The Official Launch and Open House of the Foundations Computer Assistance Program (FCAP) was held on January 13, 2004 at the Bootstrap Foundations Lab, 108 Calumet College. Over 70 faculty, staff and students participated in the event. Vice President Academic Sheila Embleton, Faculty of Arts Associate Dean Susan Warwick, Calumet Master Savitsa Sévigny, and Social Sciences Prof. Linda Briskin officially cut the ribbon for this launch. These supporting officers and faculty emphasized in their speeches the importance of this new program in supporting, and further encouraging, the critical skills and computer literacy needed by Foundation course students. The Official Launch and Open House not only recognized the contributors to FCAP, but also helped raise the profile of FCAP at York University, and allowed the opportunity to discuss FCAP services with Foundations Course Directors and others.

	L to R: FCAP Staff Hugh McCague and Gail McCabe, Prof. Linda Briskin, Vice President Academic Sheila Embleton, Faculty of Arts Associate Dean Susan Warwick, and Calumet Master Savitsa Sévigny.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the FCAP Official Launch and Open House, January 13, 2004.

Even though the Official Launch of the new program was this Winter Term, FCAP has been actively contacting and assisting courses since the Fall Term, 2003. During these two terms, presentations on FCAP services were given to 14 Foundations courses. Instructors have been using the Bootstrap Foundations Lab, 108 Calumet College for tutorials involving research, presentations, listservs, web authoring and other assignment work . Students have enjoyed the quiet studious atmosphere of the Bootstrap Foundations Lab for drop-in use in order to complete their assignments. The on-duty FCAP Advisors provided one-on-one assistance during weekdays, 10am-2pm. The FCAP web site (listed below) has been actively accessed for its on-line resources dealing with critical and writing skills. Additionally, since October, 2003, 42 workshops were delivered to courses and 5 drop-in workshops were held.

Four main workshop themes have been explored to date. The Web Research Strategies workshop stresses efficient and advanced methods for searching the public web, and critically evaluating and citing the results for essays. The Effective Presentations Using PowerPoint workshop lets students create a computer-based presentation, and includes helpful advice on designing and organizing it for maximum effect. The Writing Strategies for Microsoft Word extends students' knowledge of the writing process through the effective use of many of those special features of Microsoft Word. In the Novice Web Authoring with Dreamweaver workshop, students create a simple web site and post it to York's student web server, and learn more about good web authoring practice. The written feedback from students and instructors has indicated that these active learning sessions were very helpful. Some second-year and upper-year students remark that they wish they had attended these workshops in their first year, and that the workshops would be a valuable part of the education of first-year students and other university students. In addition to the academic knowledge and skills promoted by the workshops and other FCAP services, the students at the same time gain valuable skills for later in life and their employment careers.

As the Foundations Computer Assistance Program completes this first year of a three-year pilot study, it continues to look for new ways to serve the needs of Foundations Course Directors, Teaching Assistants and students. FCAP can work with instructors in the design and delivery of course projects and assignments. We invite your input and use of FCAP services and the Bootstrap Foundations Lab, 108 Calumet College.

For more information contact FCAP:

• by telephone: 416-736-2100 x30171
• by email: fcap@yorku.ca
• website: http://www.yorku.ca/fcap/
  

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