Research in Action is a new engaging speaker series that brings external established researchers and educators to Yorkville University to share their expertise, insights, and experiences. Designed around two core aims: Research Development and Capacity Building, each session offers valuable opportunities for faculty and staff to strengthen their research skills and expand their scholarly capacity.
Each 75-minute session is designed with thought-provoking presentations, interactive activities, and open discussions to balance theoretical foundations with real-world applications. This inaugural Research in Action session will overview some of the key steps in developing a research project and bringing it to fruition, with Bonnie Stewart, Associate Professor from University of Windsor, highlighting lessons from her own recent sabbatical pivot in research focus. Whether you’re launching your first research endeavor or seeking to reinvent your scholarly trajectory, this session offers practical insights for navigating the research landscape.
Join us to explore essential strategies for identifying emerging research opportunities, building interdisciplinary connections, and transforming initial curiosity into practical projects. This session welcomes researchers at all career stages, from faculty who may have stepped away from research for a while to seasoned scholars considering bold new directions. Bring your lunch, your questions, and your research aspirations as we collectively explore pathways to finding and fostering dynamic new research fields.
Dr. Bonnie Stewart is a longtime educator and digital researcher whose work in participatory learning has spanned all eras of the web. Associate Professor of Online Pedagogy and Workplace Learning in the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education, Bonnie explores the implications of digital information ecosystems for institutions and society. Bonnie was an early MOOC researcher and ethnographer of Twitter as an academic environment, and currently investigates what it means to know, to learn, and to belong – at the human level, with agency – in an era increasingly marked by digital automation and weaponization. Bonnie’s work has been published in international journals, including Learning, Media and Technology, The International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Social Media and Society, and Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
Matthew Dunleavy (he/him) is an educational developer and scholarly teacher with over 9+ years’ experience. He immediately joins our CTEI from York University where he was an Educational Developer with the Teaching Commons; before entering that role, he served as the Program Director of the Online Learning and Technology Consultants (OLTC) Program at the Maple League of Universities (Acadia University; Bishop’s University; Mount Allison University; and St. Francis Xavier University). In 2022, he was awarded the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) for this work.
