Welcome!

Colourful image of the word "Welcome" in multiple languages

Welcome to your Skill Building Courses (PD3 and PD4)!

Both courses will have the same format and expectations.

If you have not done so already, we highly recommend that you:

register for the Welcome (Back) Event where we hope to welcome you in-person and where you will have an opportunity to meet some of your ASIP peers; and
ensure that you have read the PD3 Course Syllabus.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to articulate requirements and expectations, including evaluation procedures, for PD3 and PD4.

Introduction

You will take part in a full year of employer-partnered professional and innovation skills development courses as part of the work term preparation curriculum. The curriculum will include wrap-around programming to guide you through the skill development modules to complete the Sustainability Innovation (SI) Challenge. You will receive a brief introduction to this in the Requirements and Expectations section of this module and a more fulsome introduction in the "Sustainable Development" module.

The SI Challenge is offered in collaboration with an industry partner, IBM. You will learn more about this partnership in the Sustainable Development module after we introduce the Sustainability Innovation Challenge, with each module building upon the rest, resulting in a final deliverable for the challenge assignment at the end of PD4. As explained below, PD3 is focused on skills related to ideating your solution and PD4 is focused on the skills needed to plan and implement your solution. By the end of this academic year, you will have honed and practiced professional skills in-demand by employers that will be transferable to all industries, making you more competitive in your work term search and successful while on work term. PD3 and PD4 will comprise of a series of twelve innovation and professional skill development e-modules.

Course Modules and Schedule

Click on the question marks below to learn more about each module.

PD3 - "Ideating"

Image of a person thinking

What Is Ideating?

Ideating can be thought of as the process of (and the skills required for) conceptualizing, imagining, and putting careful consideration behind your idea. When thought of broadly, "ideating" will be the consideration that will help you map out, conceptualize, and visualize your work thoughtfully, regardless of what industry you are in or whether you consider yourself an ideating professional, innovator, or designer.

In PD3, we will start with learning and practicing skills related to ideating your solution to the Sustainability Innovation (SI) Challenge.

Design Thinking and Universal Design

Design will mean different things to different people in different industries.

The majority of the PD3 course will help you consider design as it relates to your work, specifically design thinking and universal design.

SI Challenge

During PD3, you will be introduced to concepts that are foundational to completing the Sustainability Innovation Challenge which will guide and frame both skill development courses. The challenge will bring all the concepts together by providing you with an opportunity to apply your learning.

We will tell you about the challenge in more detail soon. For now, you should know that there are three central themes:

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Collaboration, and
Automation.

3 interconnected circles with text: UN Sustainable Goals, Collaboration, and Automation

In PD3, we will cover:

Course Introduction and Foundational Principles
Intercultural Communication and Collaboration
Sustainable Development
Design Thinking
Universal Design

PD4 - "Planning"

Image of a person writing

What Is Planning?

Planning is the process of (and skills required for) organizing and preparing your idea for action.

In PD4, we will move to learning and practicing skills related to executing your planning processes. These will fall into two broad categories, with several allied skills detailed within Workplace Project Management and Workplace Communication.

In PD4, we will cover:

Workplace Project Management

Introduction to Workplace Project Management
Workplace Project Management 1 - Teamwork & Leadership
Workplace Project Management 2 - Goal Setting & Planning
Workplace Project Management 3 - Flexibility, Problem Solving, & Critical Thinking
Conclusion to Workplace Project Management

Workplace Communication

Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Giving Effective Presentations