Newsletter October 2011 - Bow Valley College
Newsletter October 2011 - Bow Valley College
Newsletter October 2011 - Bow Valley College
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Capacity Development through Internal Grants<br />
Much of Applied Research’s focus on capacity development is through the allocation of internal grants. All of the <strong>College</strong>’s faculty and staff are<br />
offered the opportunity to apply for grants up to $3,000. The examples below show the range, scope and diversity of topics, as well as the range<br />
of departments that have participated.<br />
Kakoli Mitra (Human Resources)<br />
Trends in Employment of Highly Educated<br />
Immigrant Women in Alberta: Calgary and<br />
Edmonton—A Literature Review 2000-2008<br />
Trevor McIvor and Aggie Legaspi<br />
(Business and Industry and Learning<br />
Resource Services) Valuing Contrary<br />
Opinions in the Classroom<br />
Hana Taleb Imai and Diane Hardy (ESL)<br />
Language for Work<br />
LEad RESEaRchER<br />
Dr. Aggie Legaspi<br />
alegaspi@bowvalleycollege.ca<br />
403-410-1553<br />
aPPLIEd RESEaRch OffIcER<br />
Scottie Ray<br />
sray@bowvalleycollge.ca<br />
403-410-1481<br />
RESEaRch EThIcS BOaRd<br />
Liz O’Shea, Chair<br />
loshea@bowvalleycollege.ca<br />
403-410-1692<br />
Rob Black Hana Taleb Imai<br />
Din Ladak Mauri Loyer<br />
Margaret Toye Melissa Wheeler<br />
Colleen Kawalilak<br />
(advisor to the committee)<br />
INTERNaL GRaNT<br />
REVIEw cOmmITTEE<br />
Dr. Aggie Legaspi, Chair Brett Bergie<br />
Linda O’Donoghue Karen Fiege<br />
Brent Novodvorski Val Millar<br />
Trevor McIvor<br />
TELL US YOUR STORY<br />
As research is expanding across departments<br />
at <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong>, the Office of Applied<br />
Research and Innovation would like to<br />
request that they be informed of research<br />
activities occurring within the college. This<br />
way, research project information can be<br />
entered into the research database, and give<br />
the researchers well-deserved recognition at<br />
upcoming research events and showcases.<br />
For more information, contact Scottie Ray,<br />
Applied Research Officer, at<br />
sray@bowvalleycollege.ca<br />
Brent Novodvorski (Academic<br />
Foundations) Social and Academic Sign<br />
Language: Bridging Classroom Experience<br />
into Communities<br />
Pam Lammiman (Health and<br />
Community Care) Medication<br />
Administration Project for Practical<br />
Nursing Students<br />
Brett Bergie (The President’s Office)<br />
Reaching Out: Access to Adult Education and<br />
Training in the Calgary Regional Communities<br />
Au revoir but not goodbye to Dean Of Applied Research<br />
<strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> bids farewell to the Dean<br />
of Applied Research, Dr. Rena Shimoni, who is<br />
retiring to pursue extensive travel and other<br />
endeavours. Rena’s passion for research, her<br />
energy, and her commitment have been<br />
instrumental in the growth and development<br />
of Applied Research at <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong>.<br />
Previously Rena served as the Dean of Health<br />
and Community Care, developing new<br />
programs and creating the platform for a<br />
range of certificate and diploma programs in<br />
Health and Human Services.<br />
In her role as Dean of Applied Research, she<br />
developed institutional capacity by preparing<br />
the <strong>College</strong> for eligibility for NSERC, SSHRC, and<br />
CIHR funding, by obtaining large grants for<br />
Liz O’Shea and Ruth Ayer (Learner<br />
Success Services) Using a Reflective Rating<br />
Scale to Asses Peer Training in the Psycho-<br />
Educational Assessment of Deaf Adults<br />
Alisa Foreman (TOWES)<br />
YWCA and TOWES<br />
Research Ethics Board<br />
welcomes Din Ladak<br />
Din Ladak has joined the Research Ethics<br />
Board (REB) as an external consultant. Din has<br />
been the Chief Executive Officer at Immigrant<br />
Services Calgary since May 2008. He has over<br />
30 years of experience in the social services<br />
sector, a B.Sc. in Psychology, a Bachelor of<br />
Social Work, and a Masters in Social Work with<br />
specialization in Ethnicity and Family Therapy.<br />
Noel Price and Lynne Thorimbert<br />
(Learning Resource Services) Building<br />
Social Capital: Community Arts Projects<br />
He has taught at the University of Calgary<br />
as well as at Mount Royal <strong>College</strong> (now<br />
Mount Royal University) and has been a<br />
recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award<br />
at the University of Calgary. BVC would like<br />
to extend a big welcome to Din. The REB is<br />
looking forward to drawing on his extensive<br />
experience and knowledge. <br />
research in health and teaching and learning,<br />
by developing a number of partnerships for<br />
research, and by mentoring both experienced<br />
and novice researchers.<br />
Personally and on behalf of her many<br />
colleagues, I would like to thank Rena for<br />
her many significant contributions and her<br />
unwavering energy and commitment to the<br />
evolution of a culture of research at <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong><br />
<strong>College</strong>. While we will miss her leadership<br />
in her current capacity, Rena will be staying<br />
with the <strong>College</strong> as a research associate, and<br />
is pleased to provide continued support to<br />
applied research.<br />
Anna Kae Todd<br />
Vice-President, Learning<br />
Produced in-house by BVC Marketing & Communications | September <strong>2011</strong> | 300<br />
EVENTS<br />
EVENTS<br />
Applied Research<br />
NEWSLETTER<br />
<strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> contributes to health workforce planning through applied research<br />
<strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> is implementing a major<br />
study related to effective utilization of the<br />
health workforce. Funded by Alberta Health<br />
and Wellness, in partnership with the <strong>College</strong><br />
of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta,<br />
the study will provide objective, researchbased<br />
evidence which focuses on LPNs in<br />
live settings, and evaluates their impact on<br />
quality patient care.<br />
The Principal Investigators in the study are<br />
Dr. Rena Shimoni, Dean of Applied Research,<br />
and Dr. Gail Barrington of Barrington Research<br />
Group. The research team includes Sarah<br />
VanDusen, Researcher, Nikki Gorembalem,<br />
student, and Project Manager Vi Smith.<br />
The research will entail six case studies that<br />
examine in depth the roles of Licensed<br />
Practical Nurses, and their impact on the<br />
quality of patient care. A multi-method<br />
approach to data collection will be used,<br />
including surveys, interviews with LPNs<br />
and managers, and focus groups with<br />
multidisciplinary teams. The findings of the<br />
study will be able to inform decision makers<br />
in health, managers and educators and will<br />
ultimately impact the quality of patient care<br />
within the Alberta Health System. <br />
This research project will begin to address a serious gap in the evidence related to staffing models in health care.<br />
The CLPNA is grateful to BVC for its commitment to quality patient care in the province of Alberta and for the<br />
research expertise BVC brings to this important project. – Linda Stanger, Executive Director, CLPNA<br />
The fruits of three years of research to be unveiled<br />
Distributed and online learners face many<br />
challenges not experienced by on-campus<br />
students. Believing that all students should<br />
have equitable service benefits, Dr. Rena<br />
Shimoni, Russ Wilde, and their research<br />
team are intent on changing this.<br />
At an upcoming meeting of the Vice-<br />
Presidents and SSAOs of the Alberta<br />
Association of <strong>College</strong>s and Technical<br />
Institutes, <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> will have the<br />
opportunity to launch an electronic toolkit and<br />
a policy manual for e-learning, a product of<br />
two research studies led by Dr. Rena Shimoni,<br />
Dean of Applied Research and Innovation, Russ<br />
Wilde, Director, Learning Resource Services at<br />
<strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong>, and Dr. Gail Barrington of<br />
Barrington Research Group.<br />
Research Showcase Event Oct. 6, <strong>2011</strong><br />
Call for Proposals for Internal Grants March 2012<br />
How to Write a Proposal Workshop April 2012<br />
Funded by eCampusAlberta and Advanced<br />
Education and Technology, these studies<br />
provided an in-depth understanding of both<br />
the needs of diverse learners with respect to<br />
distributed learning, as well as the practices of<br />
the post-secondary institutions in supporting<br />
these learners. Seven post-secondary<br />
institutions partnered with BVC in these<br />
EVENTS Watch for the following events hosted by Applied Research<br />
studies: Olds <strong>College</strong>, NAIT, NorQuest <strong>College</strong>,<br />
Northern Lakes <strong>College</strong>, Red Deer <strong>College</strong>,<br />
Lethbridge <strong>College</strong>, and Portage <strong>College</strong>.<br />
A key deliverable of the research project<br />
was the development of an electronic<br />
toolkit (or e-toolkit) that can be used by<br />
post-secondary institutions across Alberta to<br />
enhance the service they provide to learners.<br />
The e-toolkit can be viewed at http://<br />
etoolkit.ecampusalberta.ca/ A related policy<br />
study identified gaps and recommended<br />
changes in policies to ensure equitable<br />
support for online learners. Policies were<br />
either revised or new policies created. The<br />
policy development from this study will be<br />
incorporated into the e-toolkit. This phase of<br />
the study was led by Dr. Dean Wood. <br />
Research Ethics Workshop June 2012<br />
Qualitative Software Training Workshop TBA<br />
Quantitative Software Training Workshop TBA<br />
EVENTS Taking the temperature of nursing care in Alberta
A Profile of Dr. Aggie Legaspi<br />
Evaluation Facilitator becomes<br />
<strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong>’s Research Lead<br />
Known to most of us as the fellow<br />
heading the team responsible for program<br />
evaluations and the learner experience<br />
feedback, Dr. Aggie Legaspi oversees<br />
program and course evaluations. He also<br />
provides support for program accreditation<br />
and projects upon request. Utilizing<br />
Aggie's rich background in research will<br />
bring BVC to the next level in its applied<br />
research capacity development.<br />
Aggie has a B.Sc. in Psych, a MA in Social<br />
Psych (University of the Philippines) and a<br />
PhD in Ecological-Community Psychology<br />
(Michigan State University). He is no stranger<br />
to research. Before he came to BVC he<br />
was involved in a wide range of research<br />
related to self-help, health service provision,<br />
community health, and church communities.<br />
All of these projects involved different<br />
populations and settings including both<br />
urban and rural settings in the Philippines,<br />
Michigan, Alaska, and Calgary.<br />
Aggie has taught both graduate and<br />
undergraduate students, and conducted<br />
research at the University of the Philippines<br />
and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.<br />
Required courses on research methods,<br />
statistics, and measurement during his<br />
undergrad studies ended up piquing Aggie’s<br />
interest in the field of research. Fascinated with<br />
knowing how we know, and how we make<br />
sense of our world, Aggie found research a<br />
natural niche.<br />
“As much as I gravitate towards research, I<br />
strongly appreciate other ways of revealing<br />
our nature–especially the visual and<br />
performance arts, spirituality and religion,<br />
design, traditions, and legends/folklore,”<br />
Aggie says.<br />
Here at BVC, Aggie has been instrumental<br />
in the development of the Research Ethics<br />
Board and his participation in capacity<br />
development activities has been paramount<br />
to their success. His wide range of research,<br />
evaluation, and teaching at the <strong>College</strong><br />
and university levels, and his work with the<br />
not-for-profit sector, made him the ideal<br />
candidate to be BVC’s new lead researcher.<br />
Aggie sees his new role as increasing the<br />
capacity of BVC employees to conduct<br />
research at different levels.<br />
“It is that curiosity on which research grows<br />
and with which applied research wants to<br />
work with you,” he says. “Let us work together<br />
on satisfying and building on that curiosity.”<br />
The evolution of a model for<br />
applied research at <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong><br />
The recognition that colleges have a vital<br />
role to play in applied research has been<br />
received with enthusiasm by <strong>College</strong><br />
executives and faculty. The adoption and<br />
integration of applied research throughout<br />
the colleges has been an interesting and<br />
by no means uniform process. Unlike<br />
universities that are founded upon<br />
research, colleges had to “home grow”<br />
their own visions for how research would<br />
fit their institutions.<br />
At <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> we started by recognizing<br />
that a good deal of research had been<br />
occurring for years before it was part of the<br />
official mandate. For example, TOWES has a<br />
decade-long record of applied research and<br />
the successful development of an assessment<br />
tool known nationally and internationally.<br />
The goals of the Office of Applied Research<br />
and Innovation (initiated three years ago<br />
by the Vice-President, Learning, and led<br />
by the Dean of Applied Research) were<br />
to: enhance <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong>’s applied<br />
research capacity amongst learners, faculty,<br />
staff and communities; expand strategic<br />
partnerships; benefit industry, government,<br />
and community; and enhance the reputation<br />
of <strong>Bow</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> <strong>College</strong> as a leader in applied<br />
research and innovation.<br />
Work towards meeting these goals<br />
involved: leading applied research that is<br />
relevant to BVC’s mission and mandate;<br />
grant development; capacity development<br />
activities; and the development of policies<br />
and procedures such as the amendment of<br />
policies in compliance with the revised Tri<br />
Council Policy, and as required for NSERC,<br />
CIHR and SSHRC eligibility.<br />
Capacity development activities included<br />
workshops on a variety of topics such<br />
as: writing a research proposal, an ethics<br />
application, and a literature review; how to<br />
get an article published; interviewing for<br />
qualitative research; survey development; and<br />
participating in classroom-based research.<br />
Drop-in activities were also available, where<br />
the lead researcher held regular office hours<br />
for drop-in support to BVC staff who were at<br />
various stages of engagement in research. <br />
The Evolution of Applied Research<br />
Anna Kae Todd Rena Shimoni<br />
Vice-President, Learning Dean, Applied Research and Innovation<br />
One of the key challenges facing BVC is<br />
balancing our strong desire to promote and<br />
engage in research, with our concern that our<br />
core business remain focused on teaching<br />
students. Further, most of our faculty lack<br />
the experience required to be independent<br />
researchers, yet they are in the best position<br />
to provide insight into where the gaps are in<br />
practice knowledge.<br />
One of the strategies that has proven<br />
successful in achieving this balance is to<br />
have the research questions generated by<br />
the frontline people, and then hire research<br />
experts to design and either implement,<br />
or guide the implementation of the study.<br />
By using a collaborative model of research<br />
between external researchers and our own<br />
staff, we can be competitive in accessing<br />
major research grants, develop our internal<br />
research capacity, and still maintain our<br />
commitment to learners.<br />
The best way to describe the existing<br />
model of applied research is at BVC<br />
“centralized-decentralized.” We wanted to<br />
make certain that engagement in applied<br />
research remained the responsibility of each<br />
department in the <strong>College</strong>.<br />
Where a department had a desire for research<br />
but not the capacity, the Dean of Applied<br />
Research would work with the department to<br />
develop and conduct the research, involving<br />
the department according to its ability.<br />
Where the department had the capacity, the<br />
Office of Applied Research and Innovation<br />
would provide support, but the bulk of the<br />
work would be internal to the department.<br />
The role of the Office of Applied Research<br />
and Innovation became, in this case, more of<br />
a support service and ensured that policies<br />
related to research were being adhered to.<br />
After three years of working in this model<br />
we have seen an enhanced commitment to<br />
research amongst the <strong>College</strong> leadership.<br />
Today, each department either has<br />
developed a research agenda, or is in the<br />
process of doing so. Therefore, the Office<br />
of Applied Research will continue to exist<br />
as a support and information service for<br />
<strong>College</strong> researchers, while the responsibility<br />
for conducting research will be within the<br />
various <strong>College</strong> departments. The capacity<br />
has been developed sufficiently for this<br />
autonomy to be successful.