Last week, the Office of Academic Research led a workshop for BC campus and faculty colleagues titled From Service to Scholarship: Building Research Projects from 2026 Institutional Service Priorities. The session, facilitated by Thu Le, Ph.D., Director of Academic Research, explored how everyday service activities across our institution can be transformed into meaningful, impactful research.
Grounded in the realities of teaching support, supplemental instruction, academic probation initiatives, and community engagement, the workshop guided participants through a four‑phase approach:
1. Framing the Research Project
Participants examined their existing service roles—mentoring, advising, supplemental instruction, outreach—and learned to articulate service structures, stakeholders, outcomes, and contribution statements.
2. Designing a Research Methodology
The workshop introduced a range of approaches—qualitative, quantitative, mixed‑methods, case study, grounded theory, quasi‑experimental designs, survey research, and sequential designs—helping faculty choose methodologies aligned with their service data and goals.
3. Strengthening Projects with Evidence & Theory
Attendees practiced linking their emerging projects to theoretical frameworks, conducting strategic literature reviews, and integrating theory into research design to ensure rigor and scholarly contribution.
4. Implementing and Mobilizing Research
The session provided guidance on research ethics, institutional approvals, funding opportunities (including SSAF), and pathways for moving projects from planning to implementation.
Faculty left the workshop with a framed research project, a defensible design direction, a clear contribution statement, and a roadmap for implementation—all grounded in their current service work.
This session reflects our ongoing commitment within the Office of Academic Research to empower faculty to turn institutional practice into publishable scholarship, strengthening both student success and our scholarly community.
Thank you to BC campus and all participating faculty for an energizing session.
We look forward to supporting your research journeys throughout 2026.
