Celebrating vast scholarly activity & applied research

Recently, Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) celebrated its faculty’s scholarly activity and independent applied research at the Recognition of Scholarly Activity (RoSA) Awards and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (ETaL) Capstone Recognition Event.

“At RDP, we are proud to acknowledge the diverse scholarly activity and applied research projects that has been conducted by faculty during the past year,” says Dr. Alison Jeppesen, Associate Dean, Division of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship. “The RoSA Awards and ETaL Capstone Recognition Event is one example of how we demonstrate our commitment to teaching development, life-long learning and the advancement of research that creates positive impact across Alberta, Canada and the world.”

RDP faculty were recognized for their breadth of scholarly activity in four categories: Discovery, Integration, Application/Engagement and Teaching. The following 16 award recipients were honoured at the event for their influential and broadly disseminated scholarly activity during 2023:

• Dr. Fola Oluwasina, University Sciences Diploma instructor
  • Co-authored article titled Burnout among Residents: Prevalence and Predictors of Depersonalization, Emotional Exhaustion and Professional Unfulfillment among Resident Doctors in Canada, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
• Dr. Kristy Erickson,  University Sciences Diploma instructor
  • Authored article titled More than Marshmallows: Implementation and Assessment of an Interactive In-Class Activity for Learning VSEPR (valence shell electron pair repulsion) Theory, published in the Journal of Chemical Education.
• Dr. Wesley Maciejewski, Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Bachelor of Education instructor
  • Research-informed review titled The Siren Call of Calculus: A Review of Steven Strogatz’s Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe, published in The Mathematics Enthusiast, and scholarly article titled Flexibility of differentiation procedures in calculus, published in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology.
• Cameron Ehnes, Kinesiology & Sport Students Diploma instructor
  • Co-authored scholarly article titled Physiological responses to treadmill exercise in size and fitness-matched male and female firefighter applicants, published in Ergonomics.
• Natalie Ford, Bachelor of Science in Nursing instructor
  • Co-authored paper titled Brave Spaces in Nursing Ethics Education: Courage Through Pedagogy, published in Nursing Ethics. 
• Larissa Gomes, Bachelor of Science in Nursing instructor
  • Co-authored paper titled Brave Spaces in Nursing Ethics Education: Courage Through Pedagogy, published in Nursing Ethics. 
• Elaine Spencer, Social Work Diploma instructor
  • Co-authored article titled Adaptability and Innovations in Social Work Field Education During the Pandemic of COVID-19: A Study of Student’s Experiences Across Campuses in India and Canada, published on the International Association of Schools of Social Work website.
• Jolene Wright, Social Work Diploma instructor
  • Co-authored article titled Adaptability and Innovations in Social Work Field Education During the Pandemic of COVID-19: A Study of Student’s Experiences Across Campuses in India and Canada, published on the International Association of Schools of Social Work website.
• Dr. Juliet Onabadejo, Bachelor of Science in Nursing instructor
  • Scholarly article titled Concept Mapping in a Flipped Clinical Environment: A Basic Qualitative Study, published in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
• Dr. Anomi Bearden, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies instructor
  • Co-authored scholarly article titled The effects of HeartMath Heart Lock-In on elementary students’ HRV and self-reported emotion regulation skills, published in Psychology in the Schools and co-authored literature review titled Post-secondary student transitions and mental health: Literature review and synthesis, published in New Directions for Higher Education.
• Dr. Stephen Brown, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Science in Psychology instructor
  • Authored paper titled The Persistence of Matching Teaching and Learning Styles: A review of the Ubiquity of This Neuromyth, Predictors of its Endorsement, and Recommendations To End It, published in Frontiers in Education and co-authored paper titled Brave Spaces in Nursing Ethics Education: Courage Through Pedagogy, published in Nursing Ethics. 
• Dr. Roger Davis, University Arts Diploma and Bachelor of Arts in English instructor
  • Authored article titled Towards a Speculative Friction: Didacticism and Environmentalism in Derrick Jensen’s Lives Less Valuable, published in the collection Precarity in Culture: Precarious Lives, Uncertain Futures.
• Dr. Jones Adjei, University Arts Diploma and Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies instructor
  • Co-authored scholarly article titled Impeded Sociability: Racial Consciousness and Racialized Immigrants’ Sense of Sociable and Unsociable Places in SemiRural Alberta, Canada, published in Canadian Ethnic Studies.
• Dr. Choon-Lee Chai, University Arts Diploma and Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies instructor
  • Co-authored scholarly article titled Impeded Sociability: Racial Consciousness and Racialized Immigrants’ Sense of Sociable and Unsociable Places in SemiRural Alberta, Canada, published in Canadian Ethnic Studies.
• Marnie Blair, Visual Art instructor
  • The culmination of, and subsequent publication of artwork titled Lungs (from Nervous Systems), on the cover of Academic Medicine Journal.
• Claudia Sasse, Early Learning & Child Care Certificate and Diploma instructor
  • Creation and publication of Open Educational Resource titled Pedagogical Leadership for Early Learning Educators.

In greater depth, as one example of the applied research activity that was recognized at RDP’s recent RoSA and ETaL Capstone event that will directly impact students in the future is Dr. Stephen Brown’s work on The Persistence of Matching Teaching and Learning Styles: A Review of the Ubiquity of This Neuromyth, Predictors of its Endorsement, and Recommendations to End It.

“In my review paper, I provided an overview of the substantial body of evidence that suggests that matching teaching and learning styles does not improve educational outcomes,” says Dr. Brown, a Psychology instructor. “Instead, educators can explore systematic cognitive neuroscience, focusing on knowledge that students can practically use, such as information on executive functions like working memory and planning ability.”

Another example of the breadth of scholarly activity at RDP is Natalie Ford’s research and co-authored paper titled Brave Spaces in Nursing Ethics Education: Courage Through Pedagogy. In collaboration with Larissa Gomes and Dr. Brown, Ford wanted to cultivate evidence-based teaching practices as a nurse educator. 

“My interest to support difficult conversations in the classroom while promoting agency in learning prompted the investigation into pedagogical practices in the nursing ethics course I was developing,” says Ford. “The research project progressed through the support of the RDP research community and the Polytechnic’s Centre of Teaching, Learning and Scholarship.”

The Recognition of Scholarly Activity (RoSA) Committee has celebrated significant scholarly endeavours by Red Deer Polytechnic’s faculty since 2006. 

Along with honouring the RoSA Award recipients at the event, Raymond Savage, Business instructor, was also recognized for completing a capstone project. Capstone projects are the final component of the Excellence in Teaching and Learning Program (ETaL). This is a Career Development Certificate credentialed through the Polytechnic’s Continuing Education and Corporate Training division. During the three-year program, faculty meet in interprofessional groups to explore teaching and learning in post-secondary.

Scholarly activity and capstone projects enhance the experiences of RDP students, faculty and communities and help to address societal and industrial challenges. 

Read the Recognition of Scholarly Activity program. Learn more about the Polytechnic’s diverse applied research and areas of focus.