2025-11-06 – Newsroom

#DawsonProud, Academic News, Office of Academic Development

Faculty Learning Community Spotlight: Beyond The Echo Chamber

"Beyond the Echo Chamber: Tools for Teaching Journalism and Media Literacy" is a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) that meets regularly to discuss strategies to help students distinguish reliable reporting from opinion, bias, or misinformation.

Facilitator Michael Filtz (Faculty, Cinema | Communications) sums up the benefits of the multidisciplinary makeup of the group: "The diverse lenses of the participants push all of us to reconsider what journalism and media literacy really mean in the classroom today, and how we can help students engage with them in deeper, more relevant ways."

Visit the link to read an interview with Michael Filtz about how this group is creating resources and tools for students to bolster their media literacy skills.

Events, Office of Academic Development, Professional Development

Latecomers welcome at Ped Day this Friday!

Join us for the keynote session at this year’s Ped Day, From Spark to Circuit: Designing for Motivation, Meaning, and Hope in the Classroom, by Jessica Riddell at 9 AM in 5B.16 on Friday, Nov. 7.

Educators in the CEGEP system are uniquely positioned to reimagine what teaching and learning can become. This session draws on the Hope Circuits framework to explore how we can create classrooms that spark curiosity, deepen motivation, and foster a culture of student flourishing.

We will explore how to cultivate “hook questions”—provocative, generative inquiries that invite students to explore answers that are possible but not predetermined, and that connect with course competencies. These questions can serve as catalysts for both intellectual engagement and identity formation—helping students see themselves as co-creators of knowledge.

Visit the link to register for the key note and other Ped Day events or just show up!

Dawson Gives, Events

Get a new headshot and support Pro Photo vernissage

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 2 PM to 7 PM in Conrod’s (2F.4), third-year students from the Professional Photography Program will be behind the lens for their biggest fundraiser of the year. No appointment needed, the event is first come, first served.

For just $35, you’ll receive a high-quality business portrait taken by Dawson’s soon-to-be graduates. All proceeds will help fund their graduating exhibition this December at the Warren Flowers Art Gallery.

Help spread the word: The headshot sessions are open to the public. Please share this opportunity with colleagues, friends, and your professional networks—everyone is welcome to book a session and support Dawson’s future photographers. Visit the link for a complete text that you can share on social media, especially LinkedIN, and by email and messaging with your friends, family, neighbours and professional contacts.

Events, Perks for Dawson Employees

Get your Dawson holiday party tickets starting Nov. 12

Tickets for Dawson's Holiday Party go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 12. You can buy them with a bank or credit card in the Campus Life Office at 2E.4 every workday from 9 AM to 11:45 AM and from 1:30 PM to 4 PM. Last day to buy tickets will be Friday, Nov. 21.

Tickets only cost $15 and give you a dinner and entrance to the party that will take place on Friday, Dec. 5 starting at 4:30 PM.

#DawsonProud, Dawson Foundation, Dawson Gives

Nurturing Dawson’s “wild yeast”: Adam Bright on joining the Foundation

The Dawson College Foundation is pleased to welcome several new board members this fall. Among them is Adam Bright, an English teacher who has joined this dedicated group of volunteers supporting the Foundation’s mission. He recently sat down with the Communications Office for a Q & A.

Visit the link for the homepage news story.

Dawson Foundation

Seeds Microgrants help ideas take root throughout the year

Did you know that the Dawson College Foundation provides microgrants for small-scale initiatives that need just a little extra help to become feasible?

As an offshoot from SAGE Project funding, the Foundation is excited to introduce Seeds for the first time this academic year as an alternative to SAGE. Seeds Microgrants are intended to be just that, seed money for ideas that don’t need a big budget, but that can still have a big impact on students.

In contrast to SAGE Project funding where applications are reviewed only once per year, the allocation of Seeds funding is treated on a punctual basis whenever a request is received. This flexibility allows the Foundation to be much more responsive to any emerging needs at the College.

Requests should not exceed $1,000. Requests should be made directly to the Dawson Foundation via email to Mitchell Rae Yang: myang@dawsoncollege.qc.ca

#DawsonProud, Communications Office

Discover what it’s really like to study at Dawson in our new podcast

Dawson College has launched a new podcast series, Discover Découvrir Dawson, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the programs, people, and projects that make our community unique.

The first episode features Cinema | Communications professors Kim Simard and Dipti Gupta, who share what it’s like to study and teach in a program that blends creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Special thanks to Cinema | Communications faculty member Michael Filtz for his production assistance and to Dawson Graphic Design student Andriana Vassilakis, who created the Discover Découvrir Dawson visual identity.

Visit the link for a homepage news story and links to listen.

Decolonization, Events, Learning opportunities

Indigenous Perspectives series events in November

Indigenous Perspectives: Jacques Cartier and the myth of the St Lawrence Iroquois

Who were the people Cartier met at Hochelaga and did they simply vanish by the time Champlain retraced his steps? Why is this issue controversial today?

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2 PM to 3:30 PM

Documentary series

Spudwrench: Kahnawake Man

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 10 AM to 12 PM

This documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin introduces us to Randy Horne, a high steel worker from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, near Montreal. As a defender of his people's culture and traditions, he was known as "Spudwrench" during the 1990 Oka crisis. Offering a unique look behind the barricades at one man's impassioned defense of sacred territory, the film is both a portrait of Horne and the generations of daring Mohawk construction workers that have preceded him.

Visit the link to register.

#DawsonProud, Sustainability, Well-being for all

Get Ready to “Bee” Hands-On: Join Dawson’s Rooftop Honey Harvest on Nov. 13

It’s that time of year again when you can get your hands dirty, or should we say your fingers sticky, and help extract honey from our bee frames located in the hives on the 4H rooftop. Our bees have been busy producing a lot of honey thanks to our many pollinating flower gardens on campus, which are all maintained by our very own Sustainabili-team student and employee volunteers.

The fun-filled hour will include uncapping honeycomb cells, hand-spinning honeycombs in the centrifugal extractor, and filtering the raw honey before jarring and labelling it. All participants will leave with a little sample jar of Dawson's honey. It will BEE fun and you can use your weekly well-being hour to participate.

Spaces are limited. RSVP IS A MUST, please fill out this MS form for the employee event on Nov. 13 from 11 AM to 12 PM. The Office of Sustainability will send you a confirmation email.

#DawsonProud, Dawson Professional Theatre, Events

Dawson Professional Theatre presents The Women

The Professional Theatre Department's next play, The Women, is a satirical comedy set in the 1930s. Mary Haines is a wealthy, New-York-City socialite who discovers that her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman. Mary’s socialite, gossipy, so-called friends counsel her to get a divorce and take her husband for everything he’s got. Mary ends up in Reno with a handful of other divorcees and thinks she’s made a mistake. She sets out to reclaim her husband, but at what cost? A searing, satirical comedy of manners that skewers the privileged class and leaves no sex unscathed. Free previews on Nov. 10 and 11, runs Nov. 12-22. $6.18 for Dawson community. Performed by the third-year students and directed by Matt Holland.

Visit the link to buy your ticket.

#DawsonProud, Academic News

Physiotherapy students assessed Special Olympics athletes

It was a day of learning, connection, and purpose as Dawson’s third-year Physiotherapy Technology students turned classroom knowledge into meaningful community engagement. On Oct. 23, 28 students, accompanied by faculty members Krista Bulow, Kim Bulger, and Sharon Clegg, visited an adult education centre in Saint-Laurent to meet and assess 25 Special Olympics athletes.

Visit the link for the homepage news story.

Dawson Gives, Well-being for all

Winter clothing drive for Chez Doris

The cold is coming and the locker room at Chez Doris downtown women’s shelter is empty!

From now through Nov. 20, we call on the kindness of the Dawson community and invite you to bring gently used and new winter clothing items to a drop box outside of 4B.1-4. Volunteers from Dawson will make a delivery.

Urgent need of the following items in all sizes:

Brand-new warm socks
Winter coats
Snow pants
Winter boots
Hats, scarves and gloves/mittens
Warm leggings/long johns

#DawsonProud, Dawson Blues

Dawson women’s cross-country team heads to nationals

The Dawson College Women’s Cross-Country Running Team is heading to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, to compete in the 2025 CCAA National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 8. The event will be hosted by Holland College.

The Blues earned their spot at Nationals after an outstanding season. Following their victory at the RSEQ Sud-Ouest Conference Championship, the team went on to place second at the RSEQ Provincial Championship on October 25. They will be one of seven teams representing the RSEQ at the national event.

Dawson will be represented by: Mia Simpson (pictured, 3rd year, Health Science) – Gold medalist at the Provincial Championship; Amélie Bardon (1st year, Health and Life Sciences); Amelia Clerk (2nd year, Health Enriched); Ella O’Carroll (3rd year, Professional Photography); Mila Degand (2nd year, Health and Life Sciences); and Lieba Bacher-Spitzer (3rd year, Health Science).

The team is coached by Justin Pfefferle, Joanne Wedlock, and Katherine Brown.

Student Services, Well-being for all

19 community organizations at Mental Health Fair Nov. 12

The second edition of Dawson’s Mental Health Fair will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 11 AM to 2 PM in Conrod’s (2F.4).

This event brings together a diverse range of community-based organizations to support Dawson students’ well-being and mental health. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with groups offering resources in areas such as disordered eating, crisis intervention, addiction, sexual and gender identity, sexual violence, life skills, physical and psychological disorders, suicide prevention, and caregiving.

Last year’s fair drew over 1,000 students, and this year’s edition has expanded to include 19 community organizations. Students who visit a certain number of booths can enjoy free popcorn, bubble tea, and French fries!

Visit the link to see the full list of participating organizations.

#DawsonProud, Academic News, AccessAbility, Office of Academic Development

Creating inclusive classrooms: Dawson experts featured in Eductive

Dawson’s Cathy Roy (Faculty, Physiotherapy) and Guissou Iravani-Manesh (Pedagogical Counsellor, Student AccessAbility Centre) are featured in Eductive, a publication dedicated to sharing best practices in teaching and learning across Quebec’s college network. Their article, based on their 2025 Intercollegiate Ped Day workshop, explores how accessibility connects to broader inclusion in education. Visit the link to get to the article.

#DawsonProud

Donal Gill published in The Dial

Political Science faculty member Dónal Gill recently published an insightful article in The Dial , an award-winning online magazine of culture, politics and ideas.

In his article, Dónal reflects on the tariffs imposed on Canada and how Canadians see themselves compared to their American neighbours and trading partners.

Dawson Gives, Events

Cin | Comm Thrifting event Nov. 11

Discover something new at the Upper Atrium on Tuesday, Nov. 11!

Students from the Cinema | Communications Integrating Activity class are hosting a thrift-style pop-up featuring a blind book sale, student art, and more—all in support of the Dawson Film Festival.

Thrifting Event • Upper Atrium • Nov. 11 • 10 AM–4:30 PM

Human Resources, Policy on Sexual Violence, Well-being for all

Have you completed your sexual violence prevention training yet?

Take a little over 15 minutes this week during a workday to do this mandatory training. Faculty members, why don’t you carve out some time on Ped Day this Friday, Nov. 7 to do it?

All employees must take sexual violence prevention training each year as part of the College’s legal commitment to preventing sexual violence and as laid out in the Policy on Sexual Violence.

To access the training:

Log into Omnivox
Click on Moodle under the Academic Services menu (on the left)

We appreciate your cooperation, active participation and dedication to making our workplace a safe and supportive space for everyone.

#DawsonProud, Events

Dawson’s First Career Showcase Day

Ten career programs collaborated to organize Dawson’s first-ever Career Showcase Day on Nov. 4.

Coordinated by Laurel Breidon, Co-coordinator of Professional Photography, the goal was to offer mini experiences of the kinds of learning and work opportunities available in the participating career programs.

Students could play mini putt at the Community, Recreation and Leadership Training booth, make a lampshade at the Product Design booth and get behind the lens at the Photography and Video booth.

Despite the metro doors being locked to the venue, the Lower Atrium, dozens of students found their way to the event.

“For us, we managed to sign up at least a dozen students for the Student for a Day experience in Professional Photography,” Laurel reported. “Everyone who participated was happy and felt although it was a bit quiet, it was a good experience. The set up was good and it was a good template to follow next time.”

Thanks to the faculty and students who organized and staffed it.

#DawsonProud, In the news/in social media, Sustainability, Well-being for all

Dawson in the news

Diana Rice of the Office of Sustainability was interviewed by CTV News. about Food Justice programs.

You can see the Oct. 23 report by visiting the link.

Visualizing the Future at the Humanities Conference

As part of this year’s Humanities and Public Life Conference, students from all programs and profiles were invited to submit creative work connecting the conference theme to their Humanities course content. The 2025 theme, Hope and Despair: How and Why We Map Out the Future, encouraged participants to explore how hope and despair shape our visions of what lies ahead.

Student submissions included poetry, short stories, visual art, and more.

Photo: The shortlisted artists from the Visual Arts panel posing with their work.

Visit the link to see a photo of this year’s Visual Arts panel winner, Valeria Ponce, with their piece Fix [world.exe]?. Congratulations to all the talented students, and special thanks to the Visual Arts Panel for their enthusiasm and dedication. The 2025 Humanities and Public Life Conference was truly a success!

#DawsonProud, Dawson Grads

Photo by Photography grad on cover of AQPC publication

A photo by Dawson graduate Eléonore Martin-Menga (Class of 2025, AEC - Commercial Photography) graces the cover of the Fall edition (Volume 39) of the Revue Pédagogie collégiale, a publication focused on ideas, research, and pedagogical practices in higher education, published by the Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale (AQPC).

Visit the link to see the magazine.

DawsonITE

DawsonITE Newsletter # 685

DawsonITE is your curated news related to IST and Education prepared by Dawson's Rafael Scapin.

In this issue:

10 Best AI Courses in 2025: Programs That Bridge Theory and Real-World Application
A systematic literature review of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) literacy in schools

12 of the Best Methods for Studying so You Actually Retain the Information

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025