EDITOR’S NOTE

Hello friends,

IT IS THAT TIME OF the year when the buzzword “resolutions” gets passed around. A sense of newness and hope fills our souls. We bid goodbye to yet another year of memories and embrace the unknown ahead of us. A new year also brings with it a frenzy when it comes to goal setting.

A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions, which examined the success rates of different resolutions and investigated ways of increasing the likelihood of a resolution’s success, indicated that “approach-oriented goals” are more successful than “avoidance-oriented goals.”

I will share one of my “approach-oriented goals” with you. Beginning in February 2023, I will set aside a maximum of one hour every working day for six months to complete my autoethnography research paper. You will get an opportunity to read it when my article gets published in the Journal of Innovation in Polytechnic Education.

This issue of SPARK brings you a little bit of everything. First, read about our walk in the Humber Arboretum with researcher Lynn Short and learn about her research study. Next, read articles on how the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts created its first Augmented Reality (AR) experience featuring Humber’s beloved mascot, as well as how Humber students and new members of the Humber Press team approached opportunities for change and innovation. Finally, enjoy our usual section on book recommendations, quips and quotes.

We at the Office of Research & Innovation, including our Dean, Associate Deans, the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning team and the Humber Press team, wish you all continued success and joy in 2023. May this year bring you closer to your loved ones and peers. The quote below is one of my favourites, and I take pleasure in sharing it with you:

I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man.

—SUN BEAR, CHIPPEWA

Now it’s your turn. Send me an email at anju.kakkar@ humber.ca and share one of your goals and one of your favourite quotes with me. Let’s hold each other accountable, and let’s make 2023 matter.

In kindness and always with hope, Anju

Anju Kakkar Managing Editor, Humber Press, Research & Innovation Specialist