Help us profile your research, publications, job ads, opportunities, and upcoming events by sending them to: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca to be showcased in our following newsletter.
MacPherson Institute: Generative AI Events & Training
You are invited to a monthly gathering dedicated to the exploration of generative AI in the realm of teaching and learning. Whether you're a faculty member, student, or staff, and irrespective of your prior knowledge of AI, this is a space for all to learn, share, and connect.
Why Attend?
- Inclusive Learning: No prior experience with generative AI is required; all you need is a willingness to share and learn.
- Diverse Formats: From panel presentations and hands-on workshops to open discussions, each month promises a unique and engaging experience.
- Community-Driven Topics: Have a burning question or a topic of interest? Propose, discuss, and shape our monthly agendas.
- Co-Facilitation: Benefit from diverse perspectives with faculty and student co-facilitators leading each session.
- Connect & Collaborate: Forge meaningful connections across campus, share experiences, challenges, and shape the future of generative AI at McMaster.
Preparation: While some sessions may have suggested materials for a richer experience, there are no mandatory pre-readings.
Accessibility: We strive to make our events accessible to everyone. If you have specific accessibility needs or concerns, please reach out to Erin Aspenlieder and we'll do our best to accommodate.
Register using this form for our first meeting,
October 19th from 12:30-1:30pm both in-person at the MacPherson Institute Classroom or online on zoom.
By the end of the Assessment Clinic educators will have a fully redesigned assessment appropriate to their unique course and pedagogical goals.
Multiple dates to choose from between December 4 and December 12 and in-person and virtual offerings.
Assessment Submission Deadline: Monday, November 13, 2023
This event is free for McMaster University staff and faculty.
Learn more on our website.
Ben Lee Taylor and colleagues from the MacPherson Institute are looking for volunteers who are currently employed as instructors at a Canadian university or college and teaching at least one course during the 2023–24 academic year.
The study is looking at student assessments that have been designed or redesigned to address the widespread availability and use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT, as well as assessments that instructors perceive as being unaffected by such technology. The researchers are collecting sample student assessments to identify key principles and best practices for assessment design with generative AI in mind.
The study involves an online survey and will take approximately 10-15 minutes of your time. You will be asked to provide some information related to your position as an instructor, to indicate whether you would be interested in a follow-up interview, and to upload a sample assessment.
You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: survey link. You will be presented with a consent statement before the survey begins.
For the full details of the survey, please click on this link to the Letter of Information.
This study has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance from the McMaster Research Ethics Board (Project #6636).
Religious Studies Dept: Goldblatt Lecture in Jewish Studies
Please join the Department of Religious Studies for the Lillian and Marvin Goldblatt Lecture in Jewish Studies.
“How to Think about Antisemitism: Anti-Jewish Racism,” Dov Waxman (UCLA)
Date: Monday, October 23, 2023
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Place: CIBC Hall, McMaster Student Centre 3rd Floor
RSVP by October 15th
Upcoming Talk: Dr. Mel Rutherford
You are invited to an upcoming talk by Dr. Mel Rutherford, Professor & Chair of the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University:
Shattering the Glass Cliff: My Experience as McMaster’s First Transgender Department Chair
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023
Time: 12:30-2:00pm
Location: LRW 1056 (in person only)
Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship (SCDP): Register for 40+ DS Workshops
Our 2023-24 workshops include 4 event series and over 40 sessions on subjects ranging from 3D printing and website design to map-making and data sharing. Many sessions are beginner-friendly with virtual attendance options. Register today and learn about the ever-evolving world of Digital Scholarship!
Join DASH (Data Analysis Support Hub) for exciting sessions related to data analysis and visualization including:
Learn to manage your research data like a pro. Join the RDM (Research Data Management) team for sessions such as:
Explore the evolving world of digital scholarship with the DMDS (Do More with Digital Scholarship series! Sessions include:
Our newest event series draws on expertise in the Digital Research Commons Pilot. Learn about the team and gain fluency in areas including:
You can see more info and you can register here.
Other SCDP Events
What should we be doing to open science as widely as possible, as a welcoming, accessible, inclusive community? Join McMaster University School of Earth, Environment and Society Professor Antonio Paez to learn the importance of open science for the enterprise of science itself, and more broadly for society. Registration is not required.
Date: October 17th
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Location: Attend online, or in-person at McMaster University's Psychology Building, Room 204
Research in Progress Seminar (RIPS) & Department of Political Science:
Ordering Connectivity, Colonialism, and Content Moderation: The International Politics of Internet Shutdowns in Africa
Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Fisher, Professor of Global Security, University of Birmingham
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
Where: KTH 709 (McMaster University) OR on Zoom (link here)
One in four Africans were impacted by internet shutdowns and restrictions in 2022. Scholarly analysis has generally analyses these developments through a domestic lens, understanding state-imposed internet disruptions in Africa as part of broader authoritarian regime maintenance strategies (Access Now 2023: 12).
In this presentation, Jonathan Fisher nonetheless argues for a conceptual shift in how these, often highly-damaging, incidents are understood by scholars of International Relations. Drawing on research undertaken in Nigeria, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, together with interviews with former staff of Facebook/Meta and Twitter/X, he argues for a more international, and historically-centred understanding of digital disruption in Africa.
Neo-/colonialism, political authority, and technological connectivity have, he underlines, been intertwined across modern African history, influencing, to a significant extent, how the contemporary flow and curation of digital content is viewed, experienced, and articulated by different actors and communities. In this context, social media platforms often manifest not as technological vectors of exchange, but as distant, Western, and (largely) unaccountable political
authorities themselves.
All are welcome to attend this FREE session. Registration is not needed.
Workshop in International Survey Methods (WISM): Fall Schedule
WISM is pleased to announce their schedule for the Fall 2023 Workshop on International Survey Methods.
“The Evolution of Mobile-phone Surveys in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Study of Coverage Structure”
Date: October 18
Speaker: Mahmoud Elkasabi (RTI International)
Zoom Link | Download Calendar Event
“From Stories to Models: Eliciting Culturally Determined Knowledge from Hyperlocal Populations using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps”
Date: November 8
Speakers: Clifford Zinnes (NORC at the University of Chicago), Santadarshan Sadhu (NORC), Peter Revay (Two Six Technologies), Rebecca Myhre (Two Six), James Gentile (Two Six)
Zoom Link | Download Calendar Event
McMaster: New Faculty Workshop Series
These workshops expose faculty to McMaster's various management and support structures and involve guest speakers from across campus to present critical topics for career success. Each peer-to-peer workshop format provides an excellent opportunity to hear from reputable faculty and/or senior leaders on aspects of the academy to help junior faculty develop their intellectual pursuits and campus community connections.
All workshops will be held from 3:00pm - 5:00pm in the West Room at the Faculty/University Club (Alumni Memorial Hall). You also have the option of registering to attend the event remotely.
New Faculty Workshop: Teaching & Learning
Date: Thursday, October 26
Register here
New Faculty Workshop: Grants & Funding Landscape
Date: Thursday, November 23
Register here
New Faculty Workshop: Graduate Supervision
Date: Thursday, December 14
Register here
For more information, visit the Faculty Leadership and Development Resource Hub.
McMaster Indigenous Research Institute: Indigenous Research Day
We’d like to invite you to join us on November 7th for the second annual
Indigenous Research Day at McMaster. It will be a day of learning about and celebrating the work of faculty, students, staff, and community members engaged in Indigenous research at McMaster University.
We hope you can join us! Please share this invite with anyone who may be interested!
Location: CIBC Hall, McMaster Student Centre
Date: November 7th, 2023
Time: 8:30 am- 4:30 pm
More info can be found here.
