Academic Research

Dr. Joyline Makani: Research Takes Courage

August 13, 2019 rbudd 2 Comments

Dr. Joyline Makani

To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.”

Dr. Joyline Makani

The Merriam Webster on-line dictionary defines “research” as a studious inquiry or examination; especially: investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws. Given the solemnity of that definition, we rarely recognize that we engage in “important” research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research.

Is research for everyone? Or just academics? For answers, CFAME Connection reached out to Dr. Joyline Makani, the Management Librarian (Dalhousie Libraries) and Adjunct professor (Faculty of Graduate Studies) at Dalhousie University. Dr. Makani shares insight into why research is essential in a world that revolves around complexity and change. Join us as we begin a theme dialogue on the importance of research.

Dr. Joyline Makani:

Research is for everyone and is very necessary in the world today. Thanks to advances in information technology, we are witnessing an increasingly complex online information landscape with blurred lines between information consumers and information creators or producers.

Simply stated, anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can put anything they want onto the Internet. To heighten the complexity, there is no one, in most cases, evaluating or approving Internet content before it is made public. Thus, this type of landscape presents everyone with the challenge to develop and harness basic research skills in-order to successfully maneuver, gather and understand information and not just wait for academics to verify the truth.

In other words, analyzing information, and not just collecting it, is paramount in today’s world dominated by “fake news and alternative facts”. Each one of us engages in research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research. As academics have long argued, research helps to shape our society.

More important, building a solid research skill set is increasingly becoming necessary for civic life, i.e., the ability to gather data and information, examine multiple perspectives and re-evaluate prior beliefs is the foundation for responsible and community-minded citizens. To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.

Research takes courage because we challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious. It is human nature to feel comfortable with what we know or what we believe in. It takes courage to question our beliefs/biases and pay more attention rather than ignore information that does not confirm our beliefs – this is what research entails – requires checking your biases, following and interrogating the evidence where ever it leads you.

From the CEGE Connection Archives: First published April 18, 2017

Dr. Vivian Howard: Do Canadian Organizations Have a Social License to Operate?

February 22, 2018 rbudd Leave a Comment

Dalhousie Faculty of Management

Do organizations have the confidence of stakeholders? Are their activities morally and socially acceptable?

The Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University engaged in a study, the first of its kind, to discover whether Canadians believe that organizations are trustworthy, socially responsible, environmentally sensitive and ethical. In other words, do Canadian organizations have a Social License to Operate (SLO)? What organizations do Canadians believe live up to their promises? Contribute positively to local communities? Use Sustainable practices? Treat employees and customers fairly?

Until Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management explored these questions, no one had an answer.

In October 2017, a bilingual on-line survey was sent to a sample of Canadians, aged 18 and over, asking them to respond to the sub-components of the SLO—trustworthiness, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and ethical practices—in relation to national transportation providers, food retailers, clothing retailers, and government departments.

“We tried to choose sectors that all Canadians would have experience with. Everyone eats, everyone has to clothe themselves and get from place to place, everyone deals with the government in one way or another.” Dr. Vivian Howard, Associate Professor & Associate Dean (academic) Faculty of Management and lead author of the report

This survey was a pilot project which will be repeated in future years. Having a baseline of Canadians’ opinions in place will allow the Faculty of Management to track changing perceptions in a volatile consumer marketplace.

“Similar social licence studies have been conducted in the past, but they have typically been restricted to just one organization or company and often restricted to just one geographical area. This study is unique because it is national in scope, covers several sectors and is demographically diverse.” Dr. Tony Walker, Assistant Professor, School for Resource and Environment Studies and coauthor of the report.

On January 31, 2018, the results were published. We invite you to read the media release and full Social License Report to benefit from the valuable insight on how Canadians view the organizations they interact with most frequently in their daily lives.

Panel Discussion: The Influence of Deeper Learning

August 1, 2017 rbudd Leave a Comment

6100 University Avenue, Halifax

“My Dal years continue to leverage my strategic mindset; at the same time, it has given me insight into the need to participate and contribute within a complex, global community.” Tyler Saito

Deeper learning has invaluable outcomes for those who engage in this form of education. We live in a world that offers contradictions and paradoxes. This complexity requires a strategic approach and a rich understanding of the human experience. Deeper learning provides a dynamic milieu in which to explore new ideas, methodologies, diverse perspectives and alternative possibilities.

How does deeper learning influence our personal experience?

This question was given to a panel of CFAME Connection contributors: Tyler Saito, Joyline Makani, and Martine-Durier-Copp. Please join the discussion by adding your comments. We would love to hear from readers.

Martine: We have found that deeper learning occurs when we work within a team that encourages and respects diversity. There are challenges and opportunities, of course. When we learn something new, there is a feeling of discomfort with underlying dissonance notes until we recognize the potential of adapting to new ideas, processes and ways of thinking.

Joyline: Deeper learning is the opposite of group think because it demands open and honest dialogue. Diverse positions are welcomed and cultivated.

Martine: We have made excellent progress in integrating deeper learning in CFAME’s on-line/blended learning programs. We are modeling the adaptive behaviours espoused by deeper learning. Even now, we are researching innovative ways to increase this concept within our course delivery.

Tyler: My decision to enter CFAME’s MBA(FS) program, provided me with the opportunity to engage in deeper learning. I continue to hone and develop the competencies that I gained during my studies in a variety of capacities. At present, Coast Capital is focused on the future of wealth management within a changing regulatory landscape and increasingly digital environment. My purpose is to help our members achieve what is important in their lives. As we shift our culture to a more qualitative experience, I have employed significant portions of what I learned in change management, digital tool deployment, and human resource management.

Joyline: Tyler has identified the meaning of education. Learning is about change, which will be reflected in our decisions, choices and reactions to events. Deeper learning heightens those outcomes because there is an increased focus on skills and knowledge that reinforce the learning process. An open and curious mindset is ready to entertain and develop fresh capabilities.

Tyler: Joyline and Martine’s comments resonate. I apply the skills developed during my Dal studies to my volunteer outreach such as coaching in my local fastpitch organization. As well, CTV Morning Live is a way that I can to share vital knowledge. People reach out and ask for more details. It is satisfying to know that I have a positive impact on the well-being of listeners. My Dal years continue to leverage my strategic mindset; at the same time, it has given me insight into the need to participate and contribute within a complex, global community.

Tyler Saito: The Deeper Learning Experience

July 25, 2017 rbudd Leave a Comment

Tyler Saito MBA(FS) 2016

Tyler Saito, Regional Manager at Coast Capital Financial Management crossed the stage in 2016 to receive his MBA(FS). In a recent virtual interview with CFAME Connection, Tyler shared his thoughts on the idea of “Deeper Learning” as presented by Martine’s and Joyline’s award-winning research.

Tyler Saito:

I have discovered that learning never stops. Once I completed my MBA studies, my wife embarked on her masters. My children, who are seven and ten, are now convinced that everyone attends school for their entire lives. They have the right idea. Once we start on the learning path, the addiction to knowledge acquisition takes over. Life-long learning becomes embedded in everything we do. With the MBA(FS) program I experienced the “Deeper Learning” highlighted in Martine and Joyline’s research. I was able to implement the new learnings in my daily interactions. Everything was practical, applicable, and could be put to immediate use.

Why did I choose to enter an academically rigorous program? In 2011, my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She went through the typical treatments but declined quickly and passed away in September of 2012. Her passing made me ponder my own existence and the choices I had made to date. I have always been motivated but this was a pivotal moment. It made me reflect on what I wanted my life and legacy to be about. I wanted to ensure that my own health, within what I could control, enabled me to live a long and healthy life. I set some personal and professional goals that included getting myself into physical shape.

I dropped about 60 pounds and completed three sprint triathlons in 2012 and 2013. At the same time, I researched institutions that provided MBA programs. A colleague advised me about the MBA(FS) offered by Dalhousie. I was impressed that Dalhousie would give credit for my existing financial designations towards their MBA(FS). In a comparison with local MBA programs I valued Dalhousie’s for the flexibility of their program and the ability to work with professionals with similar experiences. The content seemed exceptionally relevant to my situation. I was accepted in the fall of 2013

What are my next steps? Reconnecting with friends and family. They were an invaluable support and encouragement all through my years of study. As well, I am committed to utilizing and mastering what I have learned in my chosen career path with Coast Capital Financial Management, an organization that reflects my values and gives a purpose to work. I enjoy engaging in community endeavours and have used my Dal experience to coach little league fast-pitch and establish a communication strategy within this dedicated organization. Acquiring knowledge is only the beginning of a journey. Sharing knowledge sustains us on the road ahead.

Next Post: Panel Discussion on Deeper Learning

The Phenomenon of Conversation

July 18, 2017 rbudd 2 Comments

Dalhousie Faculty of Management

Martine Durier-Copp and Joyline Makani along with co-researches, Deborah Kiceniuk and Alieda Blandford received the prestigious IJEDE Best Paper Award in May 2017 for “Strengthening Deeper Learning through Virtual Teams in E-learning: A Synthesis of Determinants and Best Practices”

In a follow-up post to Joyline’s overview of their research, CFAME Connection reached out to Martine and Joyline to provide a synopsis of their findings. Martine and Joyline suggest that the core phenomenon of conversation fortifies deeper learning in virtual teams and e-learning environments.

Incidentally, this interview is proof that virtual teams are global. At the time of writing this post, Martine was travelling in Spain, Joyline was in Halifax, and I was in Vancouver. We hope that you will join the discussion by sharing your e-learning experiences. As Martine noted: “our students also help to build this base of knowledge – all student projects contribute to this exercise.”

Martine: Recently, there has been an increased focus on deeper learning in higher educational settings. And by deeper learning, we mean delivering robust course content in ways that engage students to study, integrate and apply what they have learned. Deeper learning fosters competencies required to participate within our social milieu: critical thinking, collaborative and communication skills, for example. Our objective was to identify the core skills and knowledge from research that reinforce each other and together promote deeper learning, specifically within the context of e-learning

Joyline: Virtual teams have become ubiquitous. However, they have not been empirically studied in the academic sphere, and little is known about their effectiveness as a learning mechanism in e-learning. Martine and I were eager to pursue this area of investigation. There is growing practical evidence that one of the key factors for e-learning success is an understanding of the social component of learning, i.e., the importance of person-to-person, and group/team interactions within the e-learning framework.

Martine: Our experience and research found that most workplace training and graduate teaching in e-learning environments utilize group work. Group or team work, according to precepts of adult education, nurtures deeper learning. Team work provides skills that professional programme students require in the workplace, where teams are the norm today and team work a required skill set. When there is a collaborative environment for learning, more experiences are shared and knowledge can be processed from different perspectives. Moreover, concepts learned by examining them from a number of different perspectives can enhance learning.

Joyline: Our research demonstrated that the core phenomenon of conversation fortified virtual teams and e-learning environments. Conversation is the all-embracing term that describes socialization as well as communication processes within the learning environment. Conversation is identified as allowing learners to experience social presence and develop a feeling of belonging and psychological closeness, which is crucial to the development of deeper learning. Within the e-learning literature concepts such as collaboration, community and connectedness dominated the results pointing to student satisfaction and success.

Martine: Learning is about conversations. It is our conversations that allow us to experience social presence and develop a feeling of trust. When we work within a compassionate and supportive team, our learning potential is enhanced. Conversations encourage deeper learning.

Joyline: Martine and I believe that our study findings will strengthen e-learning program planning and delivery within educational centres that are already engaged in e-learning, as well as convey important best practices for learning centres at the beginning stages of e-learning development.

Martine: Adding to Joyline’s comment, we believe our study also has broad societal implications. It has the potential to fuel social and economic development and innovation, and to inspire lifelong learning in our society.

Joyline Makani: Strengthening Deeper Learning

July 11, 2017 rbudd 2 Comments

Joyline Makani

“We are so excited and the award was very unexpected. It has been a great month for research. Martine Durier-Copp and I have been celebrating along with our co-researches, Deborah Kiceniuk and Alieda Blandford. Our paper “Strengthening Deeper Learning through Virtual Teams in E-learning: A Synthesis of Determinants and Best Practices” which appeared in Vol. 32, No. 2, 2016 received the IJEDE Best Paper award for 2016 that was announced at the CNIE conference May 18, 2017 in Banff, Canada.

Joyline Makani

After several years of e-mail exchanges, Joyline Makani and I met for our first face-to-face conversation during my brief visit to Halifax in May. It was a celebration meeting. The prestigious IJEDE Best Paper Award seeks out cutting-edge research that responds to current realities. “Strengthening Deeper Learning…” offers an e-learning framework, one that could serve as the foundation of future empirical studies in e-learning. This is indeed exciting news!

Joyline explains:

Martine and I are passionate about e-learning. We see this as a global movement. E-learning is gaining popularity. Everyone recognizes the potential contributions to economic and social development offered via this delivery system. But we have yet to fully realize e-learning’s possibilities. Here is the main issue: most e-learning practices merely replicate traditional existing teaching methods and have not fully exploited the interactive and social components of peer learning.

The objective of our study was to identify the core skills and knowledge from research that reinforce each other and together promote deeper learning. We believe that the results from this study will strengthen e-learning program planning and delivery within higher education centres that are already engaged in e-learning, as well as convey important best practices for learning centres at the beginning stages of e-learning development.

Why is this important? Our research revealed that in 2012, an estimated 875,000 and 950,000 registered online students at colleges and universities in Canada take a purely online course at any one time (Contact North 2012 Report). In the same year, the U.S. had over 6.7 million students taking at least one online course, an increase of 570,000 students over the number reported in the previous year (Allen & Seaman, 2013). These are significant numbers. Martine and I believe there is a growing need for a stronger understanding of e-learning that encompasses the examination of ways in which e-learning promotes deeper learning. We need to uncover and pursue fresh e-learning strategies.

Next post: The Phenomenon of Conversation

Martine Durier-Copp: Management is an Art

July 4, 2017 rbudd Leave a Comment

Dalhousie University: Ralph M. Medjuck Building, Faculty of Architecture & Planning (5410 Spring Garden Road)

Since 2009, Martine Durier-Copp has been the Director for the Centre for Advanced Management Education in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, where she continues to engage in her passion of continuous learning and capacity development.

In a recent interview with CFAME Connection, Martine shared her insights into the art of management.

Management is an art, but also a science, and as any science, it is informed by knowledge. Knowledge develops and grows, as we conduct more research.

The way we teach management also evolves, and is based on current best practices, as informed by ongoing research.

Researchers at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management study and investigate all facets of management – from finance, operations management, strategy, marketing, etc. Our students also help to build this base of knowledge – all student projects contribute to this exercise.

At CFAME, we are particularly interested in e-learning – that means, how students learn on line, and how that is different from how they learn in traditional classrooms. That knowledge helps to inform the way we teach on line. So, how do we conduct research?

One always begins with an analysis or review of the literature. What have other researchers found? We examine their studies for relevance, context, and of course, methodological rigour. From there, we can move on to extract important themes and issues, which can help us to develop a research framework – the lens or perspective from which we shall conduct our own analysis.

We then frame our research question, being a precise as possible; select our research method – and justify that method.

Without doubt, research in academia is demanding. A great deal of reading, synthesizing, reviewing, checking and rechecking goes into a research project. This becomes clear to all who enter an MBA program. In business, strategy is based on documented research that flows from academic efforts. This is the critical link between the two entities. And who best to facilitate that link – graduates of CFAME’s MBA programs.

Archives for Academic Research