Research Projects – Past
Social Network Analysis in Teaching and Learning
Manuscript: Poole, G., Iqbal, I., & Verwoord, R. (2018). Small significant networks as birds of a feather. International Journal for Academic Development, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2018.1492924
Project: With Dr. Gary Poole and Roselynn Verwoord, we examined how post-secondary instructors use significant networks to support their professional growth as teachers and SoTL scholars.
Based on our analysis of existing research on small significant networks pertaining to teaching and learning, our research posed the following questions:
(1) How are educators using networks in their own contexts to expand, refute or build their stories of teaching and learning and of SoTL?
(2) Do instructors perceive greater similarity among network members than among randomly chosen colleagues?
(3) Are there relationships among perceived similarity, value of interactions, and impact of the network on one’s teaching and research on teaching?
(4) What strategies can be employed to enhance the value of one’s networks?
Student Peer Feedback: Between 2016-2017, I worked with two UBC instructors who implemented student peer feedback approaches in their courses. Together, we carefully considered the course design, researched and selected student peer approaches, implemented and evaluated these (in terms of student learning and other) and then made further modifications to the course based on the evaluation data.
Evaluation of the Course Design Intensive: Beginning in April 2015, I led a program evaluation of the Course Design Intensive, a workshop offered through the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. (Link to more information).
The Educational Developer’s Portfolio (February 2014-February 2016). I was part of a collaborative research project inquiring into the Educational Developer’s Portfolio. Collectively, we gathered data from educational developers through World Cafes and inquired into the possibilities for the Educational Developer’s portfolio and what is needed to support a culture of portfolios. We produced two publications from this project: (1) The Educational Developer’s Portfolio Guide (2015) and (2) a journal article titled “Exploring the potential of educational developer portfolios” in To Improve the Academy.
Team members on this project were: Jeanette McDonald (lead), Natasha Kenny, Erika Kustra, Judy Chan, Debra Dawson, and Paola Borin (and, of course, me).
Planning the Integrated Respirology Module (November-December 2014). With colleagues from Pharmaceutical Science, I conducted a program evaluation study related to an integrated Respirology Module in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. I interviewed members of the planning team to determine what they perceived were the successes and challenges of planning an integrated module. The intention of this research was to help with future module development.
Student and Faculty Member Perceptions of the Student Evaluations of Teaching: A Qualitative Study. (July 2013-June 2014). This was a collaborative project conducted with John Lee (who was an undergraduate student in the Pharmacy program), Marion Pearson, and Simon Albon. We have had our paper accepted to Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning (scheduled to be published in Spring 2016).
How do Physicians Learn to be Good Patient Educators? (January-June, 2013). This was a study being conducted by Dr. Terese Stenfors-Hayes, when she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship. In my role as research assistant, I conducted literature reviews and carried out data analysis.
Faculty Members’ Professional Growth in Teaching Through the Summative Peer Review of Teaching and Other Departmental Practices. In 2012, I completed a doctoral research study. Please see here for information on my doctoral research.