A TTC bus driver just gave you a nasty look, closed the door and drove away after the person in front of you entered the vehicle, which clearly had more space. Do you have a valid human rights complaint? Where do you go to find out? And if your rights were infringed, what do you do?
Three UTSC students in the New Media Studies program have collaborated with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to create an online human rights learning tool that could help you find out.
The e-learning module, called Human Rights 101, was launched on June 8 at the Scarborough campus. It is expected to provide Ontarians with an easy-to-access crash course on the Ontario Human Rights Code as well as the systems, policies, and guidelines of the OHRC.
“Each year I have a number of community based projects that I present to students to get their involvement. After I presented the e-learning project to the class, Yang Zang, Winnie Hua, and Stephanie Ng came forth and they were willing to serve as volunteers on the project,” said New Media Studies program supervisor, Leslie Chan.
“Working with our students is a good way to make use of the expertise of our students, while providing learning and community building opportunities with our campus. Students also gain valuable real world experience working with organizations that are driven by social missions”
It took Hua, Ng, and Zeng eight months to complete the human rights 101 module. Ng, who also has a background in International Studies, organized the content of the website; Zang used his computer science skills to create a template webpage prototype; and Hua took care of layout and design.
Having no actual deadline or guidance from an instructor left most of the responsibility to the students.
“The most exciting part of this project was having the opportunity to work as a team and build a website with a government organization. We had worked in teams for other projects as well, but this was the first project that challenged our technical skills, teamwork skills, and time management skills,” said Ng.
Building the website also meant shedding off some misconceptions about human rights, added Ng. “[There’s] a mistaken belief that human rights are there to protect employees [and those who are usually at a disadvantage] but during the project, I learned it protects employers as well.”
OHRC communications officer Afroze Edwards said the e-learning module “sets up a 24-hour classroom without walls.” Knowing what the Ontario Human Rights Code covers and does not cover, he added, will help people in their everyday interactions with others.
Edwards also said the UTSC volunteer team members were “keen, personable, and brought team spirit to the project.”
“Based on our very positive experience resulting from this first joint project, the [OHRC] would certainly welcome the opportunity to work with Professor Chan and the students in the New Media Studies program on developing similar e-learning modules in other areas of human rights protections and responsibilities in Ontario.”
Human Rights 101 can be found on the OHRC website.
