During the second semester of my Master’s Degree, in Winter 2016, I took a course called Engaged Scholarship:  Bridging the gap between academia, policy, and practice using knowledge mobilization.  This is the first time this course is being offered at York, and it is taught by a professor with experience bringing research to life. Dr. Stephen Gaetz created and directs the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, which operates the Homeless Hub.  He has been recognized many times for his work with Canadian homeless youth, most recently with the SSHRC Connection Award.  Engaged scholarship through knowledge mobilization encompasses a number of relatively new questions being investigated, namely: what kind of impact can we have with our research?

What kind of impact can we have with our research?

Once a week we met for three hours to discuss topics such as plain language writing, knowledge dissemination, design strategy, affecting policy change, and measuring impact.  I learned a lot about academic data literacy and finding academic resources, critically reading and summarizing their content.

I posted one of my favourite activities on plain language here.  For my final project I had to create a web-based resource focusing on an issue of interest to the community, the general public, policy makers or researchers.  I decided to create a resource that made research about women in STEM fields accessible to high school students and their parents.  Visit the website to check out posts breaking down:

1. Stereotype threat from the International Journal of Science Education
2. Spotlight on Science Learning from Let’s Talk Science and Amgen
   1. 2012 – A Benchmark of Canadian Talent
   2. 2013 – The High Cost of Dropping Science and Math
   3. 2014 – Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce: What do Canada’s Teens Think About Their Futures?
      
   4. 2015 – Exploring Parental Influence: Shaping teen decisions regarding science education