Applied research holds immense potential to create meaningful impacts beyond theory. While theoretical research is vital, applied research bridges the gap between knowledge and real-world application. Embracing applied research can open doors to transformative collaborations, practical solutions, and a profound sense of purpose. Today, I will highlight some of the benefits of engaging in applied […]
The art of inquiry: How faculty can dive into research
As faculty members, we often find ourselves immersed in the world of teaching, grading, and meetings. But what if I told you that there’s a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered- one that can enrich your professional life, invigorate your teaching, and ignite your passion? Welcome to the world of research! Whether you’re a seasoned academic […]
Inspiring faculty to transform education through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
SoTL research focuses on investigating and improving teaching practices, student learning outcomes, and the overall educational experience. By engaging in this research, you have the opportunity to enhance your effectiveness in the classroom and create a positive impact on students. Below, I tie engagement in SoTL research with the 3 guiding principles (aka pillars) of […]
More on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research questions
I have written about SoTL questions before, so you may want to check out the posts below if this article doesn’t address your needs. SoTL research project development (March 2021) Generating a research question from scratch (February 2021) Generating a research question based on something else (February 2021) Anatomy of a research question (January 2022) […]
Are stats holding you back?
Do you find statistics and/or math to be a little scary? Note: although statistics use math to get you an “answer”, statistics is more of a logic problem than a math problem!). If you are turned off by the thought of having to do some statistics as part of the research process, I have a […]
The importance of an EDI lens in research
There are many areas where an EDI lens can be important and beneficial, but the reasons can differ slightly. Here are some thoughts to ponder. Recruiting research participants from diverse backgrounds and intersecting identities will help to give those groups a voice and more agency in their own academic lives. The TCPS2 has an entire […]
Another perspective on research: What is missing can be as important as what is found
(image source: https://www.renesonneveld.com/post/survivorship-bias-what-is-your-perspective) During World War II, fighter planes would come back from battle with bullet holes. The Allies found which areas of the airplanes were most commonly hit by enemy fire and planned to reinforce those areas. However, a mathematician named Abraham World proposed that perhaps there was a more important way to look […]
What is a research coordinator anyway?
The role differs slightly by Faculty, but the short answer is that Research Coordinators are a liaison between faculty researchers and the Office of Research Services Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE). We use our expertise to facilitate research opportunities and build capacity for applied research at Durham College. This might include connecting faculty with co-investigators or […]
Research Example: Study with Secondary Data
When Dawn McGuckin, Deb Tsagris, and I developed a new psychology GNED course, we made sure that UDL/accessibility was central to our planning. We made pedagogical choices which we thought would benefit student learning (based on the literature from education and the cognitive sciences) and were pretty happy with our course. It ran for a […]
A day in the life of a researcher
People sometimes ask me what it looks like to be a “researcher”, so I thought I would take this week’s post and give you an idea of the sorts of tasks that I engage in regularly as a researcher (outside of actually doing the research/collecting data, because, honestly, that’s really only a small part of […]