University of Victoria Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ leads pan-Canadian strategy roundtable on knowledge mobilization

muellerm — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ recently initiated a roundtable discussion on the development of a Pan-Canadian strategy to advance and support knowledge mobilization led by the ��𲹰��貹��-��é��𲹳ܱ��貹��ٸ�𳦳�� (RIR), Canada’s Knowledge Mobilization Network. The discussion was held at the University on Oct.24 and 25.

During the roundtable, members of the 91��ɫ-led RIR Network, which included vice-presidents and research directors of the 10 member Universities across Canada, participated in discussion to support Pan-Canadian knowledge mobilization initiatives and campus-community collaborations that can maximize the economic, social and environmental impacts of research and scholarship.

“91��ɫ was pleased to host this roundtable discussion for the ��𲹰��貹��-��é��𲹳ܱ��貹��ٸ�𳦳�� (RIR) network,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “The key outcomes of the discussion were a renewed commitment to RIR as Canada's Knowledge Mobilization network and support for the development of a Pan-Canadian strategy to advance Knowledge Mobilization initiatives and best practices across the country, as the RIR Network continues to grow its membership.”

The roundtable highlighted the history of the ResearchImpact network, a discussion of the models of knowledge mobilization and successes at RIR universities, a prioritization of the goals for the RIR network, a discussion of the rationale for a Pan-Canadian strategy to support knowledge mobilization and more.

Founded in 2006 by 91��ɫ and the University of Victoria, RIR is committed to developing institutional capacities to support knowledge mobilization by developing and sharing knowledge mobilization best practices, services and tools. In 2010-2011 RIR expanded to include Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Université du Québec à Montréal, University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan. In 2013, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Wilfird Laurier University, Carleton University and l’Université du Montreal also joined.

For more information about the ��𲹰��貹��-��é��𲹳ܱ��貹��ٸ�𳦳�� network, visit the website, or or e-mail info@researchimpact.ca.

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Knowledge Mobilization documents best practices for clear language research summaries

muellerm — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:00:00 +0000

When it comes to conveying the important research to the broader community, clear language summaries are the best choice, this according to a new article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Scholarly & Research Communications.

�� David Phipps (left), executive director of research & innovation services, and colleagues from 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit (KMb), the group put pen to paper to highlight their experiences in summarizing academic research according to clear language writing and design principles over the past four years and how that practice has made research more accessible to the community.

The article titled, "A Field Note Describing the Development and Dissemination of Clear Language Research Summaries for University-Based Knowledge Mobilization", highlights best practices for the development, evaluation and dissemination of clear language research summaries as tools for research outreach, research communication and knowledge mobilization. It is co-authored by Michael Johnny, manager, 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit, Krista Jensen, knowledge mobilization officer at 91��ɫ and Gary Myers, a community based researcher and author of the KMbeing.com blog.

“Working with our partners and faculty to identify relevant research helps make 91��ɫ's research accessible and useful to our community partners" says Phipps.

91��ɫ piloted institutional knowledge mobilization with the University of Victoria in 2005 under a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Since then, 91��ɫ has grown its knowledge mobilization collaboration with the University of Victoria to include the other four ��𲹰��貹��-��é��𲹳ܱ��貹��ٸ�𳦳�� universities: Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador, Université du Québec à Montréal, University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan.

91��ɫ currently has more than 220 clear language research summaries in a series titled ResearchSnapshot, which is published on blog. Working with a cohort of senior undergraduate work study students, the University's KMb Unit produces between 40 to 50 research summaries every summer.

"91��ɫ is proud of the work of our award-winning KMb Unit in connecting researchers and students with community partners for social innovation. As a recognized leader in knowledge mobilization initiatives, 91��ɫ’s work and reputation in this field continues to grow both nationally and internationally,” said Robert Hache, 91��ɫ's vice-president research & innovation. “The article written by David Phipps and his KMb colleagues provides a framework for others interested in learning more about best practices and 91��ɫ’s initiatives in this area.”

"SRC and its readers are very interested in the communication and use of knowledge as mediated by processes such as knowledge mobilization," says Rowland Lorimer, SRC editor and director of the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing at Simon Fraser University. "The work of David Phipps and his knowledge mobilization colleagues at 91��ɫ is of growing interest to scholars and research partners who are interested in communicating and using knowledge to benefit Canadians. SRC is pleased they have chose to publish their work with us."

91��ɫ's KMb Unit and the University of Guelph Institute for Community Engaged Scholarship have recently partnered in support of a project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to produce clear language summaries of research at the University of Guelph. The KMb Unit is also working on clear language research summaries with the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health Evidence Exchange Network and the Knowledge Network for Applied Education & Research, a knowledge mobilization network funded by Ontario's Ministry of Education of which 91��ɫ's Faculty of Education is a partner. With these partnerships in place, 91��ɫ will be hosting over 500 ResearchSnapshot clear language research summaries.

To read the full text of the article, click . To view the ResearchSnapshot for this article, click

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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#Legalhistory: law students argue first case via Twitter

fmaquito — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Students from 91��ɫ’s Osgoode Hall Law School will make their case in increments of 140 characters or less, in what’s billed as the world’s first Twitter moot court ().

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, five teams from law schools across Canada will argue a moot court case entirely on the popular social media platform. The event, hosted by West Coast Environmental Law, begins at 1pm EST; its hashtag is #twtmoot.

“One hundred and forty characters is a great way to focus legal arguments and ideas,” says Osgoode Dean Lorne Sossin, himself an avid tweeter (). “This is a novel and timely initiative. Congratulations to West Coast Environmental Law for initiating the project and good luck to the mooters, especially Team Osgoode. We’ll be following this groundbreaking moot with great interest,” he says.

The public is invited to participate by following @twtmoot, watching the action on the Twitter Moot list () or on its (no account required), and posting with the #twtmoot hashtag – comments, discussion and heckling welcome!

Teams of two students from law schools at Dalhousie University, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria and 91��ɫ will argue a mock appeal of a recent precedent-setting environmental case, West Moberly First Nations vs. British Columbia. The case raises issues related to the survival of an endangered caribou herd threatened by coal mining and ongoing industrial development.

Osgoode students Nikki Petersen and Emelia Baack will represent the West Moberly First Nations in the appeal; they will argue that the nation’s treaty right to hunt should extend to protecting a particular herd of caribou from coal mining impacts.

Petersen hopes the social media aspect will help connect people who are passionate about issues stemming from the case.

“Twitter is a great way to let many people share their views. I see the moot as a spark to get a discussion going about environmental law issues in Canada. The response to Team Osgoode has been very positive,” she says.

The Twitter Moot will be presided over by a panel of three judges: William Deverell, Omar Ha-Redeye, and Kathleen Mahoney.

For more information about the Twitter Moot and how to participate, . Team Osgoode is sponsored by Saxe Law Office.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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David Phipps and 91��ɫ's KMb Unit named Canada's biggest influencers

fmaquito — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

David Phipps, director of 91��ɫ's Research Services and Knowledge Exchange, has been named the most influential knowledge broker in Canada, according to a report by Knowledge Mobilization Works, a consulting and training company based in Ottawa.

The Canadian Knowledge Mobilization 100, a survey run by , asked respondents to rank the biggest influences of their knowledge mobilization practice. Phipps, who leads 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit and , Canada’s knowledge mobilization network, topped the list.

Left: David Phipps

Also mentioned among the top influencers in Canada were Peter Levesque (Knowledge Mobilization Works), Melanie Barwick (Hospital for Sick Children), Ben Levin (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and Gary Myers (KMbeing.com). The survey collected responses from Jan. 5 to June 15, and results were released by Knowledge Mobilization Works on Monday.

“Knowledge mobilization is a key element of 91��ɫ’s research outreach strategy,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “Through David’s efforts and leadership, 91��ɫ’s excellent reputation as a leading knowledge mobilization university in Canada continues to be strengthened. This recognition by his peers is well deserved.”

91��ɫ piloted institutional knowledge mobilization in 2005 under a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Since then, 91��ɫ has grown its knowledge mobilization collaboration with the University of Victoria to include the other four ��𲹰��貹��-��é��𲹳ܱ��貹��ٸ�𳦳�� universities: Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador, Université du Québec à Montréal, University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan. 91��ɫ also works closely with the United Way of 91��ɫ Region to deliver knowledge mobilization services to the 91��ɫ Region community, municipal and regional agencies.

Knowledge mobilization is a suite of services that connect university research and expertise to government and community agencies so that research can help these organizations make better informed decisions about public policy and social services. Knowledge mobilization is a process that results in social innovation.

“Knowledge mobilization has become very important for Canada,” said Steven Gaetz, professor in the Faculty of Education who leads both the and the . “David’s work and that of the knowledge mobilization unit is very helpful to those of us seeking to make research accessible to policy makers.”

Levesque, president and CEO of Knowledge Mobilization Works, undertook the survey to obtain a snapshot of who people see as influential in their knowledge mobilization practice in Canada.

“We think that knowledge mobilization as a concept and as a practice is growing. We think that we have barely scratched the surface of understanding what influences knowledge mobilization practice,” said Levesque.

Founded in January 2007, Knowledge Mobilization Works supports individuals and organizations to create incentives and infrastructure for knowledge mobilization.

For more information on 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit contact , manager, Knowledge Mobilization at ext. 88876.

To view the results of the survey, visit .

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Globe & Mail's 2010 Campus Research report cites 91��ɫ researchers, programs and projects

fmaquito — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

This week, the Globe & Mail's has focused on several of 91��ɫ's researchers and research-related programs.

On March 9, the Globe published an article on the . The story was part of its special report on university research and also appeared in the Report on Business section:

The study of literature is rarely associated with economic growth, yet that is precisely the argument made by Impact Group co-founder Ron Freedman: "The Stratford Festival generates huge economic benefit for the local community. What's its core technology? Old English."

According to Mr. Freedman, who authored a report on the economic role of social sciences and humanities research, this type of research doesn't get its fair share of credit for its contributions to the Canadian economy and society.

Discussions about the role of research in economic growth are usually dominated by the so-called "hard sciences," biomedical and technology in particular, and the Conservative government's recent Speech from the Throne was no exception, with its promises to continue investing in the Science and Technology Strategy, create a digital economy strategy and support advanced research in space-based technologies.

But many in the research community believe that focusing funding primarily on science and technology to strengthen the economy is a mistake. "The humanities and social sciences are moving to centre stage," said SSHRC president Chad Gaffield recently in a speech.

Two projects lead by 91��ɫ professors were mentioned in the coverage:

There are thousands of groups across the country trying to end homelessness. Yet, often being under-resourced, they lack funds to research whether their programs are effective. Enter Professor Stephen Gaetz of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education and nursing Professor Bernie Pauly of the University of Victoria who teamed up with community partners to help them evaluate their programs and share their great ideas with other communities.

Megan Davies, a professor in the Department of Social Science in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, had long wanted to share the wealth of knowledge she had accumulated about the history of mental health in Canada with young people, wrote the Globe. So, together with Anne Marshall, director of the Centre for Youth & Society at the University of Victoria, she developed high-school material that teaches students to understand their own mental health and be compassionate toward others with mental illness and made it available to teachers online at the Web site CaringMinds.ca.

On March 8, the Globe also published an article on that included 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization program, which partners researchers with community organizations and government policymakers to produce mutually-beneficial research.

“The future lies in exchanging all forms of research not just with industry but with government and with the community at large as well,” says David Phipps, director of the Office of Research Services at 91��ɫ. “In past, the focus has been on technology. Now we are extending it to business, law, the social sciences and the humanities.”

...

At 91��ɫ, Mr. Phipps has two full-time staff working on what he calls knowledge mobilization. To date, they work with the United Way of 91��ɫ Region and The Human Services Planning Coalition of 91��ɫ Region, which represents 15 different social services agencies.

Representatives from those agencies meet regularly with 91��ɫ researchers for what he calls KM in the AM — a knowledge management breakfast — where the agencies get to pick what area of research they want to hear about and a 91��ɫ professor specializing in that area delivers a presentation.

"After that we leave it to the agencies and the professors to follow up," he says.

On March 10, Professor Joe Baker in 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health was profiled as one of several . It highlighted his research on the benefits of exercise and competitive sport to older people.

“We’re finding that a lot of things that we used to attribute to getting older, like decreases in cognitive functioning, depression and increased substance abuse, are really more a symptom of disuse rather than aging,” says Baker, a member of 91��ɫ’s Alliance in Graceful Aging, a multidisciplinary research team.

He also examines how society’s negative stereotypes about aging influence people’s behaviours as they grow older. “We are very much a culture that values youth and devalues the older person,” he says.

His findings so far suggest people’s expectations about aging play a significant role in their declining physical and cognitive abilities. “We’re just starting to get a handle on how big an influence these negative social stereotypes are on overall health,” he says.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of .

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91��ɫ prof launches Caring Minds, mental health Web site for students, teachers and parents in Grades 7-12

fmaquito — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Despite increased awareness and education, mental health and mental health issues are still surrounded by stigmas for many Canadians. 91��ɫ Professor is helping to challenge prevalent stereotypes and to encourage more dialogue about mental health issues in Canada. She is using her academic research to give students in Grades 7 to 12 the tools and knowledge they need to understand mental health both within their peer group and within the community.

Right: Megan Davies

Davies and University of Victoria Professor E. are in the final stages of a community-informed curriculum project that will provide middle- and secondary-school teachers in Ontario and British Columbia with a set of innovative, cross-disciplinary teaching units they can integrate into the classroom. The Youth & Mental Health project is funded by a Collaborative Faculty Incentive Grant from ResearchImpact, which is a 91��ɫ and University of Victoria initiative. The project is the result of a series of consultations with community groups, educators, and psychiatric survivors and it will offer students a wide range of perspectives on mental well-being. The goal is to facilitate critical thinking on this sensitive – and often controversial – topic, and to explore interrelated themes of diversity and social justice.

Davies got the idea for the project in an undergraduate class she taught at 91��ɫ over five years ago. Her students – inspired by the material they were exploring on the history of mental health in Canada – told her that mental health issues should be tackled in the classroom much earlier in a student’s education. “I really took that to heart,” she notes. “They were right; we need to talk to their younger selves.”

A series of community consultations were held in Toronto and Victoria. In September, Davies and Marshall presented four draft teaching units to middle- and secondary-school focus groups for feedback and criticism. Feedback from the groups was integrated into the units and the researchers began to develop a Web site that would house the teaching units and other resources. launched at the end of January and it is rich with lesson plans, hands-on activities, resources and helpful learning objectives.

Learners explore, across cultures and history, the shifting contours of what is, and what has been regarded as, normal mental health in the first teaching unit, Understanding, Experiencing & Equity. The lessons in the unit encourage students to consider where stereotypes about mental health come from, how they impact individuals and communities, and what can be done to combat these negative responses. In one of the activities, students are asked to discuss passages from the diary of a young woman named Lara Gilbert who lived in Vancouver during the 1980s and 1990s and struggled with depression. “The idea is to get students to think about what life is like for someone with mental health issues,” says Davies. “What better way to provoke discussion than through the writings of someone who has actually dealt with the challenges, the discrimination and the struggle for well-being.”

Traditionally, mental health patients in Canada were sent to live at institutions for extended periods of time, if not their entire lives. In the 1960s and 1970s, improved treatment options and a shift in ideology occurred; governments and health professionals started to advocate for the deinstitutionalization of mental health care. The idea was to integrate – rather than isolate – patients into the community. The second teaching unit, Self-Determination & Activism, provides a snapshot into the conditions of mental health institutions and explores what the shift in practice meant for those living with mental health issues.

As Davies notes, though integrating individuals into the community may have been a noble idea, it has been a difficult and flawed process. Insufficient community services, limited health care, and a lack of funding for resources have prevented mental health patients from getting the support they need. Instead, the most powerful force for positive change has often come from psychiatric survivors themselves who have united against discrimination and pushed for better living conditions. Students in the second unit examine patients’ rights and reflect on the mixed freedoms and hardships that community living can provide.

Housing, Homelessness & Poverty, the focus of the third teaching unit, asks students to think about complex questions such as: Why are people with mental health issues vulnerable to being homeless? Should safe, affordable housing be considered a fundamental right? Highlights of the unit include surprisingly grim figures about the state of homelessness in Canada and an activity that gets students to create skits that portray the real-life stories they’ve read in class.

The last teaching unit, Well-Being, Health Care & Treatment, looks at positive mental health strategies and resources. It also examines mental health care through the lens of human rights. Lessons are complemented by historical archives, cartoons and artwork.

“Each of the four teaching units draw heavily on personal experiences, historical documents, poetry and graphic art in order to help students gain a more comprehensive and personal understanding of the complex aspects of mental health,” says Davies. “The lessons are interactive and designed to encourage a deeper learning experience through personal reflection and engagement in classroom discussion.”

Davies, who teaches in the Health & Society Program in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, continues to exchange ideas with community partners on revisions for the teaching units. She hopes to develop more units in the future and to have them linked to curriculum in other provinces, translated so that they can be accessed by francophone students and reworked for aboriginal communities. Davies also welcomes suggestions for improvement from students. In fact, she says students played a key role in the overall success of the project. “A lot of the work was done by youth – from the original artwork on the Web site to data entry and research,” Davies notes. “This was very much a youth-centred project and it only made sense to involve them at each phase.”

The project has already attracted .

The curriculum project is part of a larger heritage initiative that is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. As part of that initiative, Davies has been active in the creation of another Web site, , which serves as a research, resource and educational hub on mental health issues.

For more information on Davies’ research, e-mail daviesmj@yorku.ca.

By Kristin Taylor, communications coordinator, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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91��ɫ and UVic launch Caring Minds, mental health Web site for students, teachers and parents in Grades 7-12

fmaquito — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Researchers at 91��ɫ and the University of Victoria in British Columbia have taken the latest research in mental health and worked with teachers, as well as mental-health-system users and service providers, to create an online curriculum easily used by teachers and grasped by high-school students.

helps young people address the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health concerns and treatment. It provides Grade 7 to 12 teachers, students and parents with four teaching units—covering discrimination and stigma, housing and poverty, rights and activism, and well-being and treatment—that come with activities, lesson plans and resources.

The project garnered coverage in Victoria, BC’s .

Led by , associate professor in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' Department of Social Science (left) and , professor of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies at UVic, the project was , which launched several pilot projects by offering grants to help researchers and their partner organizations address research issues with relevant public policy and/or professional practice implications. , which covers Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Victoria, View Royal and a portion of Saanich and Highlands, is among the project's partners.

Caring Minds features original artwork created by William Willis, a sixteen year-old secondary school student, and help make the site visually appealing while keeping its focus appropriate for a youth-centred project.

Davies and Marshall are now disseminating their research findings, pursuing additional funding to further resource development and expand the program internationally while seeking ways to integrate their materials with other provincial curricula and international Web sites. A more detailed overview of the is available here.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin – and – researchimpact's blog about knowledge mobilization at 91��ɫ and the University of Victoria.

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