2019 Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Jan 26, 2019
Abstract This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learn... more Abstract This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL) to Kenyan university students. Through in-depth research conversations six students shared their experiences of CBL with various types of human service organizations throughout the country. Their experiences highlight the continuing power of cultural and historical context on students’ learning experiences. Findings delve into distinctive aspects of CBL unique to the Kenyan context related to diversity in Kenya, HIV/AIDs in CBL curriculum and critical CBL reflection. These distinctive issues highlight the complexity of CBL in Kenya. Recognizing critical civic engagement in Kenya is closely associated with the country’s social and cultural contexts, this presentation suggests the pedagogy of discomfort as a critical pedagogy to engage in transformative CBL to mitigate negative reactions to students’ difficult learning experiences in the process of making connections between classroom learning and praxis in Kenyan communities. Additional strategies to guide and support students in critical reflection on their CBL experiences are also discussed.
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, Sep 28, 2021
Purpose: To identify key attributes of Canadian clinical registered dietitian (RD) jobs associate... more Purpose: To identify key attributes of Canadian clinical registered dietitian (RD) jobs associated with high rates of turnover. Methods: Managers of clinical RDs in Canada were eligible to complete a survey on the topic of turnover in clinical RD positions. Specifically, key details were sought regarding positions with the highest and lowest turnover in each manager’s portfolio. Results: High turnover (HT) positions turned over an average of 4.0 times in a 5-year period in contrast to 0.3 times in low turnover (LT) positions. Resignation was the top reason for turnover in both HT and LT positions. HT and LT positions were of analogous full-time equivalent, had comparable caseloads, and served clients/patients with similar diagnoses including diabetes and neurological conditions. Conclusions: There is significant variation in the frequency of turnover across positions in clinical dietetics in Canada. What differentiates HT positions from LT positions remains unclear. More research is required to guide managers seeking to balance turnover and preclude uneven nutrition care quality across units and programs.
Cradle of Knowledge: African Journal of Educational and Social Science Research (The)
An agricultural development project with university and community partners from Kenya and Canada ... more An agricultural development project with university and community partners from Kenya and Canada was implemented in Naari, Kenya. Development agencies such as non-governmental organizations design and implement projects that can enhance people’s capacity and living conditions. Many studies have focused mainly on the direct and economic effects of development projects. There is a need to understand the diverse impacts of development projects, especially from those benefiting from such interventions. This paper evaluated the impact of an agricultural development project on participating women farmers' emotional and civic engagement status. Study objectives were to investigate the level of influence of the agricultural interventions on the emotional and civic engagement status of women participants and to examine the demographic factors influencing the emotional and civic engagement status of women participants. The study occurred in the Naari region of Kenya between 2015 and 2017 ...
Additional file 1. BMC Health Services Research Appendix. This is the information letter that was... more Additional file 1. BMC Health Services Research Appendix. This is the information letter that was provided to respondents. It is cited as Appendix 1 in the manuscript text.
Research on faculty use of technology and online education tends to be cross-sectional, focusing ... more Research on faculty use of technology and online education tends to be cross-sectional, focusing on a snapshot in time. Through a secondary analysis of the annual Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology conducted by Inside Higher Ed each year from 2013 through 2019, this study investigated changes in faculty attitudes toward technology and online education over time. Specifically, the study examined and synthesized the findings from surveys related to attitudes toward online education, faculty experiences with online learning, institutional support of faculty in online learning, and faculty use of technology. Results showed a low magnitude of change over time in some areas (e.g., proportion of faculty integrating active learning strategies when converting an in-person course to a hybrid/blended course) and a large magnitude of change in other areas (e.g., proportion of faculty who believe that online courses can achieve the same learning outcomes as in-person courses). These resul...
Partner organizations advise that students in Community Resource Management and Extension program... more Partner organizations advise that students in Community Resource Management and Extension programmes need to be better prepared in aspects of working in different community contexts; working in diverse projects within the same organization; doing administrative management; and report writing and presentations. Students are required to complete a practicum for a minimum of twelve weeks in a community-based context. The project created a partnership between the Department of Applied Human Sciences (AHS) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in Canada and the Department of Community Resource Management and Extension (CRM&E) at Kenyatta University (KU) in Kenya. The project improved relationships between institution-host partner organizations
This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL)... more This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL) to Kenyan university students. Through in-depth research conversations six students shared their experiences of CBL with various types of human service organizations throughout the country. Their experiences highlight the continuing power of cultural and historical context on students’ learning experiences. Findings delve into distinctive aspects of CBL unique to the Kenyan context related to diversity in Kenya, HIV/AIDs in CBL curriculum and critical CBL reflection. These distinctive issues highlight the complexity of CBL in Kenya. Recognizing critical civic engagement in Kenya is closely associated with the country’s social and cultural contexts, this presentation suggests the pedagogy of discomfort as a critical pedagogy to engage in transformative CBL to mitigate negative reactions to students’ difficult learning experiences in the process of making connections between classroom lea...
VanLeeuwen describes a course that provides students from four different human service programs o... more VanLeeuwen describes a course that provides students from four different human service programs opportunities to develop their skills in developing educational and outreach programs to promote healthy lifestyles for diverse population groups. Students work in interprofessional teams with local human service community organizations for the entire program development process. This includes completing a comprehensive needs assessment, as well as implementing and evaluating a portion of the educational sessions developed for the project. Discussion includes strengths and challenges of an interprofessional approach to field-based learning; a description of the course; the Critical Reading and Integration Test used in the course; program development, implementation and evaluation project; team presentations; team and individual activities in the course; assessment and evaluation; and the high-impact elements embedded in the course.
As digital education at the post-secondary level continues to grow, robust professional developme... more As digital education at the post-secondary level continues to grow, robust professional development that prepares faculty to teach in online and blended settings is necessary. In this study we analyze open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association’s annual survey of Canadian post-secondary institutions (2017-2019) to deepen our understanding of faculty training and support for digital education as articulated by higher education institutions. We find that 1) digital education orientation or on-boarding processes for faculty vary widely; 2) institutions employ an extensive array of professional development practices for digital education; 3) institutions report culture change, work security, and unclear expectations as challenges in providing digital education training and support; and 4) institutions articulate aspirations and hopes around professional development investments in order to build digital education capacity. These findings have significant i...
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2021
Digital education refers to in-person, blended, and fully online learning efforts, as well as att... more Digital education refers to in-person, blended, and fully online learning efforts, as well as attempts to capture a wide range of teaching and learning contexts which make use of digital technology. While digital education is pervasive in Canada, pan-Canadian data on digital education are relatively scarce. The Canadian Digital Learning Research Association/Association Canadienne de Recherche sur la Formation en Ligne conducted pan-Canadian surveys of higher education institutions (2017-2019), collecting data on the digital education landscape and publishing annual reports of its results. Previous analyses of the data have used quantitative approaches. However, the surveys also collected responses to open-ended questions. In this study, we report a systematic analysis of qualitative data exploring the digital education landscape in Canada and its changes over time. Findings shed light on the growth of digital education, the situated and multidimensional nature of digital education, ...
2019 Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Jan 26, 2019
Abstract This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learn... more Abstract This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL) to Kenyan university students. Through in-depth research conversations six students shared their experiences of CBL with various types of human service organizations throughout the country. Their experiences highlight the continuing power of cultural and historical context on students’ learning experiences. Findings delve into distinctive aspects of CBL unique to the Kenyan context related to diversity in Kenya, HIV/AIDs in CBL curriculum and critical CBL reflection. These distinctive issues highlight the complexity of CBL in Kenya. Recognizing critical civic engagement in Kenya is closely associated with the country’s social and cultural contexts, this presentation suggests the pedagogy of discomfort as a critical pedagogy to engage in transformative CBL to mitigate negative reactions to students’ difficult learning experiences in the process of making connections between classroom learning and praxis in Kenyan communities. Additional strategies to guide and support students in critical reflection on their CBL experiences are also discussed.
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, Sep 28, 2021
Purpose: To identify key attributes of Canadian clinical registered dietitian (RD) jobs associate... more Purpose: To identify key attributes of Canadian clinical registered dietitian (RD) jobs associated with high rates of turnover. Methods: Managers of clinical RDs in Canada were eligible to complete a survey on the topic of turnover in clinical RD positions. Specifically, key details were sought regarding positions with the highest and lowest turnover in each manager’s portfolio. Results: High turnover (HT) positions turned over an average of 4.0 times in a 5-year period in contrast to 0.3 times in low turnover (LT) positions. Resignation was the top reason for turnover in both HT and LT positions. HT and LT positions were of analogous full-time equivalent, had comparable caseloads, and served clients/patients with similar diagnoses including diabetes and neurological conditions. Conclusions: There is significant variation in the frequency of turnover across positions in clinical dietetics in Canada. What differentiates HT positions from LT positions remains unclear. More research is required to guide managers seeking to balance turnover and preclude uneven nutrition care quality across units and programs.
Cradle of Knowledge: African Journal of Educational and Social Science Research (The)
An agricultural development project with university and community partners from Kenya and Canada ... more An agricultural development project with university and community partners from Kenya and Canada was implemented in Naari, Kenya. Development agencies such as non-governmental organizations design and implement projects that can enhance people’s capacity and living conditions. Many studies have focused mainly on the direct and economic effects of development projects. There is a need to understand the diverse impacts of development projects, especially from those benefiting from such interventions. This paper evaluated the impact of an agricultural development project on participating women farmers' emotional and civic engagement status. Study objectives were to investigate the level of influence of the agricultural interventions on the emotional and civic engagement status of women participants and to examine the demographic factors influencing the emotional and civic engagement status of women participants. The study occurred in the Naari region of Kenya between 2015 and 2017 ...
Additional file 1. BMC Health Services Research Appendix. This is the information letter that was... more Additional file 1. BMC Health Services Research Appendix. This is the information letter that was provided to respondents. It is cited as Appendix 1 in the manuscript text.
Research on faculty use of technology and online education tends to be cross-sectional, focusing ... more Research on faculty use of technology and online education tends to be cross-sectional, focusing on a snapshot in time. Through a secondary analysis of the annual Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology conducted by Inside Higher Ed each year from 2013 through 2019, this study investigated changes in faculty attitudes toward technology and online education over time. Specifically, the study examined and synthesized the findings from surveys related to attitudes toward online education, faculty experiences with online learning, institutional support of faculty in online learning, and faculty use of technology. Results showed a low magnitude of change over time in some areas (e.g., proportion of faculty integrating active learning strategies when converting an in-person course to a hybrid/blended course) and a large magnitude of change in other areas (e.g., proportion of faculty who believe that online courses can achieve the same learning outcomes as in-person courses). These resul...
Partner organizations advise that students in Community Resource Management and Extension program... more Partner organizations advise that students in Community Resource Management and Extension programmes need to be better prepared in aspects of working in different community contexts; working in diverse projects within the same organization; doing administrative management; and report writing and presentations. Students are required to complete a practicum for a minimum of twelve weeks in a community-based context. The project created a partnership between the Department of Applied Human Sciences (AHS) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in Canada and the Department of Community Resource Management and Extension (CRM&E) at Kenyatta University (KU) in Kenya. The project improved relationships between institution-host partner organizations
This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL)... more This paper reports on a hermeneutic study exploring the meaning of community-based learning (CBL) to Kenyan university students. Through in-depth research conversations six students shared their experiences of CBL with various types of human service organizations throughout the country. Their experiences highlight the continuing power of cultural and historical context on students’ learning experiences. Findings delve into distinctive aspects of CBL unique to the Kenyan context related to diversity in Kenya, HIV/AIDs in CBL curriculum and critical CBL reflection. These distinctive issues highlight the complexity of CBL in Kenya. Recognizing critical civic engagement in Kenya is closely associated with the country’s social and cultural contexts, this presentation suggests the pedagogy of discomfort as a critical pedagogy to engage in transformative CBL to mitigate negative reactions to students’ difficult learning experiences in the process of making connections between classroom lea...
VanLeeuwen describes a course that provides students from four different human service programs o... more VanLeeuwen describes a course that provides students from four different human service programs opportunities to develop their skills in developing educational and outreach programs to promote healthy lifestyles for diverse population groups. Students work in interprofessional teams with local human service community organizations for the entire program development process. This includes completing a comprehensive needs assessment, as well as implementing and evaluating a portion of the educational sessions developed for the project. Discussion includes strengths and challenges of an interprofessional approach to field-based learning; a description of the course; the Critical Reading and Integration Test used in the course; program development, implementation and evaluation project; team presentations; team and individual activities in the course; assessment and evaluation; and the high-impact elements embedded in the course.
As digital education at the post-secondary level continues to grow, robust professional developme... more As digital education at the post-secondary level continues to grow, robust professional development that prepares faculty to teach in online and blended settings is necessary. In this study we analyze open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association’s annual survey of Canadian post-secondary institutions (2017-2019) to deepen our understanding of faculty training and support for digital education as articulated by higher education institutions. We find that 1) digital education orientation or on-boarding processes for faculty vary widely; 2) institutions employ an extensive array of professional development practices for digital education; 3) institutions report culture change, work security, and unclear expectations as challenges in providing digital education training and support; and 4) institutions articulate aspirations and hopes around professional development investments in order to build digital education capacity. These findings have significant i...
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2021
Digital education refers to in-person, blended, and fully online learning efforts, as well as att... more Digital education refers to in-person, blended, and fully online learning efforts, as well as attempts to capture a wide range of teaching and learning contexts which make use of digital technology. While digital education is pervasive in Canada, pan-Canadian data on digital education are relatively scarce. The Canadian Digital Learning Research Association/Association Canadienne de Recherche sur la Formation en Ligne conducted pan-Canadian surveys of higher education institutions (2017-2019), collecting data on the digital education landscape and publishing annual reports of its results. Previous analyses of the data have used quantitative approaches. However, the surveys also collected responses to open-ended questions. In this study, we report a systematic analysis of qualitative data exploring the digital education landscape in Canada and its changes over time. Findings shed light on the growth of digital education, the situated and multidimensional nature of digital education, ...
Technology is impacting the way we teach and the way students learn. The purpose of this study is... more Technology is impacting the way we teach and the way students learn. The purpose of this study is to gather information on technology choices in Family Science courses and to explore what is driving the way Family Science instructors are choosing to integrate technology in their courses. What sets our study apart, is our focus on the use of technology in Family Science classrooms. The adoption of technology is often done without fully taking time to analyze why we are using it, what is accomplished through its use and what the consequences may be. Ideally instructors engage in critical reflection about what technology we are using and why and how the selected technology should facilitate learning, encourage student engagement and higher order learning outcomes.
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Keywords: technology, teaching, instructors