MacEwan University’s General Faculties Council (GFC), the institution’s senior academic governance body, recently approved the formation of three new research groups: the Black Community Research and Innovation Group, the Indigenous Research Group and the Research Group for Inclusive Experiential Learning.
The first of their kind at MacEwan, these research groups provide a new way for the university’s scholars to come together to collaboratively study and help understand core societal issues and needs, says Dr. Craig Kuziemsky.
“Complex societal issues cannot be solved by individual disciplines,” says the associate vice-president, Research. “Research groups overcome that problem by facilitating interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary scholarship to bring a diverse scholarly lens to societal issues.”
The benefits of research groups extend beyond their interdisciplinary structure. Research groups are accountable to the GFC Standing Committee on Scholarly Activity, and that reporting structure can help groups grow and evolve throughout their terms. A formalized, institutional approach to research groups also provides added credibility when applying for research funding and promoting group activities, explains Dr. Kuziemsky.
“Research groups are a way to build something bigger and more substantial than is possible through a small, siloed team of scholars,” he says. “I am very excited about how a research group might look at a problem or opportunity in a way that others have not. That gives us a chance to work with industry and other community partners in unique ways so that we can be real trendsetters in scholarship.”
Led by Dr. Fiona Edwards-Akunesiobike, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, the Black Community Research and Innovation Group will create a research hub where Black and non-Black scholars, students, Black communities and community partners collaborate to tackle health and socioeconomic disparities within the Black population on a municipal, provincial and national level.
The Indigenous Research Group, led by Etienna Moostoos-Lafferty, assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Early Learning, will act as a platform for Indigenous academics, students and researchers to engage in research guided by Indigenous knowledge systems, protocols and ethics, while ensuring alignment with broader reconciliation and academic goals.
Dr. Melissa Hills, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, will lead the Research Group for Inclusive Experiential Learning, which will investigate experiential learning across multiple disciplines and settings to reduce learning barriers. Looking at a broad range of environments, including science laboratories, field schools, practicums and work-integrated learning opportunities, the group will foster the development of innovative strategies to improve learning in these complex environments.