Dean's Note

Welcome to SPARK—kicking off the Summer:

ANOTHER BUSY YEAR—I THINK WE HAVE NOW ACCEPTED THAT BUSY IS OUR NORMAL STATE HERE AT HUMBER. Many new projects are underway that will hopefully increase your participation in research in September.

This was a great year for conference submissions for Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation (ORI)! We were successful in our submission to CARA (see report inside), STHLE/SoTL (coming in September) and the Academy of Management (AoM)—also reported in September. We were successful in our professional development workshop where we are presenting the work of our Global Polytechnic Alliance (Steve Henry and Henk Root from Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand and Thomas Iskov and Niels Bjerre Tange from VIA in Denmark). All of our colleagues will be joining us in Boston in August. We were also successful in our submission to the Teaching and Learning conference on our “Butterfly Effect” project done last summer. Results will be available in the September issue of SPARK

International Research Bootcamp

We are hard at work at developing our first International Research Bootcamp scheduled following the Global Summer School—July 24 to 28. We have almost 50 participants from a variety of countries, including the UK, Spain, Kenya, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Bhutan. Our colleagues from Otago Polytechnic will be joining Lisa Anketell, Sharon McIntyre, Anju Kakkar and myself to deliver our pilot Research Bootcamp.

SEDA Accreditation

Our new SEDA certificates will also be ready in September. SEDA is an accrediting body from the UK, and it stands for Staff and Educational Development Association.

The focus of this certificate is to introduce professional learners to the qualities and elements of applied research design in a higher education setting—including (but not limited to) applied research paradigms, methodologies, methods, ethics, and impact assessment. Learners will be exposed to a variety of knowledge dissemination channels relevant to applied research and will have the opportunity to locate their research interests within a wider knowledge context. Self-reflection and confidence building are key elements of this certificate, to support the learner in finding their voice as a researcher and connecting with a professional community of applied researchers. Contemporary topics on equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB); Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing (IWKBD); and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) will be considered as they relate to applied research. Learners who successfully complete this certificate will identify a personal topic of interest in applied research, create a concise summary of current research in their chosen area of focus, and present a thematic review to a group of peers.

This certificate is for faculty and staff in a college, polytechnic, or technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institute, as well as industry and community professionals.

Certificate 2—Enhancing Applied Research Practice

The focus of this certificate is for professional learners to explore historical foundations of higher education applied research and learning theories, analyze contemporary issues, and contribute their own perspective to the body of knowledge. Learners will have the opportunity to situate their research interests within a wider context, produce new knowledge, and disseminate through a variety of channels suitable to applied research. Learners will explore elements of research supervision in a higher education setting – including (but not limited to) effective research mentorship, expectations, graduate-level research, and peer-supervision. Advanced issues related to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB); Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing (IWKBD); and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) will be explored as they relate to applied research opportunities and constraints. Learners who successfully complete this certificate will produce a conceptual framework and literature review for their applied research topic and will prepare a review article for dissemination.

This certificate is for faculty and staff in a college, polytechnic, or technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institute, as well as industry and community professionals. Learners must have completed “Certificate 1 - Foundations of Applied Research Design” or demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience.

These certificates map to SEDA’s Underpinning Values, Core Development Outcomes, and the Enhancing Research Practice Award Specialist Outcomes:

Underpinning Values

Develop an understanding of how people learn

Practise in ways that are scholarly, professional, and ethical

Work with and develop learning communities

Value diversity and promote inclusivity

Continuously reflect on practice to develop oneself, others and processes

Core Development Outcomes

Identify their own professional development goals, directions, or priorities

Plan for initial and/or continuous professional development

Undertake appropriate development activities

Review their development and practice and the relations between them

Enhancing Research Practice Specialist Outcomes

Locate their research activities within wider contexts

Utilize a range of specialist knowledge/skills related to their research practice

Demonstrate how their research is informed by relevant legal and ethical considerations

Undertake selfmanagement and/ or leadership activities appropriate to their research role

So if you are interested in participating in an introductory pilot, please let me know. I would be pleased to discuss these certificates with you. These certificates are open to any Humber faculty (FT, sessional, part-time), administrators or other staff interested in research.

I hope you have a restful summer that rejuvenates you and yours. I hope to see you in September!

Ginger Grant, PhD. Dean, Office of Research & Innovation