Featured Faculty & Staff Research

"Brave spaces in nursing ethics education: Courage through pedagogy." Journal of Nursing Ethics, 0(0). 2023. 

Natalie Ford, Masters of Nursing, Registered Nurse, CCNE; Larissa Gomes, Masters of Nursing, Registered Nurse, CCNE, Dr. Stephen Brown, Ph.D. 

Research description: Given the critical need to create morally supportive learning spaces which support civil discourse in nursing ethics education, the authors investigated the use of intentional pedagogy which fosters authentic engagement and courage in the classroom using a brave space framework. Using an exploratory cross-sectional design, data was collected from a nursing healthcare ethics and law course which was using a collaborative assessment called the engagement self-assessment (ESA). The research explored the influence of the ESA in the classroom and alignment with and creation of brave spaces within the learning environment.

Impact of research on learners at RDP: Results support the use of engagement assessment tools which promote agency, diversity in engagement, and independence for learners in our nursing program. Using a brave space framework can help transform the fear of vulnerability in learning spaces into authentic learning with one another.

Impact of research on broader community: The use of brave spaces in nursing ethics education is a novel approach not yet published in the nursing ethics literature. Results of the study offer new insights into the transformative impact of using brave spaces to support vulnerability in learners and the creation of inclusive and morally supportive learning spaces in higher education.

Future and current uses: Brave learning spaces are now embedded into the healthcare ethics and law course in our nursing program and is being piloted in our nursing simulation program. Expanded uses of brave learning spaces continues to be explored to support graduates who can exemplify bravery and accountability.  

"Life Skill Needs of Occupational Therapy Assistant Students: Perceptions of Instructors, Preceptors, Graduates and Current Students." Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 6(3). 2022.

Candi Raudebaugh, DSc (RHL), MSc (OT)

In this article, Red Deer Polytechnic Occupational and Physical Therapy Assistant Program instructor Candi Raudebaugh, along with her co-authors Marcia Finlayson and Kathleen Norman from Queen’s University and Sally Stewart from the University of British Columbia Okanagan describe their study of the life skill needs of occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. Students in the second year of a 2-year therapy assistant diploma program, graduates, instructors, and preceptors participated in interviews or focus groups to discuss OTA students’ life skill needs. Common themes were identified: contributors to student success; impact of students’ life skills on clinical encounters; and life skills training needs. Findings suggest that OTA students with lower confidence or abilities in life skills may also have lower confidence and success in clinical encounters. Life skills training tailored to OTA students may help students develop foundational skills to enhance their confidence and competence in relevant life skill areas. 

"The Impact of a Virtual Doctoral Student Networking Group during COVID-19." Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(0), 667–679. 2021.

Candi Raudebaugh, DSc (RHL), MSc (OT)

In this article, Red Deer Polytechnic Occupational and Physical Therapy Assistant Program instructor Candi Raudebaugh, along with her co-authors Jodi Webber, Stacey Hatch, Julie Petrin, Rhona Anderson, Ansha Nega, Karen Shannon, and Marcia Finlayson explore the value of a virtual doctoral networking group created to foster academic connection and peer learning during the COVID-19 global pandemic. They demonstrate that the benefits of the cohort model of learning can occur across programs and independent of the stage of progression in the programs, in a virtual context. These benefits open opportunities to new ways of supporting doctoral students in a post-pandemic environment.

Victorian Samplings Podcast Episode 4: Singing From the Margins. Crafting Communities.

Heather Marcovitch, PhD

In this podcast, Red Deer Polytechnic English faculty member Dr. Heather Marcovitch is part of a panel discussion about the hymns Victorians sang and the role of vocal music in the lives of marginalized individuals and groups. Dr. Marcovitch’s talk focuses on the Ethical Culture Society of New York, a secular humanist society, and the way its founder, Felix Adler, wove Talmudic knowledge into a popular hymn for the Society. These podcasts are part of the Crafting Communities project, a scholarly website about Victorian material culture and crafting.

“Open Education Lightning Talk: Open Education Practices in Introductory Psychology Courses.” 2021 University of Alberta Open Education Symposium.

Elena Antoniadis, PhD

In this presentation, Red Deer Polytechnic Psychology faculty member Dr. Elena Antoniadis describes the planning and implementation phases for the integration of Open Education Resources in online introductory psychology courses. A description of the faculty-generated instructional content and resources aligning with specified learning outcomes are also covered. The overarching goal of the project is to broaden access to education by lowering the cost of learning to students, all the while delivering a high-quality educational experience. If this year-long pilot is successful, the use of Open Educational Resources will be introduced into other introductory psychology courses within the institution.

 “An Exploration of Concept-Based Curriculum: A Qualitative Study”

Principal Investigator: Juliet Onabadejo, PhD, RN; Co-Investigators: Katherine Schepp, MN, RN; Carnelle "Raigne" Symes MN, RN CCNE; Kala Streibel, MN, RN CCSNE

Red Deer Polytechnic Nursing faculty members Dr. Juliet Onabadejo, Katherine Schepp, Carnelle "Raigne" Symes and Kala Streibel are exploring the overall impact of a new concept-based curriculum at the program level. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) program has recently implemented a concept-based curriculum which is a response to the issues of content-laden curricula to encourage effective student outcomes. The experiences of faculty, staff, administrators, and students are being explored to understand the impact of the curriculum change. A qualitative research method will enable the researchers to gain an understanding of how the faculty, staff, and students construct meaning within their context. This study will assist with knowledge generation and quality assurance while promoting the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research within the Collaborative BScN Program.  

Funding enables an undergraduate nursing student to participate as a paid research assistant, giving her a direct nursing education research experience with an opportunity to further develop a range of twenty-first century skills that will enhance her workplace readiness.

Award recipient: Dr. Choon-Lee Chai, School of Arts and Education

Project Summary:   This research aims to study international students’ experiences of “place” at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP). Arriving in a new place, international students often experience feelings of unfamiliarity, displacement, and alienation. To overcome this sense of dislocation, they engage in activities such as placemaking and spatial homemaking to forge a sense of continuity and belonging. Their interactions with campus spaces shape their sense of RDP as a place, which has a unique socio-cultural and geographical makeup that presents specific learning opportunities and challenges to international students. Little is understood about how feelings of place disruption or identity dislocation might impact student learning and their lives. This research will fill the knowledge gap through international students' narratives of comfortable and uncomfortable places at RDP. International students are part of the Red Deer community, and the research findings will forge a better understanding of their presence, contributions, and challenges they face, as RDP and Red Deer venture to make Central Alberta a welcoming and inclusive place of destination for international migrants.

Award recipient: Dr. Jamie Prowse-Turner, School of Arts and Education

Project Summary: The perinatal period is one anticipated with joy. However, for many mothers, the experience can result in physical and emotional trauma. Although birth trauma is considered a subjective experience, the general conceptualization of the experience is complex. This research will aim to address how childhood trauma may make women more vulnerable to experiencing birth trauma, specific factors and unique characteristics of mothers related to their experience, and the outcomes of the interaction of these variables following birth. This research will fill a gap in the field and provide insights that may influence practitioners, policy makers, and the general public by promoting maternal mental health and well-being and, ultimately, contributing to healthier families.

Award recipient: Dr. Jones Adjei School of Arts and Education

Project summary: Corporal punishment involves the use of physical force such as spanking, hitting, or slapping by adult caretakers to correct, discipline, or control a child’s inappropriate behaviour. Variously referred to as “spanking”, “popping”, or “smacking”, this form of punishment is generally intended to cause physical pain but often perceived to not intentionally cause physical injure the child (Criss et al. 2021).

In this project, Dr. Adjei, with Student Research Assistants, will examine Canadian attitudes towards corporal punishment and assess alternative forms of child discipline other than corporal punishment among Central Albertan parents with children aged between 3 and 12 years old. The results of this study will support the development strategies for effective child safety advocacy efforts in partnership with local community agencies.

Award recipients: Dr. Juliet Onabadejo, School of Health and Wellness and Dr. Folajinmi Oluwasina, Donald School of Business, Science and Computing, and Jones Adjei, School of Arts and Education

Project summary: The study aims to examine racial discrimination's effect on Black Canadians' mental health and determine the underlying processes and elements that contribute to this impact.  By analyzing the unique experiences of Black Canadians, the research team will add to current literature on racial discrimination and mental health, with the ultimate objective of guiding policy and practice to improve mental health outcomes for Black Canadians and other marginalized populations.

Award recipients: Natalie Ford, Masters of Nursing, Registered Nurse, CCNE; Larissa Gomes, Masters of Nursing, Registered Nurse, CCNE, Dr. Stephen Brown, Ph.D.

Project summary: Given the critical need to create morally supportive learning spaces which support civil discourse in nursing ethics education, the authors investigated the use of intentional pedagogy which fosters authentic engagement and courage in the classroom using a brave space framework. Using an exploratory cross-sectional design, data was collected from a nursing healthcare ethics and law course which was using a collaborative assessment called the engagement self-assessment (ESA). The research explored the influence of the ESA in the classroom and alignment with and creation of brave spaces within the learning environment.

Impact of research on learners at RDP: Results support the use of engagement assessment tools which promote agency, diversity in engagement, and independence for learners in our nursing program. Using a brave space framework can help transform the fear of vulnerability in learning spaces into authentic learning with one another.

Impact of research on broader community: The use of brave spaces in nursing ethics education is a novel approach not yet published in the nursing ethics literature. Results of the study offer new insights into the transformative impact of using brave spaces to support vulnerability in learners and the creation of inclusive and morally supportive learning spaces in higher education.

Future and current uses: Brave learning spaces are now embedded into the healthcare ethics and law course in our nursing program and is being piloted in our nursing simulation program. Expanded uses of brave learning spaces continues to be explored to support graduates who can exemplify bravery and accountability. 

Award recipient: Dr. Laura Davis, School of Arts and Culture

Project summary: The project was an exploratory one where Laura set out to find out new knowledge and information about the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. Specifically, Laura wanted to find out the extent to which she impacts conservation and environmental initiatives—through her donations and hands-on involvement. This is an important project because public figures like Margaret Atwood have celebrity leverage by which they can do good for society. Where public figures choose to donate and how they become involved can lead—Laura would argue—to actual impact in terms of conservation initiatives No one, thus far, has measured the extent to which public figures or celebrities impact conservation through their publicity and involvement. Doing so will enable other organizations to target celebrity donors, increase public visibility, and enhance awareness about conservation initiatives. 

Award recipient: Dr. Anah-Jayne Samuelson, School of Arts and Culture

Project summary: This project examines and suggests alternatives to Canada’s past and present child welfare policies that disproportionally impact Indigenous children. According to a 2021 Statistics Canada census, 53.8% of children in foster care are Indigenous, and yet Indigenous children account for only 7.7% of the total child population in Canada (“Indigenous Populations”). Robertson’s novel investigates the consequences of this on Indigenous children’s cultural and familial identities. In the novel, Robertson demonstrates the transformative potential of child welfare if it functions under the goals of Indigenous resurgence, is led by Indigenous Peoples, and is rooted in the Cree concept of Wahoktowin: systems of kinship that are defined not solely by blood relations, but by actions and the shared obligations and responsibilities we have towards one another.

Considering alternatives to federal child welfare policies is especially timely and important as Canada’s Bill C-92, an act that came into effect in 2021 and empowers Indigenous communities to develop and execute their own laws and policies regarding child welfare, is currently in front of the Supreme Court. The province of Quebec challenged the bill, claiming that the federal government has overstepped its jurisdiction in dictating how child welfare could be administered by provincial governments—or, more specifically, not be administered by provincial governments, and by Indigenous communities instead. How the court rules will have major impacts not only on child welfare, but on how Indigenous laws are respected in future cases—the stakes remain high; social dreaming like Robertson’s remain imperative if Canada is to truly meet the calls for decolonization and reconciliation.

Co-authored scholarly article, The effects of HeartMath Heart Lock-In on elementary students’ HRV and self-reported emotion regulation skills published in Psychology in the Schools and your coauthored literature review, Post-secondary student transitions and mental health: Literature review and synthesis, published in New Directions for Higher Education.

Co-authored scholarly article, Physiological responses to treadmill exercise in size and fitness matched male and female firefighter applicants, published in Ergonomics.

Co-authored scholarly article 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.

Scholarly article, More than Marshmallows: Implementation and Assessment of an Interactive In-Class Activity for Learning VSEPR Theory, published in the Journal of Chemical Education

Your article, 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. 

The culmination of and subsequent publication of your artwork, Lungs (from Nervous Systems) on the cover of Academic Medicine Journal.

Co-authored scholarly article, Brave spaces in nursing ethics education: Courage through pedagogy, published in Nursing Ethics.

Scholarly article, Concept Mapping in a Flipped Clinical Environment: A Basic Qualitative Study, published in The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Co-authored scholarly article, Impeded Sociability: Racial Consciousness and Racialized Immigrants’ Sense of Sociable and Unsociable Places in SemiRural Alberta, Canada, published in Canadian Ethnic Studies.

Co-authored article, 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.

Research-informed review, 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 your scholarly article, Flexibility of differentiation procedures in calculus, published in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology

Your paper, 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.

Creation and publication of your open educational resource, Pedagogical Leadership for Early Learning Educators.