EducationResearchAtWestern

Application Writing Tip – Summaries are More Important than You Might Think

kueneman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:55:55 +0000

The below is copied from CIHR Funding News: Issue 113 (but applies to most funding applications):

As part of the application process, you are required to summarize your project in various ways (i.e., a “Lay Abstract” and a “Summary of Research Proposal”). While it may be tempting to give these summaries short shrift, given all of the other tasks you must complete, they are among the most important parts of your application.

Peer review committee members use the “Summary of Research Proposal” submitted at Registration to determine whether or not they have the appropriate level of expertise to review an application. The Open Operating Grants Program uses the summary to assign an application to the most appropriate peer review committee by comparing its content to the mandates of the individual peer review committees.

For strategic competitions, the “Summary of the Research Proposal” may be used to determine whether or not your proposal is relevant to the funding opportunity’s strategic research areas.

Make sure that the “Summary of the Research Proposal” provides: a concise account of the subject matter; an overview of each part of the research plan; specific project aims and the methodology. The summary should reflect the significance of your project as well as its alignment with the relevant research areas of a strategic initiative.

If your research project is determined to be of interest to the general public, the “Lay Abstract” is published on CIHR’s website and it may also be shared with the media. The “Lay Abstract” should be written in plain language so that the general public will understand the nature of your research project.

Information Session – Fellowship in Teaching Innovation & Research on Teaching Grants

kueneman — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:49:39 +0000

Fellowship in Teaching Innovation and the Western Research on Teaching Grants
Information Session

Wednesday, February 8, 2012
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Teaching Support Centre , Room 121, Weldon Library

Are you interested in developing a teaching innovation? Are you interested in researching your teaching?

You are invited to attend an information session on the Fellowship in Teaching Innovation and the Western Research on Teaching Grants. This session is intended for those preparing applications for these programs in the current cycle and for those who are interested in learning more about the programs. Register at: https://www.lib.uwo.ca/tsc/calendar/view_program.php?id=412

Fellowship in Teaching Innovation
Application Deadline: March 1, 2012
http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/awards_and_grants/western_funding_initiatives/fellowship.html

Western Research on Teaching Grants
Dean’s Deadline: March 15, 2012; RD&S Deadline: April 2, 2012
http://www.uwo.ca/research/funding/internal/research_teaching_grant.html

Visiting Speaker – Dr. Shengquan Yu

kueneman — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:53:20 +0000

Research on the Organization Model of Ubiquitous Learning Resource — From Learning Object to Learning Cell

Dr. Shengquan Yu
Professor and Dean, School of Educational Technology
Beijing Normal University

Monday, February 6, 2012
2:30 pm
Room 1010, Faculty of Education Building

Please RSVP to tbeynen@uwo.ca by Wednesday, February 1st.

All are welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

Abstract:With the development of pervasive computing and Internet technologies, information space will be seamlessly blended with physical space to form a ubiquitous information space combing reality with fantasy. That makes learning more and more ubiquitous, happening on demand, anytime and anywhere. Under such context, how to organize learning resources to support anytime, anywhere, on demand and adaptive learning is an emerging problem.

There is a new tendency, which is characterized by sharing the learning processive information, enhancing the intelligence of resource, implementing the evolution of learning content and creating a new resource construction mode based on Web 2.0, in the area of constructing and sharing of learning resource after the emergence of latest learning technologies like Reusable Learning Unit, Learning Object and Learning Design.

Current learning technologies concern learning resource sharing in a closed structure, ignoring the sustainable development and evolutionary capability of learning resources, the dynamic and generative connections between learning resources as well as between learners and teachers. Realizing that problem, we carry out research on the organization model of learning resources and explore the organizational framework theory and practical foundations of learning resources in ubiquitous learning. Beyond learning object, our research proposed a new d promising learning resource framework, named by Learning Cell (LC), for learning resources, which can better support informal learning, and the community construction and sharing of learning resources with the essential features of evolutionary. The “cell” in here we means: (1)Component: learning cells can compose higher-level learning resources; (2) Origin: learning cells grow from small to big, from weak to strong; (3) Nerve cell: learning cells can be united to get intelligence.

Learning cell will be adapted to ubiquitous learning and informal learning environment, and has some basic characteristics including utilizing collective wisdom, sustaining evolvement, generative information sharing, distributed runtime resource sharing, social network sharing, intelligent resources, etc. Learners could share the advanced wisdom from learner community and kinds of learning tools with it. Learning Cell is one of the significant elements in future seamless learning space supported by pervasive computing technology, and will be the keystone in ubiquitous learning realizing.

Western Research on Teaching Grant

kueneman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:32:47 +0000

Overview
Research Western, in cooperation with the Teaching Support Centre, has established the Western Research on Teaching Grant program to facilitate research on teaching and learning at Western. The purpose of the Research on Teaching Grant program is to support the work of all faculty, librarians and archivists to conduct research on teaching developments, innovations and practices that faculty members, librarians and archivists are engaged in. The aim of this program is not to fund the introduction of new teaching strategies, technologies or programs; rather it is to support research on such developments in order to examine their effectiveness and to contribute to the literature in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Amount: up to $3000

Deadlines:
Faculty of Education Research Office- March 15, 2012 (if you wish feedback on your application please submit 2-3 weeks early to Karen Kueneman)
Research Development & Services- April 2, 2012

Eligibility: A Principal Investigator (PI) must hold an academic appointment with a significant research component at The University of Western Ontario at the time of the application. In order to be named as PI on an internal grant, the applicant must be eligible to hold a research account at Western.

Selection Criteria
1) the project is clearly research on teaching and learning at Western;
2) the project uses an appropriate qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method to assess the teaching and learning issue proposed;
3) the project must make a novel contribution to the teaching and learning literature;
4) the project meets the ethical requirements for research involving human subjects;
5) the proposal is clear and complete; and
6) the final research project should be of publishable quality.

Guidelines and Applications

Applications must be accompanied by a ROLA Proposal.

Visiting International Faculty – Summer Accommodation Program

kueneman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:55:15 +0000

The Office of the Acting VP Research has secured 8 rooms in the Elgin Hall B&B for the period Monday, May 7 to Saturday, August 18, 2012 for visiting international faculty. The rooms are in suites of four rooms each, with all other facilities to be shared with other occupants. The cost of the rooms will be covered entirely by the VP Research Office and the rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you would like to reserve a room or rooms for your visiting international faculty during the above-mentioned period, please contact Melissa Franco (mfranco5@uwo.ca) and be sure to include all of the pertinent details for your request (i.e., visitor name and institution, country from which they are visiting, dates of the visit, etc.).

Please note that additional family members of the visiting faculty (eg., children/spouse) are not covered by this and separate rooms for family must be covered by other means.

Please contact Melissa directly if you have visiting international faculty who wish to take advantage of this (See also attached letter from Janice Deakin.)

SSHRC – Feedback Invited on Draft Policy Statement – Official Languages

kueneman — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:32:57 +0000

SSHRC is launching a consultation on a draft policy statement that will guide its implementation of Part VII (Section 41) of the Official Languages Act (OLA). This legislation requires all federal organizations, within the scope of their respective mandates, to take positive measures to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada, to support and assist their development and to foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

SSHRC encourages you to review the consultation materials. Please send feedback on this draft policy no later than February 23, 2012 by email to consultation-OLP-PLO@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca .

Seminar Series Talk

kueneman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:21:29 +0000

Collaborative Storytelling to Support Professional Learning

Dr. Rosamund Stooke
Faculty of Education

Wednesday, January 25, 2012
3:00 pm
Faculty of Education Building – Room 1010

All are welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to tbeynen@uwo.ca by Monday, January 23^rd

Abstract: This presentation invites dialogue about a research project carried out with a local community organization. The setting for the study was an informal, play-based learning program for young children and their caregivers located in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban neighbourhood. Drawing on an approach to documentation first developed by Margaret Carr for New Zealand’s Te Whariki early childhood curriculum, we created a set of picture-stories that illuminate aspects of children’s learning and professional practice not routinely captured by checklists and other standard assessment tools. I will present a set of stories that together tell a “larger story” about creating culturally responsive curriculum and supporting family literacy in the context of an informal, drop-in program. Reflecting on the stories, I also propose ways in which collaborative narratives can support professional learning.

Comparative and International Education Speakers Series

kueneman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:49:09 +0000

COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SPEAKERS SERIES PRESENTS:

Towards Sustainable Internationalization

Dr. Kumari Beck

Assistant Professor,
Co-Director, Centre for Research
in International Education,
Faculty of Education
Simon Fraser University

Monday, January 30^th at 10:30 a.m.
Room 1010, Faculty of Education, UWO

SUMMARY: Challenging the prevailing market model of internationalization of higher education, this presentation argues for the reduction of ‘harmful emissions’ to create sustainable ecologies of practice. Informed by a recently concluded study on conceptualizing education in sustainable terms, Dr. Beck outline a theoretical framework for assessing sustainability of internationalization practices that incorporates theories from ecological education, cultural studies and postcolonial thought. Data and findings from the study will be used to illustrate principles for a sustainable internationalization, articulated in terms of the human and educational costs and benefits of internationalization.

ADF – Small Grant

kueneman — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:03:11 +0000

The University of Western Ontario Academic Development Fund (ADF) New Research and Scholarly Initiatives Award, Small Grants Competition applications and instructions are now available.

Deadlines:
Faculty of Education Research Office: March 1, 2012 (if you wish feedback on your application please submit 2-3 weeks early to Karen Kueneman)
Research Development & Services: March 15, 2012

Value: $8,500 maximum (for up to 2 years)

Description: The ADF’s Small Grants Competition supports the cost of research projects of modest scope. Funds are available for seed money, one-time requests, and projects of short duration. Applications are to be made for new research initiatives. Preference will be given to applications that offer a clear rationale for the proposed research, exhibit innovation, and contain a budget explaining fully how the money requested will be spent. In addition, preference will be given to those faculty members striving to get programs of research established and to those who, during the past three years, have not received funds through the SSHRC Internal Research or International Research competitions or the Academic Development Fund (ADF).

Eligibility: Researchers in all disciplines are eligible. At the time of application, the principal applicant must be a regular, full-time faculty member at Western OR be a Professor Emeritus at Western with a casual appointment at the rank of Adjunct Research Professor – Independent Research Required. Applicants must be eligible to hold a research grant at Western.

Full Applications are to be accompanied by a completed ROLA proposal.

Guidelines and application forms

NOTE: Applications must be submitted electronically in pdf format . Please submit your electronic application by March 1/12 to Karen Kueneman, kueneman@uwo.ca, along with a hard copy of the signature page bearing your signature. All applications will be forwarded by the Research Office to Research Development & Services by the submission deadline of March 15/12.

Knowledge Translation at CIHR – talk

kueneman — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:42:45 +0000

Integrated knowledge translation at CIHR – what it means, how to do it and funding opportunities to support it

Dr. Ian Graham
Vice-President, Knowledge Translation and Public Outreach
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Tuesday, January 17
2:00 pm
Room 1330, Elborn College.

Everyone is welcome to attend this special lecture.