Graduate student teaching programs that provide training in theory and principles of higher education pedagogy and provide opportunities to develop their teaching and presentations skills are delivered at universities across North America, Europe, and Australia. Research findings suggest that participating in these programs increases perceived self-efficacy in teaching behaviours (Boman, 2013; Bray & Howard, 1980; Hewson et al., 2001; Young & Bippus, 2008), but little is known about whether skills acquired in these programs are transferrable to the work world. This study seeks to identify the aspects of a 3-year graduate student teaching program that ran for nearly 15 years at the University of Manitoba that were the most and the least beneficial to students after graduation. Findings from this study will improve our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the professional development programs that are offered at The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Increased understanding of the programming will ultimately inform the continued development of key program elements and higher education training programs more broadly for graduate students at the University of Manitoba.

This project is being conducted by A. De Jaeger and S. McIvor.

Researchers from four Canadian universities and an industry partner are collaborating to better understand faculty perceptions and needs related to academic integrity in Canadian higher education. The survey designed for this project was informed by previous academic integrity research (e.g. McCabe, 1993), and the findings are expected to lead to the development of specific supports for faculty in Canadian higher education institutions to promote academic integrity.

Crossman, K., Eaton, S. E., Garwood, K., Stoesz, B. M., McKenzie, A., Cepuran, B., & Kocher, R.  (2019). Academic integrity: Faculty development needs for Canadian higher education. (Research Project Brief). Calgary: University of Calgary.  http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110437

Readiness for teaching online can be defined as having the competencies required to deliver a high-quality online course, where readiness can be equated with the qualities exemplified by the ideal online instructor. This project seeks to determine the characteristics that exemplify effective online instructors and create a first-of-its-kind online teaching readiness assessment with psychometric properties. The assessment will provide instructors with immediate feedback as to the areas they excel and can improve upon, assist in identifying faculty training/development opportunities, determine strengths and areas in need of enhancement in instructors’ online teaching skillsets, and further understand the barriers and attitudes towards online teaching.

This project is being conducted by R. Los

Unprecedented labour market shifts have resulted in mid-career workers suddenly requiring (re)training, often years after their last educational experience. Technology is increasingly used in teaching and learning contexts, and many mid-career workers may be unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable with these new methods. Participation in (re)training programs can thus induce “learning shock”, characterized by feelings of anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty upon exposure to new learning environments. This project will: 1) identify contextual factors, skills, and perceptions related to learning shock among mid-career workers engaged in (re)training programs; 2) identify strategies to mitigate learning shock; and 3) develop learner modules and best practices for employers designing (re)training programs for adult learners in order to foster resiliency and sustain the practice of lifelong learning.

This project is being conducted by M. Torchia, A. De Jaeger, C. Webb, W., Snow, and B. Pham and is funded by Future Skills Canada.

Several theoretical models have been developed to understand academic persistence among undergraduate students in higher education. Student retention models, however, have largely overlooked health as a contributing factor in undergraduate student persistence. Despite this knowledge gap, universities are increasingly considering student health on a broader scale, with several Canadian institutions embedding health within their policies and mandates. In order to map the academic student persistence literature, a systematic scoping review is being conducted to: 1) investigate the extent to which the empirical literature on undergraduate student persistence acknowledges health as a potential factor; and 2) describe theoretical frameworks that have been used to contextualize the contributions of health to academic persistence in this population to more fully inform academic institutional policies.

This project is being conducted by W. Snow., W Hounslow, B. Stoesz, R. Los, and A. De Jaeger

Domestic violence is a global, gendered issue, which continues to grow at an alarming rate; in a Canadian context, the World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 4 women experience violence in their lifetimes. Those who leave violent relationships may face many challenges however, many successfully pursue new ventures including studying at higher education institutions. Students who are experiencing domestic violence, or have experienced it in the past, may encounter obstacles along their journey, yet there is little attention given to such students within the literature. Challenging transitions to university have been identified in other cohorts such as LGBTTQ2, first generation, and Indigenous students, with research into such transitions resulting in improvement in university policies and services and students’ outcomes.  This international study aims to investigate the current understandings of academic staff regarding the issue of students who are dealing with, or have dealt with, domestic violence in their lives and who are now studying at universities around the world.

This project is being conducted by A. De Jaeger, M. Eady (University of Wollongong), and W. Hounslow