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IS in the DC Strategic Research Plan


 As a reminder, the college’s current Academic Plan (available here), includes 4 goals, the fourth of which is to “intensify and strengthen the college’s applied research agenda” and includes four objectives (4.1-4.4)

1)…implement strategies to further develop and strengthen faculty members’ research capabilities.

2)…increase research training opportunities for students to engage in applied research projects both within and outside curricula.

3)…establish research collaborations with relevant external stakeholders.

4)…increase the profile and awareness of applied research activities across the breadth of our research areas both within and outside of the college.

The Strategic Research Plan (SRP, which is available here) elaborates on these directives and how applied research will be strengthened and supported at the college. For example, it recognizes that community and student engagement are important and that research and teaching are complimentary. It specifies that research supports faculty currency and professional development and benefits society. So where does IS fit into this vision?

First, I think we definitely have a role to play in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), which relates to the complementary relationship between research and teaching. We are also able to stay current in our pedagogical practice (and the best practices in the field of education) through SoTL. We can learn (from our own research or from others’) how to best support our students for success through our curriculum and even outside of it.

A second area that IS can shine is related to mental health and resilience, where we can examine our own practice, available materials, processes, etc. with the goal of better understanding our student’ struggles and how best to support them.

Finally, partnering with one of our applied research centres (e.g., Social Innovation Hub or Mixed Reality Capture Studio) may provide unique opportunities to research projects (SoTL or otherwise).

To this end, faculty have access to a number of supports at DC including the Office for Research Services, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE), the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and research coordinators (like me!) There are also two PD “courses” related to research and research ethics in the new DC Employee Development portal.

One last thing! As I begin planning for next semester, please take a moment to identify your research needs and/or provide suggestions for future research-related newsletter topics in a quick 2-question survey. Unless you identify yourself in your responses, it is anonymous 😊 If you’re willing to answer my 2 questions, I would appreciate responses in the next week (by end of day on Sunday, December 5th). 

If there is anything I can do to support your research or if you have suggestions for me in my role as Research Coordinator, please reach out via email or pop in to my “office hours” on Fridays from 12:30-1:30pm on Whereby. 

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