The Workshop participants included Pekka Silven, Director for Professional Development Services at Oulu University of Applied Sciences; Karla Hardcastle, Academic Coordinator at the UArctic International Academic Office; Jeanette McKee, Instructional Designer at the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, University of Saskatchewan; and Emmy S. Neuls, Program Officer at the UArctic Office of Undergraduate Studies, who lead the meetings. Hayley Hesseln, Dean, and Tom Novosel, Program Assistant, also participated in some of the discussions.

Pekka_Silven













Pekka Silven presenting on doing “Right Things Right” and the ZEF method


The Workshop participants successfully drafted student course evaluations that will be implemented as a part of the revised course curriculum in BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar North. The work group also developed an Alumni survey for students that have completed the full suite of the Circumpolar Studies Core Courses. The evaluations and surveys will need approval from the Core Course Revision Team before being piloted. The Office of Undergraduate Studies and the International Academic Office plans to pilot the Alumni survey this summer, while the student course evaluations will be piloted alongside the first offering of the revised BCS 100: Introduction to the Circumpolar North in the international online delivery Fall 2010.

The student course evaluation and alumni survey will be performed by using ZEF Solutions. ZEF is often described as an evaluation and development tool and method in one system. The basic idea of the ZEF-method is to collect opinions very simply and graphically in the Internet and to process a real-time graphic conclusion for the group of evaluators. Pekka Silven, specialist in evaluation, feedback and development processes, has provided tremendous support to both the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the International Academic Office with the training and assistance with using ZEF.
During his visit to Saskatoon, Pekka also spoke to several interested groups at the University of Saskatchewan, including the International Centre for Northern Governance and Development, the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education (CCDE) and Department of Institutional Planning and Assessment.

If you are interested in learning more about ZEF, the presentation for CCDE was recorded and can be accessed online.
ZEF Presentation Part One: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5536895
ZEF Presentation Part Two: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5538057

For more information regarding the course evaluations or the core course revisions, please contact:
Emmy Neuls
Program Officer
UArctic Office of Undergraduate Studies.
emmy.neuls@uarctic.org