Innovation and Applied ResearchCommunity development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities. A form of community development that links academic resources to community problems in a reciprocally beneficial manner is community-based participatory research (CBPR), a form of research which engages a community fully in the process of problem definition/issue selection, research design, conducting research, and interpreting the results. One of the principal ways in which CBPR differs from traditional research is that instead of creating knowledge for the advancement of a field or for knowledge's sake, CBPR is an iterative process, incorporating research, reflection, and action in a cyclical process. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_development accessed on September 11, 2007 Examples at Northern Lakes College: 1) ABE Family Literacy Project:
Adult Basic Education (ABE) students have less than grade ten. They have asked that their experience at the college be more than a textbook but have application in their daily lives. Many are single mothers and they have often returned to school as role models for their children. There are very few learning and literacy prompts and not much encouragement to develop investigative and research skills in their communities and their lives. Students will work with Learning Facilitators (faculty) to learn how to research appropriate reading material for children at a variety of ages. They will look specifically at recommending the purchase of literature to which their children can relate, that strengthens the Aboriginal heritage of many of the students. The goal is to expose students to a level of investigation beyond the requirements of their course and move them into expanding a set of research and the related communications skills. 2) Practical Nursing Education in Rural Settings: Models and Best Practices
In collaboration with Bow Valley College, NorQuest College, Northern Lakes College and Red Deer College the focus is on Practical Nursing Programs in rural settings—models and best practices. The Research Problem:
* How do educational institutions design or redesign learning opportunities such that underrepresented populations from rural settings have equal access to practical nursing programs?
* What cost effective alternatives are there for traditional instructor led clinical placements and nursing skill labs?
* How can different models facilitate entry into learning programs?
* How is prior leaning recognized?
* What processes attract and engage students?
Expected result is that more students will access learning opportunities in Alberta Practical Nursing education programs, and more Practical Nurses will enter the workforce. |