• Robert Schultz Lecture Theatre (172 St. John’s College)
• campus map (building #62)

Parking:

• Please note that the main public parkade is located directly across from St. John’s College
• parking map

Transportation:

• Winnipeg Transit (http://www.winnipegtransit.com/en)
• Duffy’s Taxi (http://www.duffystaxi.com/)
• Unicity Taxi (http://www.unicitytaxi.mb.ca/)

Conference Accommodations:

• Arthur Mauro Student Residence (http://umanitoba.ca/student/housing/Conference.htm)

Rooms for the conference have been set aside at the University of Manitoba’s Arthur Mauro Residence at a charge of $80.90 per night. There are two bedrooms per suite with a shared en-suite kitchenette and bathroom. Conference participants will be matched with another conference attendee of the same gender. All rooms have free Internet Access (Ethernet cables are required). If you wish to share your suite with a specific person, please indicate this on your application form. A taxi from the airport would cost approximately $30.00. Click here to register.

• Mary Speechly Hall (http://umanitoba.ca/student/housing/Conference.htm)

Single dormitory style rooms are also available on campus at a charge of $46.90 per night in Mary Speechly Hall. Participants have access to shared washrooms and showers on the same floor and free Internet access (Ethernet cables are required). A taxi from the airport would cost approximately $30.00. Click here to register.

• Holiday Inn Winnipeg South (http://www.winnipegsouthholidayinn.com/)

Rooms for the conference have been reserved at this hotel, which is located reasonably close to campus. It features a hotel restaurant, a bar, a pool, and airport shuttle service. When booking, ask about the special conference rate of $105.95. To get to the University of Manitoba by local transit takes about 10 minutes. Take a #60 bus Southbound on Pembina Highway (Winnipeg Transit trip planner).

• Delta Hotel (http://www.deltahotels.com/en/hotels/manitoba/delta-winnipeg/)

If you wish to be situated downtown, the Delta hotel is close to the M.T.S. Centre, the Portage Place Shopping Centre, the Forks Market, and a number of local restaurants. It features a hotel restaurant, a bar, a pool, and an onsite health club. A taxi from the airport should cost approximately $25.00. When booking, ask about the special conference rate of $125.00. To get to the University of Manitoba by local transit takes about 40 minutes. Take a #60 bus Westbound on Graham Ave (Winnipeg Transit trip planner).

Other Accommodations:

Downtown

• Hotel Fort Gary (http://www.fortgarryhotel.com/)
• Inn at the Forks (http://www.innforks.com/)

Near the University campus

• Best Western Pembina Inn and Suites (http://www.bestwesternpembina.com/)
• Canad Inns Fort Garry (http://www.canadinns.com/stay/stay-contact.php?entry_id=8568)

Events and Entertainment:

• My Winnipeg (http://wireless.mymanitoba.com/eventdir.php?srch=now)
• City of Winnipeg (http://www.winnipeg.ca/interhom/toc/visitors.asp)

Local Dinning:

• Winnipeg Restaurants (http://www.winnipegrestaurants.ca/)

This is our opportunity as learning specialists to come together into a single conference (and organization) that can address our unique interests and concerns. Over the years many of us have gone to a variety of only somewhat relevant organizations in search of professional sustenance.   Now we have one place that focuses on our unique needs as learning specialists – the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC) and it s first biannual conference to be held May 13-14 in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba.

The first national learning services conference has two themes: professionalism and diversity.

As a newly formed organization, an initial concern is defining the learning specialist’s role in the post-secondary setting. There are many issues to be considered.  What common theories and best practices underpin your work?  How did you learn to do what you do? What can you do to become a better learning specialist?  Who is doing research in our field?  Where can you network with learning specialist colleagues from other institutions across Canada and the world?  How do you hire learning specialists?  These and other related issues will be one focus of this conference and the Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC).

Diversity is the second focus. Learning specialists work with a variety of students in a variety of different settings.  Some of you are generalist learning specialists who work with the learning issues of any student in the institution while others work with – or mainly with – specific or specialised groups of students such as Aboriginal students, students whose first language is not English, students with disabilities, engineering students, graduate students.  Some of you spend much or all of your time teaching courses or workshops while others support students in learning specific course content.  As a group we have a tremendous wealth of experience that can be tapped by coming together.  So we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Winnipeg.

The first National Learning Specialists conference, Converging in the Centre: Learning Support Across Canada, is on May 13 & 14, 2011 at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

There are two themes for this conference:

1)   Professionalization

2)   Diversity

We are looking for presentations, demonstrations, or panel discussions on:

• Current research
• Applications of new or innovative strategies, practices or administrative routines.
• Innovative programming
• Research into practice
• Accreditation (Professionalizing your staff)
• Language and/or culture in the Learning Centre

Please submit proposal/s to Miriam Unruh (miriam_unruh@umanitoba.ca) by February 11, 2011. Presentations are to be 60 minutes in length with 10- 15 minutes (of the 60 minutes) included for questions during, or at the end of the presentation. The proposal must include a title, a short description of less than 100 words and a longer description (less than 300 words), 2 to 3 session objectives, the name of the presenter/s and contact information.