Journal of Innovation in Polytechnic Education

Designing and Implementing Health and Wellness Programs: Positioning Health and Wellness at the Forefront of a Polytechnic Institution

Cory Ross — 2024-03-20

The past 20 years has seen a renaissance of activity with respect to workplace wellness. The concept of providing a health and wellness program for employees has grown to include employee assistance aid. Within the Polytechnic community the health and wellness programs have expanded to the student body as well. If you consider the fact that a Polytechnic has a population of some small cities, then the case for support of providing services is well founded. Due to the mix of international and domestic student populations the wellness programming has taken on a new mosaic of services. The attention to cultural sensitivities and competencies need to be addressed and incorporated when contemplating any services and programming to be delivered to the Polytechnic community. Most recently, with the increase of mental health issues amongst staff and students it is time to implement a strong interdisciplinary approach to wellness and mental health.

Decision Making in the Innovation Process: Data-Driven vs. Data-Informed

Muge Abac — 2024-03-20

There has been a growing trend in the use of data-related buzzwords, and “data-driven decision-making” is one of them. This buzzword is often confused with “data-informed decision-making,” emphasizing the need to understand the role of data for effective decision-making. The article explains this misconception through tables and insights from experts like Geoffrey Moore, Tendayi Viki and Alexander Osterwalder. It emphasizes the need for a balanced approach, using both qualitative and quantitative data, and suggests starting with qualitative insights before moving to quantitative analysis. Ultimately, it stresses the importance of aligning organizational structures to leverage data effectively for innovation.

Building An Interprofessional Practice Approach In a Polytechnic Institution Beginning With Health-Care Education and Embracing The Concept As An Operational Leadership Imperative

Cory Ross — 2024-02-06

Polytechnic educational institutions have led the way in providing innovative and dynamic programming to students that meet industry needs. They serve as leaders of collaboration and agents of change not only in their respective programs but also in the way they conduct themselves as responsible businesses. This essay chronicles a series of decisions and events that have allowed one polytechnic higher education institution to adapt to changing times and embrace a new model of budget planning for the future. The ability for the polytechnic to change and move forward is truly remarkable. George Brown College has been able to incorporate crucial new ways of designing and creating budgets that assist the college workforce to feel connected and determined to effect its mission.

Understanding hope from the voices of service users and providers across Canada

Cristina Alexandra Guerrero — 2024-02-16

Although Canada is home to the second largest non-profit and volunteer sector in the world, there is an absence of an overarching framework to guide human services delivery (Hall et. al., 2005; Rahmani, 2022). This paper documents the first phase of a three-year study that seeks to begin to bridge this gap by learning from both HS providers and users’ narratives, specifically in relation to the topics of hope, self-compassion, and authentic collaboration.

The first phase of the research focused on the topic of hope via the following questions:

How do HS consumers and service providers meaningfully experience hope in the course of HS service delivery within their lifeworlds?
How might these experiences inform a guiding framework for Canadian HS service delivery?

A thematic analysis of surveys and interviews collected from six partner organizations across Canada revealed the following themes: 1) the importance of human connections; 2) the building and evolution of hope; and 3) the futurity of hope. These findings point out several implications for practice and research, including a need for human-centred training that focuses more on topics like sensitivity and compassion. Respondents, particularly the service providers, also spoke to the need for strategies and opportunities to take care of oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually. This call is especially prevalent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding cuts across Canada.