Browsing by Author "Lock, Jennifer V."

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    A Case Study on Leadership in a Transnational Landscape of Practice
    (2018-03-26) Kay, Douglas William; Lock, Jennifer V.; Brandon, Jim; Taylor, Maurice C.; Kenny, Natasha A.; Radford, K. Scott
    The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the nature of leadership that emerged within a higher education-based community of practice engaged in the process of developing an interprofessional teaching and learning initiative between nursing and medical students. The setting of this initiative was located in one country in the Arabian Gulf Region in the Middle East. This study was situated in a unique setting as it involved a group of North American-based faculty and academic support staff members piloting an experiential teaching and learning experience within a transnational higher education context. This study was set within a wider landscape where several North American-based universities had established transnational branch campuses in this particular country in the Arabian Gulf Region. As such, it was the first identified study of its kind that had been conducted within this situated context. This study had an emphasis on investigating leadership representation within an interprofessional community of practice and the impact this had on the sustainability of the community throughout their first collective iteration of engagement and potentially beyond. Qualitative data sources collected for this study included individual interviews, meeting observations, and field note documentation captured from community participants throughout the research period. Data analysis followed a social anthropological approach that is aligned with the exploration and investigation of group processes and dynamics within an authentic working environment. This single case study offered a conceptual rationale that situated the research context within a review of literature relating to leadership in the areas of transnational higher education, the scholarship of teaching and learning, communities of practice and situated learning. Further positioning of this research offered a review of literature on community of practice systems conveners and distributed leadership. These were two forms of organizational leadership in alignment with operational aspects of communities of practice in the situated context of this study.
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    Aesthetic Experiences and Emergent Designs for Learning in Minecraft
    (2019-11) Gupta, Anindya Nandini; Kim, Beaumie; Clark, Douglas B.; Lock, Jennifer V.; Lund, Darren E.
    It is often argued that learners engage deeply as they set their own learning goals by playing games such as Minecraft. This phenomenon has been widely accepted and there has been a growing body of literature examining the potential of sandbox games like Minecraft for learning opportunities. Yet, few studies have illustrated how engagement occurs through learner-generated designs in Minecraft and what that entails for design-based learning and teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to explore aesthetic engagement in Minecraft using a constructionist epistemology that would help determine the design process of playable games and constructions based on curricular topics. This dissertation presents the two designs as two cases forming a multiple case-study on design-based learning in Minecraft. The design process, was then, examined as a comparative study to understand aesthetic experiences in Minecraft. The study revealed that learners, who designed games in Minecraft underwent continuous, fulfilling, and transformative experiences. They perceived the design exercise through connections that emerged through game-play, and engaged in various trajectories of participation that drew upon computational thinking and practices, as well as gaming culture. Comparatively, learners who designed artifacts based on Social Studies curricular goals could not consistently undergo fulfilling, continuous and transformative experiences. They faced difficulty in drawing connections across domains and subjects as they could not endogenously situate the design experience based on their syntonic understanding in Minecraft. Their individual approach to design further affected their understanding and critical evaluation from multiple perspectives. These cases suggested the need for playful and participatory learning involving authentic audiences for the realization of aesthetic experiences in Minecraft. The study also implicated the need to understand the design of games like Minecraft, and the principles of learning through such mediums through a consideration of their affordances and limitations.
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    Becoming Makers: A Designed-Based Research Study Investigating Curriculum Implementation Through Making
    (2019-07-04) Becker, Sandra Lynn; Jacobsen, D. Michelle; Lock, Jennifer V.; Sengupta, Pratim
    Educational researchers suggest there is great potential in the implementation of makerspaces as learning environments in formal school settings (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014; Hira & Hines, 2018; Martin, 2015; Wardrip & Brahms, 2016) My manuscript-based dissertation explores if and how making for learning might be enacted for a teacher and her class within the context of three separate curriculum topics. Each manuscript explores the research data from a different perspective, both pragmatically and theoretically: 1) comparing the figured worlds of makerspace and classroom as learning environment; 2) participants developing ontologically through the exploration of making in the context of STEM curriculum; and 3) participants growing as designers through making. Critical to this work was the selection of participatory design-based research as methodology, underpinned by the theories of constructionism and communities of practice. Through three cycles of making, I sought to answer the following research questions: How can teachers be supported in the development of teacher knowledge, pedagogy, and practice within an elementary school makerspace environment? and How can teachers support the development of students’ conceptual understanding of disciplinary topics in an elementary school makerspace? My goal was to explore how teachers working within classrooms as complex systems and the constraints and opportunities of curriculum topics might adopt making practices to further learning possibilities for their students. Three design principles emerged from the work, those being, 1) teachers, when designing for student learning in makerspaces, must consider that inherent in design iterations are opportunities for sensemaking as well as consequential displays of knowledge; 2) teachers must experience and share with students their own experiences of learning through failure; and 3) students must be provided opportunities from start to finish to do the work of professionals. This study focused on one teacher and her class over a year. It is recommended that future research might explore how elementary teachers in multiple school settings and from multiple backgrounds take up making as a way for their students and themselves to learn.
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    Building and sustaining virtual communities
    (2003) Lock, Jennifer V.; Hunter, William J.
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    Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity: Program and Abstracts
    (2019-04-17) Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Lock, Jennifer V.; Schroeder, Meadow
    The Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity was held at the University of Calgary, April 17-18, 2019. This program contains the full schedule from the 1.5-day event, along with information on the keynote sessions, 23 peer-reviewed papers, 5 posters, and 3 interactive workshops. Full abstracts for each presentation are included, making this a useful artefact from the conference that serves to document the topics discussed and the research occurring across Canada on various topics related to academic integrity. Document length: 49 pages.
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    Coaching the Coaches: Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Instructional Skills of Canadian Air Traffic Control On-the-Job Instructors Through Professional Learning
    (2020-11-11) Dye, Christa; Lock, Jennifer V.; Friesen, Sharon; Groen, Janet Elizabeth
    Coaching in air traffic control on-the-job training is challenging and instructor quality can affect outcomes. This qualitative study explored the phenomenon of how instructional coaching can be used as a means of professional learning to help air traffic control on-the-job instructors (OJIs) identify and implement improvements to their instructional practices. The study focused on using coaching to build the capacity of OJIs to provide trainees with effective formative feedback. A three-phase design-based research (DBR) methodology was used to (a) prepare, design, and evaluate a usable professional learning coaching protocol, and (b) contribute theoretical understanding through the development of design principles. Three main findings emerged from this study. First, through iterative testing of the designed coaching protocol, eight key components were identified, including: four process components (learning culture, coaching conversation, adaptable framework, logistical feasibility), and four content components (clarity of expectations, reinforce positives, targeted progression, actionable priorities). These key coaching protocol components formed the basis of a reflective process used to identify a set of theoretical design principles intended as a starting point for others undertaking design studies in similar contexts. Second, the training culture within the unit will either foster or inhibit the OJIs’ engagement with professional learning opportunities and willingness to adopt the coaching protocol. This highlights the necessity for effective leadership and change management in implementing new professional learning initiatives. Third, OJIs must receive adequate training to use the coaching protocol, following professional learning best practices, to effectively influence instructional capacity. The findings of this study have implications for policy and practice. First, a plan should be established to further develop a training culture that supports effective workplace learning for OJIs. Second, OJIs should be provided with initial training and ongoing support on effective use of the coaching protocol. Third, members of the training team should receive ample preparation as instructional coaches to effectively support ongoing OJI development and professional learning. The results of this study will be of interest to those involved in air traffic control training, both in Canada and internationally, as well as to those in other safety-critical industries relying on on-the-job training.
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    Designing a Protocol for Developmental Observation of Online Teaching
    (2020-07-06) Mahdavi, Flora; Lock, Jennifer V.; Brown, Barbara; Koh, Kim H.
    Many higher education institutions in Canada have identified a lack of professional development and pedagogical support for faculty and their resistance as significant barriers to implementation and growth of online education. This study focused on the observation of online teaching as a way of providing ongoing pedagogical support to online instructors to enhance their professional development. Though teaching observation in face-to-face classrooms for purposes of evaluation or development has received extensive attention from scholars, this method of support in the online learning environments is novel and understudied. Using an iterative design-based research methodology, a protocol for developmental observation of online teaching (DOOT) was designed, refined and evaluated. This process aimed to respond to the question of how such a protocol supports the professional growth of online instructors at a community college setting. The study was conducted at a community college in Western Canada involving the participation of online instructors from the School of Business of the college, as observed instructors, and educational developers from the Teaching and Learning unit of the college, as observers. During different stages of the study, participants provided feedback on the feasibility of the DOOT Protocol, identified their contextual needs, and took part in piloting the initial Protocol and evaluating the Protocol at the last phase of the study. The six key elements of the DOOT Protocol were identified as 1) a clear developmental purpose, 2) clarity of process design and scope, 3) a definition of observable online teaching, 4) observer skills and orientation, 5) engaging in critical reflection, and 6) planning follow-up steps. To effectively facilitate the DOOT process, educational developers need to have skills and knowledge in theory and practice of online teaching, navigating technology that is the medium of the online education, and facilitation. Though all participants reported benefits from taking part in the DOOT observations during the pilot and evaluation of the Protocol, critical reflection and successful follow-up planning was evident when online instructors recognized reflection as a means for incremental improvements and educational developers demonstrated strong facilitation skills. The main contribution of the study is an evidence-based protocol that could be used for developmental observation of online teaching within a relatively short time frame that leads to incremental developmental plans. This study has responded to the challenge of elasticity of time in observation of online teaching, which is not limited to the traditional classroom time frames. Further, observable online teaching for the context of the study was defined based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework for online education (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). More research in other contexts can increase transferability of the findings of this study to other types of higher education institutions to adopt the DOOT Protocol as a means for providing ongoing pedagogical support to online instructors.
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    Examining Interprofessional Team Decision Making through a Distributed Cognition Lens
    (2020-01) Green, Gordon; Lock, Jennifer V.; Parchoma, Gale; Friesen, Sharon; Lockyer, Jocelyn M.; Goldsworthy, Sandra; Curran, Vernon R.
    This study explores interprofessional healthcare team interactions and decision making from a distributed cognition perspective. The practice of patient care continues to increase in complexity requiring healthcare teams to assume roles that were traditionally the realm of the individual practitioner. While interprofessional teams are increasingly necessary, communication and decision making within healthcare teams have been identified as common sources of medical errors and these have been difficult to address despite considerable efforts. Research regarding interprofessional team performance has focused on individual team member abilities, as well as human interactions in achieving patient care outcomes. These approaches do not fully address the inherent complexities involved in team-based patient care. This qualitative research used a case study methodology to explore the socio-material aspects of interprofessional healthcare team communication and decision making through direct observation and video review of team-based acute care simulation, along with post-simulation participant interviews. A distributed cognition theoretical framework was used to study the interactions between team members, as well as those involving mediating artifacts, and relate these to expected performance measures to better understand how team communication, decision making and collaborative activities affect patient outcomes. This research identified the impact that the physical environment and mediating artifacts can have on the identification, communication, and interpretation of patient related information and ultimately on patient care decisions within interprofessional healthcare teams. This study reported contributions to team cognition, awareness, and decision making that have not previously been described in acute care interprofessional team assessment, and that effectively contributed to patient care outcomes.
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    Exploring Collective Creativity in Elementary Mathematics Classroom Settings
    (2018-04) Aljarrah, Ayman; Towers, Jo; Davis, Brent; Sinclair, Nathalie; Francis, Krista; Lock, Jennifer V.
    The purposes of this research study were to investigate the nature of collective creativity in mathematics learning, offer needed empirical findings concerning collective creativity in Canadian elementary schools, explore ways in which collective creativity might be fostered in such settings, and generate understandings about the role of teachers in this endeavor. To fulfil the objectives of this study, I adopted a design-based research methodology with(in) which I worked closely with the participant teachers and scholars in the field of mathematics education, co-developing classroom tasks that would prompt collective creativity in mathematics and studying the design, implementation, and re-design of these tasks. I used three data collection methods, selected to gain a deeper understanding of my research questions, including: classroom observations, video records, and interviews. In my analysis and interpretation of the data, the main sources of which were the video recordings of students’ problem-solving sessions and teachers’ interviews, I concentrated on the students’ (co)acting and interacting within the group and how such collaborative practices contribute to the emergence of the new. Based on an extensive review of the literature on creativity, I suggested seven metaphors of creativity. Those were then refined and (re)developed over successive iterations of data analysis and interpretation until I ended up with four metaphors to describe the experience of creativity with(in) the collective: summing forces, expanding possibilities, divergent thinking, and assembling things in new ways. These were embodied in, and a representation of, varied, emergent, yet interwoven and recursive learning acts, thus I used collaborative emergence as an overarching framework for them. Moreover, I determined four categories for features of mathematics learning environments that I believe were critical in the emergence of collective creativity in such environments, including: attendance to inquiry-based learning, cultivation of collaborative problem-solving, an engaging learning environment, and thoughtful, subtle interventions. I believe that my metaphors of creativity, their logical implications and entailments, and the construct of emergence of collective creativity, offer teachers a frame for designing, evaluating, structuring, and restructuring their practices—structured and improvised practices—that include choosing, adopting, amending and/or designing learning activities to prompt and promote effective creative learning.
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    Exploring Context for Privacy Protection in North American Higher Education and Beyond
    (2020-01) Wu, Leanne; Barker, Ken E.; Denzinger, Jörg; Oehlberg, Lora A.; Lock, Jennifer V.; Veletsianos, George
    Undergraduate students in North American post-secondary institutions are subject to a wide range of data collection. It includes data generated in the course of teaching and learning, but also can include a wide range of other aspects of modern life, such as closed-circuit security cameras, internet and wireless network use, and what students buy and consume. This makes the post-secondary institution an ideal model for understanding the privacy impact of modern and future technologies, as a single organization which collects and potentially uses wide-ranging amounts and kinds of data about our daily lives. This thesis proposes a framework which separates context into three interrelated layers so that systems can be designed which more fully protect the privacy of individuals, examines the ways in which we collect and use data about undergraduate students, and makes a quantitative study of undergraduate privacy behaviours and attitudes. Thus we present the case that context is a core concept for privacy protections which better protect undergraduate students and their privacy.
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    Identity Development Within Educative Maker Programs
    (2019-07-25) Kennedy, Thomas Michael; Lock, Jennifer V.; Redmond, Petrea; Francis, Krista
    The purpose of this study was to explore the constructs that influence the development of identity within educative maker programs. As there is no empirical or theoretical model to inform the implementation of maker programs in education, this in-depth exploration was critical in understanding the importance of external constructs on the development of identity within early educative maker experiences. No similar study exists on identity work amid the fragmentation of disciplinary knowledge and application in educational contexts. New knowledge created from this research highlighted intentional constructs in educative maker programs to forge a strong social identity grounded in connectedness, effectiveness, and expansiveness. A qualitative case study design was selected to analyse emergent themes from an in- depth exploration of participant perception and understanding maker identity within the context of a non-curricular educative maker program grounded in robotics and explicit technical skill development. The study gathered data using a three-phased approach which included the use of questionnaire, interviews and observations. Four primary findings which emerged from the research. First, a connected identity, strengthened through the shared histories and experiences with co-participants in the local maker community, did not automatically forge a perceived identity within other parallel communities. Second, environmental and peer relationships were emphasized as critical constructs that offered support and comfort in taking risks in unfamiliar activity and adopting a new social identity in technical activity. Third, the successful performance within the boundary area of maker activity did not alter the need for constructs to offer continued support to forge an effective identity. Fourth, experiences of atypical representation within boundary areas was influential in perceived maker identity. The Conceptual Framework for the Development of Identity Within Educative Maker Programs that emerged from the findings of this qualitative case study offers a foundational understanding of influential constructs to consider for intentionally designing experiences in educative making.
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    Integrating Sustainability into Business School Curriculum: Understanding the Impact
    (2020-07-27) Fearon, Lois Patricia; Gereluk, Dianne T.; Lock, Jennifer V.; Groen, Janet Elizabeth
    This multi-case study examined the impact of integrating sustainability in two different undergraduate business programs at Royal Roads University. The research considered how including sustainability in business school curriculum contributed to changes in students’ conceptualization of sustainability and their sustainability-related attitudes and behaviours. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Findings emerged that suggest a combination of approaches to integration are most effective in enhancing students’ sustainability orientations. Although sustainability was, for the most part, conceptualized in a multidimensional manner, an environmental bias was evident as was a tendency to frame the concept from within the business paradigm. Stronger, more robust conceptualizations were lacking. Recommendations include: (a) maximizing integration by embedding sustainability throughout the curriculum in both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary coursework; (b) moving beyond a disciplinary conceptualization and introducing students to deeper sustainability discourse and varied conceptualizations; (c) introducing powerful sustainability pedagogies that maximize experiential learning and cultivate deep connections to place and; (d) ensuring that the formal and the informal curriculum mutually reinforce a positive sustainability agenda by paying careful attention to context and institutional commitment.
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    Leadership and Technology Adoption Decisions: Case Study Research
    (2018-10-31) Downing, Darren J.; Kowch, Eugene G.; Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Field, James C.; Lock, Jennifer V.; Gounko, Tatiana
    Abstract In April 2012, the United Arab Emirates initiated a program to integrate iPads into the country’s three national universities beginning in the foundation program at each institution (Hargis, Cavanaugh, Kamali & Soto, 2014). In September 2012, 14,000 Apple iPad tablets were given to students in the foundation programs at each of these institutions (Hamdan, 2012). This research consisted of a descriptive holistic multiple case study and had three goals: (1) describe how university leaders decided to implement this mandated technology adoption program, (2) identify internal and external factors that influenced educational leaders’ decisions regarding technology in learning programs, (3) identify significant reoccurring themes. The literature review includes an exploration of the higher educational environment in the UAE, an examination of technology adoption, strategic planning, technology planning, and implementation in education, and an examination of some of the relevant literature that may have impacted leadership decisions. The conceptual framework for this study is based on Ertmer’s (1999) strategies for technology integration, the curriculum-centred strategic planning model (Dolence, 2004), and the Bates (2000) ACTIONS technology choice model. This research is intended to assist higher education leaders with mandated, wide-scale, technology adoption programs, especially technology adoption programs that take place in similar geographic or socio-cultural contexts. Keywords: UAE, Higher Education, Leadership, Educational Technology, iPad, Strategic Planning, Vision, Technology Planning, Evaluation
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    Makerspaces in Higher Education: Student Engagement
    (2020-12-19) Pendergast, Shawn Christopher; Lock, Jennifer V.; Friesen, Sharon; Redmond, Petrea; Lock, Jennifer V.; Friesen, Sharon; Redmond, Petrea; Burwell, Catherine; Hughes, Janette Michelle
    The makerspace movement is gaining prominence within higher education. With the promise of improving the student learning experience, institutions invest space and resources to support making and the maker movement. The focus of my study was how postsecondary students engage in learning through makerspace in non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses in an eastern Canadian university. The qualitative case study investigated the implications maker activities have on learning in three non-STEM (Education and Geography) courses. The following questions guided the inquiry: How do postsecondary students engage in learning through makerspace activities in non-STEM courses? What is the nature of academic, social and intellectual student engagement when learning through making in non-STEM course environments? Furthermore, what factors influence or hinder the usage of makerspaces in non-STEM postsecondary course contexts? Data were collected using interviews, observations, and questionnaires with three different classes with subsequent thematic analysis. Three common themes emerged: how students perceived engagement, the impact of an experienced instructor, and the challenges associated with makerspace in a classroom environment. What differed between the three classes was the level of expertise between instructors, the maker activities' format, and the technology used. This study's significant contribution is that it reveals the importance of engagement for both instructor and student. Using makerspaces is one tool that could be considered in non-STEM courses in a university to enhance learning through engagement. For instructors and students to use makerspaces successfully, they must help solve an authentic problem, have experienced staff, have adequate infrastructure, and allow students to reflect on their problems. Implications for practicing makerspaces can be considered at various university leadership levels, from instructor to educational development.
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    Positioning graduate students for success with an online academic integrity tutorial
    (2019-06-04) Lock, Jennifer V.; Schroeder, Meadow; Eaton, Sarah Elaine
    Academic integrity is a major issue in higher education. Supports are available to on-campus students to build their understanding of integrity, yet fewer supports are available for online students. In this presentation, we share our story of the development and implementation of our online academic integrity tutorial.
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    Understanding High School Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learning Experiences: A Case Study of School-Based Professional Learning Communities
    (2019-08-03) Kessy, Elaine; Lock, Jennifer V.; Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Koh, Kim H.; Takeuchi, Miwa A.
    In K-12 education, there is an expectation that teachers will participate in professional learning throughout their careers and one model for its delivery is the Professional Learning Community (PLC). The potential advantages of participation in PLCs have been well-documented and many schools around the world have implemented them with mixed results to date. This dissertation study focused on teacher perceptions of professional learning experiences in school-based PLCs. A qualitative case study was designed and implemented through a constructivist theoretical lens. Participants in the study included ten high school teachers who were members of school-based PLCs in one private, Catholic high school in the United States. Data collection methods included PLC documentation, a participant background questionnaire and one-on-one interviews. Through analysis of the data, four key findings emerged: 1) impact of collaboration and support on teacher professional learning, 2) the need for subject-area group formation and teacher agency in PLC implementation, 3) allotment and management of time, and 4) a clear definition of the purpose of the school-based PLC that is teacher generated and directly tied to student learning. These findings convey the need for an intentional design of school-based PLCs that focuses on the conditions that offer the most potential to create impactful active professional learning experiences for teachers.