Hatchi matchi, the Fall 2023 is just around the corner. The spring/ summer has treated me quite nicely. So what all happened?

My student Muna (pictured above with yours truly) successfully completed her Masters of Engineering project – congratulations to her! We worked together on developing an engaging educational board game named “SEPPAL: Software Engineering Pre-Project Playtime Active Learning.” This game is designed for early-year software engineering students and aims to teach and reinforce concepts in software engineering and computer science. Additionally, it serves as a fun ice-breaker for team projects. I am looking forward to sharing more details about the board game in an upcoming paper within the next few months.

During the spring term, I had the opportunity to teach ENSE 271. Together with my students, we partnered with Charlene Mclean and Colleen Strauch from the Saskatchewan Career Development Association (SKCDA) to brainstorm fresh website design concepts. An exciting highlight is that one of the students was actually hired during the Summer term to bring the concepts we explored in class to life. The plan is to launch the new website sometime during the upcoming Fall term.

After that, I embarked on a journey to Kelowna, British Columbia for the annual conference of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA). The road trip took me through the scenic prairies and majestic Rocky Mountains! During the event, I played a role in arranging a workshop within the “Humanities in Engineering” special interest group (as seen in the picture above). Moreover, I shared a paper outlining my investigations into educational technologies spanning the past few years. The response was overwhelmingly positive! The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for me to absorb fresh perspectives on enhancing the appeal and impact of my courses, as I listened to the insights from fellow presenters.

Afterward, I decided to take some well-deserved time off. During this period, I dedicated my efforts to assisting my family with yardwork (the picture above captures my older sister, dad, and I after staining my sister’s deck). Additionally, I’ve been tackling various yard projects in my own space, collaborating with my wife, Nova, to create a serene haven for both us and wildlife. An interesting tidbit: we’ve been fortunate to host a number of monarch butterfly transformations in our yard (see the picture below), with approximately ten or more caterpillars evolving into vibrant butterflies this year! My wife has taken the initiative to document this fascinating journey. Below, you’ll find a collection of images captured by Nova

As we approach the Fall term, I’m still taking some well-deserved rest before diving into preparations for the upcoming semester. Currently, my brother, sister, and I are enjoying the Regina Folk Festival (as shown in the picture below). Following this, I have a bit more yardwork to tackle, and I’m hoping to squeeze in some relaxation time, catching up on TV shows and movies. By the way, have you seen Barbie yet? If not, it’s a must-watch! #fantastic #iamkenough. Soon enough, I’ll be gearing up to get my courses ready for the Fall. I’ll be overseeing both my elective ENSE 405 and the software engineering capstone course (ENSE 400/477). I’m eagerly looking forward to diving back into it all!