Research Areas

Key Areas of Focus

• App development and use in education and training
• Design, quality and effectiveness of video podcasts and online learning tools
• Mobile apps and learning
• Mobile technologies
• Instructional design
• Social networking media 

Labs

• Educational Informatics (EI) Lab
• Pedagogy, Education and Technology Lab

Grants

Ontario Research Fund ($1,175,000). There’s an App for That: Designing, Developing, Researching Educational Apps

Faculty

• Dr. Janette Hughes
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Jia Li
• Dr. Bill Muirhead
• Dr. Diana Petrarca
• Dr. Roland van Oostveen

Select Publications

• Hughes, J., Burke, A. & Morrison, L. (2017). The adolescent bricoleur: Constructing identities through social networking sites. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 5(2), 87-107
• Kay, R. H., Lesage, A., & Tepylo, D. (2019). Evaluating the learning, design and engagement value of mobile applications: The mobile app evaluation scale. In Proceedings of iCERi2019 (pp. 1103-1107). Seville, Spain.
• Kay, R. H. (2011). Evaluating learning, design, and engagement in web-based learning tools (WBLTs):  The WBLT Evaluation Scale.  Computers in Human Behaviour, 27(5), 1849-1856.
• Kay, R., & Kwak, J. Y. (2018). Comparing types of mathematics apps used in primary school classrooms: An exploratory analysis. Journal of Computers in Education, 5(3), 349-371.
• Kay, R. H., & Lauricella, S. (2015).  Investigating and comparing communication media used in higher education. Journal of Communication Technology and Human Behaviour, 2(1), 1-20.
• Tsagris, D., & Muirhead, B. (2012). Evaluating postsecondary supports for Ontario students with learning disabilities. Higher Education Quality Control of Ontario.

Key Areas of Focus 

• Advancing EDI through social media
• At-risk youth
• Bullying
• Design Justice through Technology
• Developing resilience
• Digital technologies, accessibility and inclusivity 
• Equity and access to mathematics for typically underserved populations of learners
• Equitable access to higher education
• Gender differences in the use of technology
• Inclusive mathematics education (at-risk students, English language learners, culturally responsive pedagogy)
• Indigenous ways of knowing and issues
• Women and non-dominant groups in STEM/STEAM education

Labs

• Ideas Lab

Grants

• SSHRC Insight Development Grant ($70,799). A multidisciplinary approach to developing and evaluating a mobile technology-supported, culturally responsive vocabulary intervention for Aboriginal students
• SSHRC Insight Development Grant ($100,000). Increasing Literacies Through Supported Education and Policies of Inclusion
• SSHRC Insight Grant. Adolescents, Identity and Digital Literacies
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grant ($135,000). Diversities of Resilience: Understanding the Strategies for Success used by Underrepresented Students in Canadian Universities

Faculty

• Dr. Allyson Eamer
• Dr. Janette Hughes
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Ann Lesage
• Dr. Ami Mamolo
• Dr. Lorayne Robertson
• Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen
• Dr. Diane Tepylo

Select Publications

• Eamer, A., & Hughes, J. (2013). Media (ting) identities: Digital identity projects in an ESL classroom. ESL and digital video integration: Case studies, 47-62.
• Hughes, J. (2017). Digital making with “at-risk” youth. The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 34(2), 102-113. 
• Hughes, J., Morrison, L., Mamolo, A., Laffier, J., & de Castell, S. (2019). Addressing bullying through critical making. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(1), 309-325.
• Hughes, J., & Maas, M. (2017). Developing 21st-century competencies of marginalized students through the use of augmented reality (AR). LEARNing Landscapes, 11(1), 153-169.
• Kay, R. H. (2008).  Exploring gender differences in computer-related behaviour: Past, present, and future.  In T .T. Kidd & I. Chen, Social Information Technology: Connecting Society and Cultural Issues (pp. 12-30). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
• Kay, R.H., & Lauricella, S. (2011). Gender differences in the use of laptops in higher education: A formative analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 44(3), 357-376.
• Lesage, A., Kay, R. & Tepylo, D., & Allen, R. (2019). Designing video podcasts to support at-risk university mathematics students. In Proceedings of iCERi2019 (pp. 5537-5542). Seville, Spain.
• Li, J., Kay, R., & Markovich, L. (2018). Student attitudes toward blended learning in adult literacy and basic skills college programs. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 44(2).
• Mamolo, A. (2018). Perceptions of social issues as contexts for secondary mathematics.  Journal of Mathematical Behaviour, 51, 28-40
• Mamolo, A. & Pinto, L. (2015).  Risks worth taking? Social risks and the mathematics teacher.  The Montana Mathematics
• Mamolo, A., Thomas, K., & Frankfort, M. (2018). Approaches for incorporating issues of social justice in secondary school mathematics. In (Eds.) A. Kajander, E. Chernoff, & J. Holm, Teaching and learning secondary school mathematics: Canadian perspectives in an international context. Dordrechet: Springer.
• Robertson, L. (2017). Assistive technologies at the point of instruction: Barriers and possibilities. Journal of Systemics, Informatics and Cybernetics, 15 (6).pp 18-24

Key Areas of Focus

• Bullying and safe schools
• Mental health education for teachers
• Mental health & digital technology
• Psychological empowerment for at-risk populations
• Rethinking physical education
• Simulation research in areas of health promotion and education
• Youth suicide

Labs

• Mental Health & Digital Technology Lab

Faculty

• Dr. Wendy Barber
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Jennifer Laffier
• Dr. Lorayne Robertson

Select Publications

• Barber, W., Robertson, L., & Leo, J. (2016). A new approach to fully accessible physical education. Physical & Health Education Journal, 82(2), 1.
• Barber, W. (2018). Inclusive and accessible physical education: rethinking ability and disability in pre-service teacher education. Sport, Education and Society, 23(6), 520-532.
• Eamer, A., Fernando, S., & King, A. E. (2017). Still on the Margins: Migration, English Language Learning, and Mental Health in Immigrant Psychiatric Patients. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 11(4), 190-202.
• Ewart, C., Barnard, G., Laffier, J., & Maynad, M. L. (2019). Choices in approaching conflict, 2nd Edition. Toronto: Edmund Montgomery Publishing.
• Kay, R., Goulding, H., & Li, J. (2018). Assessing the impact of a virtual lab in an allied health program. Journal of allied health, 47(1), 45-50.
• Laffier, J. (2016). Empowering bullying victims through artistic expression. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 29(1), 12-20.
• Robertson, L.  & Scheidler-Benns, J. (2014). Using a wider lens to shift the discourse on food in Canadian curriculum policies. Cambridge Journal of Education. Special Issue: Food, Youth and Education.
• Robertson, L., & Thomson, D. (2015). Moving from research on preservice teachers to co-learning with preservice teachers: Employing website design for knowledge mobilization. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 1185-1190.

Key Areas of Focus

Language literacy researchers have focussed on the following key areas:

• Bilingualism/multilingualism in families, schools and communities
• Digital Literacies
• English language education
• Indigenous language learning
• Online language learning
• Language and literacy development and assessment for linguistically diverse learners
• Secondary school English pedagogy
• Teaching English as a second language across curriculum and bilingual education
• Technology-assisted language and literacy acquisition

Faculty

• Dr. Allyson Eamer
• Dr. Janette Hughes
• Dr. Jia Li

Select Publications

• Eamer, A. (2010, May). Language teaching across the digital divide. In International Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (pp. 36-41). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
• Eamer, A., Hughes, J., & Morrison, L. J. (2014). Crossing cultural borders through Ning. Multicultural Education Review, 6(1), 49-78.
• Hughes, J. and Eamer, A. (2012). How does the use of digital media benefit adolescent English language learners in the English classroom? In J. Kedrick, T. Dobson, and C. Leggo (Eds.) English in Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Creative and Critical Advice from Canadian Teacher Educators, University of British Columbia, 57-62
• Hughes, J. & Morrison, L. (2014).  What impacts oral language and writing development for postmodern English language learners: The intersection of bi-cultural identity, social networking and a multiliteracies pedagogy.  In S. Taylor (Ed.) Writing & Pedagogy Special Issue: Children’s Writing: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning, 6(3), 607-631.  
• Li, J. (2018). A resource-oriented functional approach to English language learning. Canadian Modern Language Review, 74(1), 53-A.
• Li, J., Cummins, J., & Deng, Q. (2017). The effectiveness of texting to enhance academic vocabulary learning: English language learners’ perspective. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(8), 816-843.
• Li, J., Snow, C. E., & White, C. (2015). Teen culture, technology and literacy instruction: Urban adolescent students’ perspectives. 41(3).
• Li, J., Snow, C., Jiang, J., & Edwards, N. (2015). Technology use and self-perceptions of English language skills among urban adolescents. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 28(5), 450-478.
• Li, J., Snow, C., & White, C. (2014). Urban students and technology: Access, use and interest in learning literacy. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 143-162.

Key Areas of Focus

• Effective leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
• E-Leadership as Enabling Function for Technology-Enriched Learning
• Digital privacy
• Higher education leadership and policy studies
• Information and communication technologies and application to K-12 and post-secondary settings
• Leadership decision making leveraging big data and critical thinking in organizations
• VUCA and VUCA Prime in Leadership

Labs

• Collaboratory for Policy and Leadership

Faculty

• Dr. Brian Campbell
• Dr. Bill Hunter
• Dr. Bill Muirhead
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Lorayne Robertson
• Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen

Select Publications

• Kay, R. H., & Carruthers, L. (2017). Examining school board leaders’ use of online resources to inform decision-making.  Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 43(1), 1-25. 
• Leatham, H. & Robertson, L. (2017). Student digital privacy in classrooms: Teachers in the cross-currents of technology imperatives. International Journal for Digital Society (IJDS), 8(3).
• Robertson L., Muirhead B. (2019) Unpacking the privacy paradox for education. In: Visvizi A., Lytras M. (eds) Research & Innovation Forum 2019. RIIFORUM 2019. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Springer. 
• Robertson, L. & Corrigan, L. (2018). Networking research, policy and practice: Designing a district technology plan through collaborative professionalism, Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics: JSCI, (16) 4. pp. 13-19.

Key Areas of Focus

• Higher education
• K-12 mathematics education
• Social Justice and mathematics
• Task design theory and implemenation
• Technology and mathematic education

Labs

• Ideas Lab

Faculty

• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Ann Lesage
• Dr. Ami Mamolo
• Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen
• Dr. Diane Tepylo

Publications

• Chorney, S., Noble, T., Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. & Setati Phakeng, M. (2016). Sharing space with the other to discuss mathematics education and social justice. For the Learning of Mathematics, 36 (3), 46-51
• Kay, R., & Kwak, J. Y. (2018). Comparing types of mathematics apps used in primary school classrooms: an exploratory analysis. Journal of Computers in Education, 5(3), 349-371.
• Kay, R. H. (2012). Examining factors that influence the effectiveness of learning objects in mathematics classrooms.  Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 12(4), 350-366. 
• Kay, R. H., & Kletskin, I. (2010). Evaluating the use of learning objects for improving calculus readiness. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 29(1), 87-104.
• LeSage, A., Kay, R., Tepylo, D. & Allen, R. (Nov. 2019). Designing video podcasts to support at-risk university mathematics students. 12th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (iCERi). Seville, Spain.
• LeSage, A., Kay, R. & Tepylo, D. (Nov. 2019). A flipped classroom approach to support at-risk university mathematics students: Shifting the focus to pedagogy. 12th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (iCERi). Seville, Spain.
• Mamolo, A. (2017). April and the infinitely many ping pong balls.  For the Learning of Mathematics, 37(3), 2-8.
• Mamolo, A. (2018). Perceptions of social issues as contexts for secondary mathematics.  Journal of Mathematical Behaviour, 51, 28-40
• Mamolo, A., Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. & Whiteley, W. (2015). Developing a network of and for geometric reasoning. ZDM Mathematics Education, 47(3), 483-496.
• Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. (2018). Revisiting and growing prior knowings for learners experiencing mathematics difficulties. 42nd Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Umea, Sweden.
• Zazkis, R. & Mamolo, A. (2011). Reconceptualizing knowledge at the mathematical horizon. For the Learning of Mathematics, 31(2), 8 – 13.

Key Areas of Focus

• Evaluating the Quality of Online Learning
• Fully Online Learning Community (FOLC) Model
• Online learning curriculum development
• Problem-based learning (PBL) in online environments
• Virtual classrooms
• Virtual environment creation

Labs

• Educational Informatics (EI) Lab
• Pedagogy, Education and Technology Lab

Faculty

• Dr. Wendy Barber
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Bill Hunter
• Dr. Roland van Oostveen

Select Publications

• Austin, R. & Hunter, W. J. (2013). Online learning and community cohesion: linking schools. London: Routledge 
• Blayone, T., Mykhailenko, O., Kokhan, M., Kavtaradze, M., vanOostveen, R., & Barber, W. (2017). Surveying digital readiness for online learning at institutions of higher education in the post-Soviet nations of Georgia and Ukraine.15.
• Blayone, T., vanOostveen, R., Barber, W., DiGiuseppe, M., & Childs, E. (2017). Democratizing digital learning: theorizing the fully online learning community model. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14, 1–16.
• DiPasquale, J., & Hunter, W. (2017). Critical thinking in asynchronous online discussions: A systematic review. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 43(2).
• Kay, R. H. & Li, J. (2019). Assessing the quality of online learning for secondary school students: The online learning evaluation scale. In Proceedings of iCERi2019 (pp. 2363-2366). Seville, Spain.
• Kay, R. H. (2006). Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37(5), 761-783. 
• Kay, R. H., & Lauricella, S. (2015).  Investigating and comparing communication media used in higher education. Journal of Communication Technology and Human Behaviors, 2(1), 1-20.
• van Oostveen R., Barber W., Childs E., DiGiuseppe M., Colquhoun K. (2019) Exploring the fully online learning community model: comparing digital technology competence and observed performance on PBL tasks. In: Herzog M., Kubincová Z., Han P., Temperini M. (eds) Advances in Web-Based Learning – ICWL 2019. ICWL 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11841. Springer, Cham
• vanOostveen, R., Childs, E., Clarkson, J., & Flynn, K. (2016). Becoming close with others online: Distributed community building in online PBL courses. The College Quarterly, 19(1).
• vanOostveen, R., Desjardins, F. & Bullock, S. Professional development learning environments (PDLEs) embedded in a collaborative online learning environment (COLE): Moving towards a new conception of online professional learning. Education and  Infomation Technologies, 24, 1863–1900

Key Areas of Focus 

• Affect and cognition in mathematics
• Children’s literature and mathematics
• Growth and pathways of mathematical understanding
• Elementary mathematics education
• Interventions and innovative practice in mathematics
• Learning mathematics through problem-solving scenarios
• Mathematical thinking and reasoning of learners
• STEAM education
• STEAM teacher development (pre-service and in-service)
• Women in STEM

Grants

• Ontario Ministry of Education ($413,891). Programming, Remediation and Intervention for Students At-Risk in Mathematics
• Ontario Ministry of Education ($1,204,000). Science 3d: Discovery, Design & Development Through Makerspaces
• Ontario Research Fund ($1,175,000). There’s an App for That: Designing, Developing, Researching Educational Apps
• SSHRC Insight Development Grant ($57,800). Using mathematical models to disrupt probabilistic misconceptions about social issues.
• SSHRC Insight Grant ($246,000). Making Minds: Digital Maker Education for Literacies Learning With Marginalized Youth

Lab

• Pedagogy, Education and Technology Lab
• STEAM-3D Maker Lab

Faculty

• Dr. Janette Hughes
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Jennifer Laffier
• Dr. Ann Lesage
• Dr. Ami Mamolo
• Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen
• Dr. Diane Tepylo

Select Publications

• Hughes, J., Fridman, L., & Robb, J. (2018). Exploring maker cultures and pedagogies to bridge the gaps for students with special needs. Studies in health technology and informatics, 256, 393-400.
• Hughes, J., Gadanidis, G. & Yiu, C. (2016). Digital making in mathematics education? Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education, 3(2), 139-153. 
• Hughes, J., Morrison, L., & Dobos, L. (2018). Re-making teacher professional development. Studies in health technology and informatics, 256, 602-608.
• Hughes, J. & Morrison, L. (2018). The use of e-textiles in Ontario education. Canadian Journal of Education, 41(1), 543-571
• Hughes, J., Morrison, L., Kajamaa, A., & Kumpulainen, K. (2018). Makerspaces promoting students’ design thinking and collective knowledge creation: Examples from Canada and Finland. In Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation (pp. 343-352). Springer, Cham.
• Kay, R. H. (2012). Examining factors that influence the effectiveness of learning objects in mathematics classrooms.  Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 12(4), 350-366.
• Kay, R. H. (2011)  Exploring the impact of web-based learning tools in middle school mathematics and science classrooms.  Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 30(2), 141-162.
• Kay, R. H. & Dermott, K. (2018). Examining STEM-based flipped classrooms in higher education: A review of the literature. In Proceedings of iCERI2018 (pp. 9487-9494).
• LeSage, A. (2012). Adapting math instruction to support prospective elementary teachers. Interactive Technology and Smart Education.
• Mamolo, A. (2014). How to act? A question of encapsulating infinity.  Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 14(1), 1-22.
• Mamolo, A. (2017). April and the infinitely many ping pong balls.  For the Learning of Mathematics, 37​(3), 2-8.
• Mamolo, A. (2018). Perceptions of social issues as contexts for secondary mathematics. Journal of Mathematical Behaviour, 51, 28-40
• Mamolo, A., Ruttenberg-Rozen, R., & Whiteley, W. (2015).  Developing a network of and for geometry learning. ZDM Mathematics Education, 47(3), 483-496.
• Mamolo, A. & Zazkis, R. (2012). Stuck on convention: A story of derivative-relationships.  Educational Studies in Mathematics, 81(2), 161 – 177.
• Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. & Hynes, K. (2022). A Feminist Ethics of Care within Counterspaces: Supporting inclusion in postsecondary ICT education. Technology & Society. 
• Ruttenberg-Rozen, R., Powell, N. & Leggett-Robinson, P. (2022). Inclusion is much more than access: STEM capital and agentic strategies. In Proceedings of IEEEISTAS22, Hong Kong
• Ruttenberg-Rozen, R., Hynes, K., Habibi, S., Cardoza, S., & Muchmaker, J. (2021). Towards a community of care: Counterspaces for women in sTem education. IEEEISTAS21, Waterloo, Ontario.

Key Areas of Focus

• Cultural competency for future teachers 
• Early childhood education
• Examining the use of technology in pre-service teacher education
• Evidence-based teaching
• Teacher Education in Ontario
• Pre-service teachers identity and development
• STEAM teacher development (pre-service and in-service)
• Tensions between theory and practice

Grants

• SSHRC Insight and Development Grant ($69,000). Exploring Teacher Knowledge of Mathematics in Issues of Social Justice.
• SSHRC Insight and Development Grant ($74,900). The (Un) Making of the Teacher
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grant ($150,000).  Improving our Schools

Faculty

• Dr. Janette Hughes
• Dr. Bill Hunter
• Dr. Robin Kay
• Dr. Ann Lesage
• Dr. Ami Mamolo
• Dr. Diana Petrarca
• Dr. Lorayne Robertson
• Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen
• Dr. Diane Tepylo

Select Publications

• Barber, W. (2015). Developing high-performance teachers in 21century schools: A case study of beliefs and behaviours of master teachers. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 5(2), 2538-2546.
• Hughes, J., Morrison, L., & Dobos, L. (2018). Re-making teacher professional development. Studies in health technology and informatics, 256, 602-608.
• Hunter, W. J. (2017). Evidence-based teaching in the 21st Century: The missing link. Canadian 40(2), 1-6.
• Hunter, B. (2015). Teaching for engagement: Part 1 - Constructivist principles, case-based teaching, and active learning. College Quarterly, 18(2), n2.
• Kay, R. H. (2007). A formative analysis of how preservice teachers learn to use technology.  Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23(5), 366-383.
• Kay, R. H. (2006). Evaluating strategies used to incorporate technology into preservice education: A review of the literature. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38 (4), 383 – 408.
• Laffier, J., Petrarca, D., & Hughes, J. M. (2017). The need for promoting and developing cultural competency in future teachers. In Cultural Awareness and Competency Development in Higher Education (pp. 148-167). IGI Global.
• Mamolo, A. & Pali, R. (2014). Factors influencing prospective teachers’ recommendations to students: Horizons, hexagons, and heed. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 16(1), 32-50.
• Mamolo, A. (2017). Eyes, ears, and expectations: Scripting as a multi-lens tool.  In (Eds.) R. Zazkis and P. Herbst.  Scripting Approaches in Mathematics Education: Mathematical Dialogues in Research and Practice, (pp.229-248). 
• Mamolo, A. & Taylor, P. (2018). Blue skies above the horizon. In Wasserman, N.H. (Ed.) Abstract Algebra and Secondary Mathematics Teacher Education (pp. 431-450). Dordrechet: Springer.
• Petrarca, D., & Bullock, S. M. (2014). Tensions between theory and practice: Interrogating our pedagogy through collaborative self-study. Professional Development in Education, 40(2), 265-281.
• Petrarca, D. The (un) making of the teacher—record, pause, rewind: Methodological issues of integrating video and research. Teacher Learning and Professional Development, 1(2).
• Petrarca, D., & Kitchen, J. (2017). Initial teacher education in Ontario: The first year of four-semester teacher education programs. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Association for Teacher Education.
• Tsumura, L. & Robertson, L. (2017). Implementing technology in an early years program: Teachers and students as metacognitive thinkers. International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), 10(3).
• vanOostveen, R. (2017). Purposeful action research: Reconsidering science and technology teacher professional development. The College Quarterly, 20(2)
• Zazkis, R. & Mamolo, A. (2011). Reconceptualizing knowledge at the mathematical horizon. For the Learning of Mathematics, 31(2), 8 – 13.