Q1. Why were you interested in doing your co-op with CIS? / What made you interested in the position?

Pawan Daliaho (PD): I have always enjoyed helping others work with technology and utilize it to make their lives easier. I realized that this position would give me the opportunity to provide support at a professional level and refine my communication skills. Furthermore, I would be able to work with instructional teams within APSC which I had taken courses within the past.

Allison Ko (AK): Since I was young, I was always excited to help my friends and family with technology questions. Technology is always evolving and there is not a standardized layout for every program or platform, but I found it fun to recognize the patterns and similarities across various tools. I was more than thrilled to be able to utilize my passion for technology and problem-solving skills at CIS and support the APSC faculty.

Q2. What types of support did you provide?

PD: Supporting instructional teams included everything from simple Canvas inquiries to custom solutions tailored to specific courses. This term I had the opportunity to revamp the electronics kit sign-out workflow for a course using Excel. Previously, the entire process was done manually (validating almost 1000 entries!), but now the workload has been greatly reduced since most of it is automated.

AK: We provide comprehensive faculty support for various learning technologies such as Canvas and Zoom through email, 1-on-1 remote meetings, or drop-in meetings. I worked closely with several faculty members in building Canvas quizzes, calculating and applying iPeer coefficients to assignment grades, and building Excel spreadsheets to calculate final grades.

Q3. Tell us more about the work you have done.

PD: Besides supporting faculty, I was able to work on revamping our CIS website (the one you are looking at right now!) through WordPress. We worked on compacting and simplifying all the content from our previous website and presenting it nicely on this new website. Our main focus was to standardize the look and feel to match that of all other UBC websites. Through lots of careful planning and hard work with our director, we managed to complete the entire website within one term!

AK: I had the opportunity to work closely with Pawan and our director, Melissa, in redesigning and rebuilding the new CIS website on WordPress with an emphasis on enhancing user experience. Prior to beginning this project, I gained several front-end skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Bootstrap. With these skills, I developed processes such as adding a header image to a page, adding an “expand all” button to open and close a group of accordions, and adding APSC graphic devices to the background of a page.

Q4. How has working directly with faculty changed your perspective?

PD: Working directly with faculty showed me the level of time and care instructors put into their courses to ensure they run smoothly for students. They are constantly working to learn more about the various technologies available to them to enrich learning within their classes. I also realized the amount of work that goes into upkeeping Canvas courses, which includes not only the instructors but also their TAs and help from our office as well.

AK: It was very insightful seeing the instructor side of Canvas and the different processes they go through such as rolling over courses every term or altering assignments. Additionally, I was exposed to the various ways instructors utilize Canvas Modules, Pages, and Files in their courses; it was interesting to see the different thought processes that go into designing courses.

Q5. What did your time with CIS help you learn about yourself?

PD: I learned that I thrive when given the independence to explore creative solutions to problems, whether that was presenting content within a Canvas course, revamping attendance validation via Excel, or rebuilding our new CIS website from scratch. It also showed me that soft skills are truly applicable in any career and should be focused on regardless of where you choose to work.

AK: During my time with CIS, I learned about how I work in a professional environment and more about my career interests. For example, at CIS, I enjoyed a good balance of working closely with the team as well as working independently. Furthermore, while collaborating on the new CIS website, I gained an interest in the website/software development cycle as well as project management, which I hope to gain more experience in and improve on in the future.

Q6. What will you take away from your experiences in CIS?

PD: My biggest takeaway from CIS would be the written, over video call, and in-person communication I was able to practice within a professional setting. Besides this, I was able to pick up on new Excel functions and conditional formatting techniques which are beneficial for data validation purposes. Lastly, my work with the revamp of our website gave me new HTML skills which I would not have picked up otherwise.

AK: Like Pawan, I had the opportunity to greatly improve my communication skills in a professional environment. While supporting faculty through various mediums, I learned how to quickly adapt and personalize my method of communication. For example, one instructor may be more comfortable following written instructions through email while another instructor may be more comfortable sharing their screen over Zoom and working through the issue together. Additionally, working on the new CIS website was my first experience at a larger-scale and public project, where I learned a lot of technical skills as well as soft skills in collaboration and organization.

Q7. What else would you like people to know?

PD: The level of support and care offered by the tight-knit team here at the CIS office cannot be emphasized enough! Everyone is very welcoming and willing to accommodate you as you need. They work hard to ensure you have the right tools, equipment, and resources to complement your working style. Lastly, the mix of team-based and individual work available to you keeps things interesting, making work a fun challenge instead of a dreadful chore.

AK: CIS is such a great, supportive team. Whenever you are stuck on an issue, you can trust the team to respond quickly. Here, you also have a wonderful opportunity to work on a project related to your interests that can also benefit CIS and the Faculty of Applied Science. Don’t hesitate to ask for project ideas!