2023 Recipients
Niagara College Therapeutic Recreation Activities Collective (nc-TRAC)
Innovators: Christine Wilkinson, Erin Wilkie, Abby Silver
The Niagara College Therapeutic Recreation Activity Collective (nc-TRAC) is a comprehensive program aimed at supporting the well-being of students and the broader community through evidence-based, therapeutic recreation services, experiences, and resources. The program is structured around five main pillars:
- nc-TRACentre, which is an on-campus hub featuring multi-sensory environments and regular programming,
- nc-TRAClassroom, which brings activities directly to courses and programs to reduce stress and promote overall wellness,
- nc-TRACampus, which utilizes indoor and outdoor communal spaces to facilitate programs for allstudents on campus,
- nc-TRACommunity, which reaches beyond the campus to create meaningful experiences and support for the community, and
- nc-TRACurriculum, which provides opportunities for students within the Recreation Therapy curriculum to create programs for coursework or obtain volunteer hours.
Overall, nc-TRAC aims to provide dynamic and meaningful opportunities in a variety of formats to best meet the social, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health needs of its participants.
Christine Wilkinson
Erin Wilkie
Abby Silver
Project Portfolio Website – Business Analytics Capstone
Innovators: Nick Farnell
The final course of the Business Analytics program is a capstone course where students engage with businesses and not-for-profit organizations to solve problems through analytics. The showcase from this capstone course is the project portfolio website. This website displays the work from the student teams, highlights industry partners, and highlights the key components of the academic program. Rather than telling people about the skills, this project portfolio website shows people the solutions, approaches, and tools that students have mastered.
Nick Farnell
The ncLibraries’ Exploratory
Innovators: Gordana Vitez, Siscoe Boschman, Matt Bohun
The ncLibraries’ Exploratory is a digital media lab and makerspace for current Niagara College students, faculty, and staff to access various types of technology and software. The Exploratory contains software and equipment for filming videos, recording audio, editing videos, designing graphics, as well as virtual reality headsets and equipment for creating marketing material and prototypes including a 3D printer, button maker, and Cricut machine. It creates new opportunities for students to engage with technologies that may not be readily available or accessible and provides support for faculty to integrate new technologies into their classroom/curriculum.
Gordana Vitez
Siscoe Boschman
Matt Bohun
Developing Readers Program
Innovators: Barbara Morris
The Developing Readers Program provides Niagara College Educational Assistance and Adult Supports (EAAS) students an opportunity to gain experience through meaningful interactions with primary students (K-3) in the span of a four-week experiential learning assignment. District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) students benefit from additional reading development support, while the NC (Niagara College) students benefit from supporting readers and experiencing the impact of their work as the child gains reading skills. The intended outcome is that both levels of learners (elementary and post-secondary) will integrate the strategies practiced during the sessions.
Barbara Morris
Ontario BIPOC Counsellors Group
Innovators: Jamie Consoli
Key Community Members involved with the innovation: Christina Abounassar (York University), Sam Katerji (Wilfrid Laurier University)
The Ontario BIPOC Counsellors Group provides a dedicated space where racialized and marginalized counsellors can safely navigate the challenges of working in post-secondary by engaging with those who have shared lived experiences. This has a direct impact on not just their wellness, but also for BIPOC students who have access to mental health and wellness services from professionals who look like them and understand where they are coming from.
Jamie Consoli, Niagara College
Christina Abounassar, York University
Sam Katerji, Wilfred Laurier University