The inaugural session was scheduled for November 3, 2025 and held in a hybrid format — in person at the Steeles Campus and online via Microsoft Teams.

This inaugural Research in Action session overviews key steps in developing and executing a research project and bringing it to fruition, with Dr. Stewart 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 guidance 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. Come prepared your questions and research aspirations as we collectively explore pathways to discovering and fostering dynamic new research fields.

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Bonnie Stewart is an accomplished educator and digital researcher whose work in participatory learning has spanned all eras of the web. As Associate Professor of Online Pedagogy and Workplace Learning in the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education, Dr. Stewart explores the implications of digital information ecosystems for institutions and society. An early MOOC researcher and ethnographer of Twitter as an academic environment, she currently investigates what it means to know, learn, and belong – at the human level, with agency – in an era increasingly marked by digital automation and weaponization. Dr. Stewart’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.