant prostate cancer to Roche Pharmaceuticals for more than $120 million.

Corporations have been partnering with research universities since the 1950s, in research parks like the Stanford Research Park, established in 1951. By the 1970s, it was home to some leading high-tech research facilities, like Xerox PARC, and it is often credited with being the spark that created Silicon Valley. Google itself was a spinoff of the research of 2 Stanford grad students, and Stanford still holds some lucrative Google patents today.

The largest university research park today is the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, collocated to serve Duke University, UNC, and NC State. 50,000 employees and 10,000 contractors work at RTP for major corporations including IBM, Cisco, and GlaxoSmithKline.

But today, R&D is no longer the exclusive domain of major multinationals. A student or two with a good idea can take their business global in mere months, as Mark Zuckerberg did in 2004 when he launched Facebook from a Harvard dorm room. That's probably what inspired the University of Waterloo to establish a "dormcubator," the Velocity Residence, and 5 other branches of the incubator program including the Velocity Garage, the Foundry, Velocity Science, and more.

uWaterloo Velocity video: https://youtu.be/vEbKt6Ho9z0

As North American employment is increasingly shifting towards startups and freelancing, business incubators have been multiplying. In the US alone, there are more than a thousand. California's Y Combinator has funded more than 1,000 companies now worth $65 billion, and admission to their program is more competitive than Harvard or Yale.

UBI Global, headquartered in Sweden, looked at more than 1,200 university accelerators and incubators to arrive at its ranking of the top incubators of 2015. First place went to England's SetSquared Partnership, a collaboration between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. With 6 sites at the 5 research-intensive universities, SetSquared has helped more than a thousand companies raise over £1 billion, and create 9,000 jobs. The #2 incubator in the world is the Innovation Incubation Center at Chaoyang University of Technology in Taiwan.

The top university incubator in North America, #3 in the world, is the DMZ at Ryerson University. The DMZ has launched more than 180 companies, creating more than 1,000 jobs, and attracting $70 million in seed funding. Politicians and the business community praise the DMZ for creating better quality jobs, and harnessing the innovative capacity of the nation. Ryerson has launched other incubation zones, including the Fashion Zone, Design Fabrication Zone, ZoneStartups India, the Transmedia Zone, the Legal Innovation Zone, and the Social Ventures Zone.

Ryerson DMZ video: https://youtu.be/IGncBRPg1TI

As we mentioned previously, colleges and universities are emphasizing experiential learning opportunities, and incubators are just one high-profile approach. Some academics question whether higher education should really be in the business of incubating businesses, but as more and more students graduate into a freelance and innovation economy, business incubators make sense as an extension of campus career services and research commercialization. If we want to prepare our students for successful futures and meaningful citizenship, they are going to require an entrepreneurial mindset.

Increasingly careerist students, at colleges and universities alike, are attracted to work-integrated learning opportunities. This week, Ken continues his series on innovations in teaching and learning with a closer look at Experiential Learning.

Colleges like Sault College have been promoting hands-on learning opportunities for years, like their Field Camp for outdoor recreation students. https://youtu.be/gCfa_LFTRHQ

Calgary's SAIT Polytechnic emphasizes the value of real-world, career-focused education in their "Get Real" commercials. https://youtu.be/9cOUKB6nfic

Algonquin College nicely shows how a daycare, flight deck, kichen, and construction site are all "my classroom." https://youtu.be/AXnbZhIoU64

Universities Canada reports than more than 50% of undergrad students at Canadian universities now get some form of experiential learning opportunity – although this could be as simple as a few labs, or as intense as a co-op work term or study abroad experience.

The so-called "Maker movement" is taking hold on hundreds of campuses across North America. At the University of Southern California, the Iovine & Young Academy (named for the two Beats Electronics co-founders) offers space for problem-based learning, 3D printing, rapid prototyping and more. Even smaller institutions, like BC's Douglas College, have opened MakerSpaces, sometimes in prominent public locations.

New YouTube CreatorSpaces are opening around the world, recently at Ryerson University. Workshops are open to creators with at least 1,000 channel subscribers. (We could really use your help getting to 1,000 – have you subscribed to this channel yet?)

It's telling that a recent survey of graduating college and university students found that the 3 most important "academic activities," in their opinion, were internships, co-ops, and work experiences.

Colleges have been experimenting with creating on-campus work opportunities like the student-managed farm at Lakeland College in Vermilion Alberta, the oldest and largest in the world. Or the campus hotel and conference centre at Olds College. Or the "Learning Enterprises" established at Niagara College, which give hundreds of students work experience and often generate a million-dollar surplus for the college to boot! At St Lawrence College, the on-campus ad agency "Spark" gives marketing students experience, and also creates videos, video games, and other digital resources for college instructors.

But we may just be streaming kids into career-directed education too young. Since 1935, Raisbeck Aviation High School, just outside Seattle, has focused students on careers in aviation from grade 9 onward. NAIT and the Edmonton School Boards have announced a new "Collegiate for Science, Technology & Trades" high school to open adjacent to the NAIT campus. Calgary's West Island College, an independent high school, offers several "Institute" programs focused on careers in Business, Health, and Engineering.

It's no wonder, either, that as students place more and more emphasis on work experiences, many are opting to take a "gap year" off from school to pursue employment instead. Uncollege.org is capitalizing on this movement, offering students a self-directed gap year complete with travel, mentors, and internship for just $16,000. It's like university, but without the classes or the grades.

Finally, just #ICYMI, we highlight a "Strive" video from Nova Scotia Community College that focuses on one student's experiential learning journey in the Therapeutic Recreation program. https://youtu.be/ilcPb8CzuzE

Next time, we'll take a look at one specific form of experiential learning that seems to be in ascendance: campus incubators and accelerators. To get exclusive early access to upcoming episodes, subscribe to our free email newsletter at www.Eduvation.ca/subscribe

Passive learning methods like lectures, readings and demonstrations remain the mainstay in higher ed, but research tells us that active learning approaches can have much more lasting impact on student learning outcomes.

From small group discussions and project-based learning to experiential field schools and peer teaching, in this episode Ken sums up some compelling evidence from UBC, Queen's, and Guelph that seem to demonstrate that students learn significantly more from deliberate practice and enquiry-based learning than from lecture. Students who collaboratively observe a video of a tutoring session - not a lecture - learn better. Those who made mistakes and were then corrected learned 60% more than those who were guided straight to the correct answer. There are lasting benefits to enquiry-based learning seminars, particularly for "B" students.

Queen's has opened Ellis Hall, a new facility featuring active learning classrooms. https://youtu.be/bJDCgeaK44E

80% of Generation Z prefer to study with friends, and 40% will do so on Skype if not in person. That social orientation of students may be driving the creation of learning commons and social space on campuses from St Mary's U to the U of Calgary.

Small adjustments to the lecture theatre can improve student engagement. George Brown College's new learning studios allow classes to shift from lecture to group discussions and back. Iowa State U has installed seats that swivel 240 degrees in double-wide rows that allow for group work. Oregon State U opened the new Learning Innovation Center last fall, including 2 "in the round" lecture halls that hold 600 students, all within 15 feet of the instructor. Active learning classrooms date back at least 20 years, to the SCALE-UP classrooms at North Carolina State U. Students sit in clusters of 9, and students learn better 88% of the time (particularly female students). The model has been emulated at hundreds of campuses.

UBC's Sauder School of Business recently opened a Flexible Learning Lab. https://youtu.be/LA4Sqb4jrlw

Next week: Experiential Learning. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode! www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

Just #ICYMI, check out Red River College's new commercial, featuring plenty of active learning: https://youtu.be/giUez0f-N2g

For the hi-res version of this episode, see https://youtu.be/LhlkZuC8Kzc

For more than a thousand years, students have been gathering in lecture halls to listen to the "sage on the stage." But shorter attention spans, new technologies, and empirical testing of learning outcomes have led us to question the tried and true historical "transmission" model of education. In this episode, Ken Steele gives a brief lecture on "the Death of Lecture."

Check out how familiar a 14th-century lecture hall at the Universite di Bologne looks.

Former Quest University president David Helfand explains how the human brain is wired for two-way communication - and the lecture is the opposite of that. https://youtu.be/-J8PcPC7l5U

fMRI studies have demonstrated the impact of curiosity on the brain's ability to soak up new information.

Gen Y and Z have significantly decreased attention spans. They don't have the patience for a 60-minute lecture, and the Columbia University TEDx organizers worry that they don't have the focus for a 16-minute TED talk either. https://youtu.be/wRwPoR707UI

Hundreds of studies have demonstrated that students in lecture classes are 1.5x as likely to fail the course. The lecture is actually "toxic" to student learning, but large first-year lectures subsidize upper-year seminars and graduate studies.

In the past century, most of the innovation in undergraduate teaching and learning has amounted to little more than scaling an outmoded industrial model of education, designed to graduate students into the industrial economy of the 1930s. We need to re-engineering our approach for the 21st century.

Instructors often underuse the active learning methodologies, to rely on passive methods like lecture and demonstrations. Next time, we'll take a closer look at active learning in the classroom.

#ICYMI, Trinity Western University has a dynamic new commercial - and out of 90 seconds, just 1.5 show students in a lecture hall. Seems like a wise idea! https://youtu.be/INPUwp2Fz3k

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For the hi-res version of this episode, see https://youtu.be/yW_3asg92zM

Ken Steele distills dozens of interviews on the floor of North America's largest higher ed trade show, the Ontario Universities' Fair. This week we look specifically at what new programs are attracting student attention. With more than 100,000 prospective students and parents flooding the OUF, it’s a massive market test.

Unique Signature Programs:Including Carleton’s Bachelor of Global & International Studies; Lakehead’s Outdoor Recreation, Mining, Forestry and Environmental Studies programs; Laurentian’s Forensic Science, Sports Administration, and Human Kinetics programs, and new Masters in Indigenous Relations; Trent’s Child & Youth Studies and Communications programs at their Durham campus; and the Fine & Performing Arts programs in Brock’s brand new facilities.

Professional Programs:Including Science, Engineering, and Commerce at Guelph; Business and new Bilingual Engineering degrees at Laurentian; and UOIT’s new Mechatronics Engineering program.

Health, Medicine & Social Work:Including Biomedical and Nursing programs at Laurentian; a new Biomedical Sciences program at Trent; and a new Health Sciences program and downtown facilities for Social Work studetns at Windsor.

New Law Programs:The first new law school in Ontario in 43 years opened at Lakehead 3 years ago, with a focus on natural resources, sole practitioner law, and aboriginal law. Windsor’s dual Juris Doctorate program with the University of Detroit Mercy allows graduates to practice law in both Canada and the US. Laurier just signed a 2+3+1 agreement with the UK’s University of Sussex Law School, which allows students to enroll at Laurier and wind up with a Laurier BA, a British LLB, and be prepared to pass the Ontario Bar Exam as well. Video Game Design:

UOIT has a Game Development & Entrepreneurship program, which has been very popular and has quite competitive admissions. Brock has a new interdisciplinary program in Video Game Design, offered jointly with Niagara College.

University/College Collaborations:For more than a decade, the University of Guelph-Humber has been a success story for large-scale collaboration, but at the program level many Ontario universities and colleges have collaborations. Lakehead is partnering with Georgian College in Orillia to offer an Electrical Engineering program, and have others in development. Trent has a strong relationship with Durham College and UOIT, and with Fleming College, which has an environmental science focus as well. Laurentian is exploring several new pathways with College Boréal and Cambrian College in Sudbury.

Ken closes with excerpts from a fun video by USC Viterbi, the NAE, and Funny or Die, which explores what it would look like if the E! Network covered Engineers like celebrities: https://youtu.be/P-OBJNkCanY

Remember to subscribe free to the Eduvation Loop email to get exclusive early access to upcoming episodes, and now also Ken’s “Eduvation at a Glance” visual summary of exciting developments in higher ed. www.eduvation.ca/subscribe

In this special 25-minute episode, Ken distills the highlights of recent North American college and university pranks and hoaxes for April Fool’s Day (and his producer, John, plays pranks on in post-production.)

There are 10 popular targets for higher ed April Fools hoaxes:

• Name Changes
• Mascots
• Improbable Infrastructure
• Celebrity Students
• Cats!
• Absurd New Programs
• Campus Security
• Millennial Students
• The Language Itself
• Deep Anxieties

Ken also offers 5 tips for would-be pranksters:

• Credibility: Suspend disbelief with credible spokespeople and professional production values.
• Credible Details: Weave in facts that sound almost believable.
• Absurdity: Gradually the facts and sound bites should get more and more absurd. This is the payoff for your joke, so make it good!
• Puns: It would seem most people can’t issue an April 1 media release without tons of wordplay.
• Reveal: Don’t hit us over the head; let us have the fun of gradually realizing that this is a hoax.

Here are some of the videos featured in this episode:

Calvin College security - https://youtu.be/XGOWClLLrXw

Biola University math prof - https://youtu.be/blOrY-nEGaE

BBC spaghetti harvest - https://youtu.be/tVo_wkxH9dU

Pittsburg State name - https://youtu.be/medsLfL7rec

Luther College “fighting gnomes” - https://youtu.be/O7p8uIfsGl8

Missouri State’s “Scrapper Squirrel” - https://youtu.be/epMg7r9KAnY

University of Findlay monorail - https://youtu.be/Mrk9zm4lJDQ

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Feline Recruitment Studies - https://youtu.be/EUJewvx6Szw

Colgate University School of Dentistry - https://youtu.be/psO-hLMJUGc

University of Michigan School of Public Health - Hipstera - https://youtu.be/O8T2-FVYPMA

Brigham Young University Hotel Harold - https://youtu.be/57dSOhALb-c

And our absolute favourites:

Berklee College of Music adds the membranophone - https://youtu.be/Rx17-Axqtt4

Simon Fraser University “Healthy Campus Initiative” - https://youtu.be/sMWCw9G8Txg

Simon Fraser University “Satellite Campus” - https://youtu.be/ZjF7pmcAm-c

Simon Fraser University “Campus Traffic Management” - https://youtu.be/U0UqHM6qOFg

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