VCC-VANCOUVlM \'CCATIONAL INSTITUIE fir

') I'M

VOLUME 3 : NUMBER 38 : NOVEMBER 29, 1985

THANK YOU POWER ENGINEERING
A pat on the back to the Power Engineering students and faculty who saved the
day on a cold and frosty Wednesday, November 26.
Central Heat, the company who normally supplies steam to the College, had a

serious problem and could not supply their regular quantity because of the
severe weather conditions. It would have meant closing down the college

because of the lack of heat!
Within 45 minutes of knowing about the problem, the Power and Process
students, under the supervision of Ross Carviel and Hal Peters, had fired up

the B & W watertube boiler in the Steam Lab, to provide the College with a
good supply of steam.
We may need their "services" again before the winter is out1.1.

JB
GRADUATION TIME AGAIN
Just a reminder that the next graduation ceremonies will take place Thursday,
December 5, 1985. For more information contact Judy Weiss at Local 431.

JW
CHRISTMAS IS COMING
Well Christmas is drawing near - it's just a little over three weeks away and
one thing that Christmas time seems to bring around the campus is an
unfortunate increase in the number of thefts of personal belongings and
valuables.

Whatever the motive, such thefts are violating - don't let the spirit of the
season be compromised by being the victim of a theft. Remember that the best
protection against these types of thefts is to prevent them from happening in
the first place.

Anything that is personal or valuable or easily movable must be locked up for
safekeeping. Always lock doors if you are leaving a room empty and be sure to
secure purses in locked cabinets. Do you carry a wallet in the pocket of your

topcoat? Then take the wallet with you if you leave your coat hanging on a
coatrack'.

We have a large student population and a myriad of visitors through the campus
everyday — don't trust your valuables to someone elses integrity - they might
not have any!

JV

MSNCOUyER
COMMUNITY
Vancouver .

Vocational Institute

WHAT GOOD IS A BLOOD DONOR
The following is taken from an Ann Landers column. It tidily sums up "what
good a blood donor is". . . . .

A blood donor is good for people who go through windshields and red 1ights.
For somebody with leukemia.
For people being operated on.
For barefoot kids who aren't careful.
For victims of violence.

For hemophiliacs so they can live as normally as possible.
For daredevils.

For someone undergoing dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant.
For people who fool around with guns.

For little kids who manage to uncap a bottle of something poisonous.
For people who are badly burned.
For new mothers needing transfusions.
For a new baby who needs a complete change of blood supply.
For someone having open heart surgery.
For cancer patients.
For someone with a severe case of hepatitis.
For kids who fall out of trees or anywhere else.

For anybody any age with bleeding ulcers.
For people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For the very tired with severe anemia.
For people who run into things.
For all the people who are in a lot worse shape than most people you know.

A blood donor is good for life.
Our next blood donor clinic is Monday, December 9. You probably have a family
member or a friend or know of someone who fits into one of the above
categories. Do your part for them - donate a pint on December 9.

GC
VVI OPEN HOUSE
Open House has always been successful in attracting students to the V.V.I.,
the reason being the community awareness of what V.V.I, does.
The Management Committee has decided that V.V.I, will have another Open House

in 1986. A committee will be established to organize it and will consist of
the four division chairmen, Dalton Kremer, and John Vandenakker as chairman.

However, it can't be successful without the full cooperation of people at the
V.V.I. If you have any ideas or wish to assist in the organization of this
event please contact John Vandenakker at Local 430.

JV

FROM INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA
Parveen Jiwani, Production Services Supervisor for the Instructional Media

Department, will be away on maternity leave from January 2 to March 2 1986
during which time Kees Hof will be acting in her stead. Kees will be
operating out of the Langara Office for that time.

PJ
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
KEC Instructor - Adult Special Education for the Visually Impaired
Program. Commencement date is January 2, 1986. Term is until June

28, 1986 with a possible extension. Apply in writing by December 6,
1985.
VVI Instructors in Computer Electronics, Data and Telecommunications, and
Consumer Electronics. Starting date is March 1986 for a one year term

with possible extensions. Apply by December 15, 1985.
VVI Relief Power Sewing Instructor to cover for sickness and holidays.
Closing date is open.

Keyano College requires a College President (Chief Executive Officer). Apply
to the Presidential Search Committee, c/o/ Keyano College, 8115 Franklin
Avenue, Fort MacMurray, Alberta, T9H 2H7 prior to December 20, 1985.

FIRST AID COVERAGE
Please make note of the following First Aid emergency contact numbers:
In case of emergency:

Monday thru Thursday - 7:30 am to 7:00 pm - Dial 275
Friday - 7:30 am to 5:00 PM - Dial 275
For Security and First Aid:
Monday thru Thursday - after 7:00 pm - Dial 227
Friday - after 5:00 pm - Dial 227

LIBRARY A/V ADDITIONS
_Ca£e_f£r_tj2e_C_aret_ak_er_Vj_d^o_s

Semi£qnd_uctor _Dev_i£e_s Lessons^ 1-11

Burnout - The energy enemy

Semiconductor materials

Energy is your magic fuel

Silicon diodes
Special purpose diodes

Pooling our energy resources

Bipolar transistor fundamentals
J-FET fundamentals
J-FET characteristics

MOSFET

Thyristors
Integrated circuits
Optoelectronic devices

JH

Course profile disputed

1EWSPAPER ¦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1985

r!unked student
to sue Ryerson
BY MARINA STRAUSS

The Globe and Mail

Students dissatisfied with a
university or college course

could collect money for their
displeasure if an Ontario court
case is successful.
Provincial Court Judge Pame¬

la Thomson Sigurdson has ruled
that Hughes Chicoine can sue
Ryerson Polytechmcal Institute
after he flunked the first year of
a photography course.

Mr. Chicoine, who will be 37
next week, is taking the unusual
route of suing Ryerson for
breach of contract because, he
says, the instructor did not teach
or follow the course outline as
offered and advertised.

He had exhausted all internal
college appeal procedures.
Frank Hubscher, lawyer for
Mr. Chicoine, said in an inter¬
view that professors or instruc¬
tors often devise their own curnculums despite course profiles
in university calendars. "The
students are a captive audi¬
ence," he said.
"Ke was given the opportunity

(by Ryerson) to repeat his
year," Mr. Hubscher said about
his client. "But he wanted a re¬
fund."

Mr. Chicoine, a professional

photographer living in Quebec
City who had attended Ryerson
to try to advance himself, is

seeking damages for tuition fees
and a student loan he took out for
his studies.
Ryerson was concerned that
the case "would open up the situ¬

ation for students to make
claims against universities and
colleges if the students are dis¬

satisfied with the instruction
they are getting," Mr. Hubscher
said.

Judge Thomson Sigurdson,
however, said in her ruling that
she was not "swayed by the

arguments of the defendant
(Ryerson) that allowing this
action to proceed will open the
floodgates to unhappy students.
"Nor is the court concerned

with the motives or attitude of
the plaintiff at this juncture.. . .
We are not here dealing with an

allegation of the breach of a statutop' duty but with a simple alle¬
gation of a breach of contract to
educate according to certain
described parameters," she
said.

The judge ruled that Ryer¬
son's purpose is to provide prog¬
rams and courses of study — not
to adjudicate complaints arising

STUDENT —Page A2

Uent to sue school
O From Page One
from student-university rela¬
tions.
The school's academic council

would have no jurisdiction under
its rules to decide whether there
was a breach of agreement, nor
would it have authority to return
the money paid for the course,

Judge Thomson Sigurdson ruled.
Alison Young, lawyer for
Ryerson, said in an interview

that courts have been reluctant
to interfere with decisions made
by universities.
Courts are not in the position
to assess students' performance,
Ms Young said. "Would univer¬

sity professors be looking over
their shoulders as they mark
papers?" she asked.

She said, however, that she
sees no cause for alarm now. Mr.
Chicoine has a tough case to
prove, she said.

MNCOU^ER

COU^KIJ^ypv EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN
1155 East Broadway,
Box No 24700 Sta 'C
Vancouver, B C. V5T 4N4
Telephone 875-1131

NOTICE TO ALL PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS

November 27, 1985
Under the stewardship of the "Plan Administration Committee," The V.C.C.

Employee Benefit Plan is alive and well. For the calendar/taxation year
1985, more than 30 permanent V.C.C. employees are member contributors to

the plan by payroll deduction.
All present and prospective plan members/contributors must file with the
undersigned, newly completed and signed Letters of Agreement for the entire
calendar year 1986. The member's Letter of Agreement must be submitted no

later than December 23, 1985 and shall designate for each month of the
calendar year 1986, the amounts to be deducted from remuneration for that

calendar year. Plan membership and contributions by payroll deductions for
the calendar year 1986 may not be authorized and accommodated after the
foregoing deadline, December 23, 1985.

The plan Administration Committee has determined that the minimum monthly
contribution to the plan is $100.00.
1986 contributing members may, under special circumstances with the

approval of the Plan Administration Committee, supplement or amend by
written agreement, their designated contributions.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the plan, the following brief
description should be informative:
What is the Employee Health Benefit Plan ?
The Employee Benefit Plan is a vehicle through which eligible V.C.C.
employees can defer a portion of their monthly income for the purpose
of supplementing their retirement income or to finance a future
sabbatical leave.
Who can become a member ?
All full-time permanent employees of V.C.C. are eligible to apply for

plan membership through the "Plan Administration Committee."
Income Tax Implications
Amounts contributed to the Employee Benefit Plan by payroll deductions
are not taxable until the amounts are paid out of the plan to the
employee. As a result, the employee obtains a deferral of income tax
on the amounts contributed to the plan much the same as a registered
pension plan or registered retirement savings plan.

2

November 27, 1985

- 2 - NOTICE TO ALL PRESENT & PROSPECTIVE
MEMBERS - EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN

Some Employee Benefit Plan Features
1. The plan allows employees to defer the taxation on their employment
income to a future year. This is especially attractive for those
employees whose income is more than sufficient to meet the present cash
needs and who wish to "save" a portion of this income for future years

to supplement their retirement pension or to finance a sabbatical
leave.

2. There is no statutory restriction on the amounts that can be directed

to the plan from your earnings and thereby deferred. Other deferred
compensation arrangements such as registered retirement savings plans
restrict the annual amounts that an individual can contribute.
3. The plan has received an advance income tax ruling from Revenue Canada

thus ensuring its acceptability.
4. The amounts contributed to the custodian of the plan, Montreal Trust,

will be invested with interest earnings accruing in the name of the
member/contri butor.

5. The Employee Benefit Plan is funded outside of Vancouver Community
College. As a result, employees are assured that the funds are held by
an independant custodian.

6. Plan members/contributors have the discretion to elect to receive their
payout from the plan in a predetermined number of instalments or in a
lump sum. This could also facilitate income tax planning by spreading
the taxation of the amounts over the retirement years or throughout the
period of a sabbatical leave.
7. You should be aware that Revenue Canada - Taxation takes the position

with respect to such plans that the plan cannot provide for payments to
the contributor except under the following conditions:
(a) Retirement

(b) Death
(c) Voluntary or involuntary cessation of employment
(d) For demonstrable financial need
(e) For sabbatical leave purposes
Full details governing the plan are described in the "Plan Rules." Copies
are available from the office of your local Campus Principal or the
Personnel Department along with the enrolment forms (schedules).
If you are interested in participating in the E.B.P. for 1986, kindly
obtain the aforementioned forms and direct any subsequent enquiries to the
undersigned.

D
Chairman, Plan Administration Committee

Helping the unmotivated student

Quality circles in the classroom
by Len Robbim
As a manufacturing manager in industry prior to coming to
Georgian College, I developed a keen interest in performance of
personnel in a factory environment. Employees in my plants tended
to perform better and be more innovative than those in other plants
of the same company.
To determine why that occurred. 1 exam¬
ined all the management styles in use, and
discovered my style most closely approxi¬
mated that of the Japanese. Although not

formally using Quality Circles, my method
included responding to employees' concerns
(both social and work-related), rceogni/ing
individual achievement, decision-making
by committee and providing goal-oriented
management and feedback.

Teaching role
Following my career change to faculty in
the community college system, I examined
possible teaching styles within my course
areas (Plant Layout. Time and Motion Study,
and others). While the traditional teaching
techniques ot knowledge transfer and as¬
signment practice could be used compe¬
tently, I questioned how well this method
would motivate students to participate and
excel. In an endeavour to encourage student
self-motivation and improve teacher perfor¬
mance, I searched for ways to exploit my
management style in mdustiy

Motivation
[ollowmu a pcrioil ol ohsci valion. I con-

iluilctl some lonn.ili/eil fccdlwck mclhiHl
would he beneficial. Hie decision to allempt

adapting Quality Circles Techniques to the
classroom was inspired by an issue of Inno¬
vation Alntracts (Vol VI. no 2) combined
witli my experience with the method m in¬
dustrial applications

Class selection
Al the time, two ol my live classes were
enrolled in an Applied Statistics course.
Since they were all second-year students,
and the course was a pieretiuisite lor a
Quality Assurance course, the situation
seemed ideal I would establish one class as
a control group, while trying the Quality
Circle Technique with the second.

M x wMiemcwraore.

Purpose
• fo conduct an expeiiment in the use ol
Quality Ciicles in the classroom, pri¬
marily by keying on the instructor's pre¬
sentation techniques
• To emphasi/e the importance ol the indi¬
vidual m a group setting
• To impioxe teather and student perlormance

Expectations
1) One half of a good idea by an individual
can be improved upon by a group All
suggestions and ideas arc important.
2) Students will learn the importance ol the
individual.
3) Passive class members may become
more active.

Program name
Since I was interested in improving the
level of learning, my teaching methods
would also have to improve. To encompass
the entire concept. I came up with a catchy
name.

Better
Education
for
Everyone's

4) Students will develop trust, loyalty and
mutual commitment.
5) Students will develop responsibility and
decision-making skills.

6) Individuals in the Circle will develop a
bond

The course content as presented in the
touise outline must be addressed

participatory, and (hey piesenled mc unli
alteinative deliveiy methods
My "expeiiment" was so well iciciu-d.

Procedure
1) Instructor reviews next week's material
with aide, soliciting opinions on op¬
timum piesentation method
2) Students present problems and solutions
to Cucle leader foi inclusion m next
meeting
3) Meetings follow a formal agenda, and
arc one hour maxmium in length
4) Implementation of unanimous decisions
5) Cticle members feedback meeting re¬
sults to students
6) Group leader makes all linal decisions

Results
Although impossible to measure, Irom
my observations 1 concluded that the expec¬
tations of the Technique were met. The stu¬
dents acted like a team, became more
responsible, passive members became moie

that the contiol gioup requested 1 use the
improvements with them In granting then
request, I lost the benefits ol comparison
such a contiol gioup would ha\e piovided
Implementing the Quality Circle lech
niques requited one cxtia hour a week ol my
time 'Ilns I fell was tunc well spent I icceived presentation ideas, a renewed sense

ol competency as an instructor and sattsfac
Hon that the class would benefit horn this
"industnal" exposuie

Initiating such a technique may not be
either necessary or beneficial in every class
situation However, I plan to implement the
Quality Circle method in any c lass I judge
requires improved communication skills
Len Rohbins is a Teaching Master in Me¬

chanical Engineering Technology at
Georgian College of Applied Arts and
Technology in Harrie, Ontario.

7) The instructor will develop innovative
teaching methods
8) Hie instructor will find the most suitable
piesentation method
9) Students and instructor will develop
team participation skills

Future
Structure
i then developed the framework ot my

BKEF Program to accomplish my goals,
and presented it to the class to elicit the
shidents' co-operation The following is an
outline of the presentation

Overview
A Quality Circle Technique will be em¬
ployed with the expectation of involving stu¬
dents in the progress of their own education

'Hie group leader is the class instructor. A

member of the Circle is chosen lor every 4 oi
5 students in the class, on a volunteer basis
Circle membeis can be rot.ited if desired

Rules of conduct
Piolessional conduct is required at all
times, including picsenling constructive
criticism only, maintaining a positive appioach, and sticking to the business at hand.

October 15, 1985, College Canada 5