Artifact 1: St.Francis Xavier University Strategic Plan
Strategic Action Plan for the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University.
Supervisor: Dr. Lace Marie Brogden (Dean of Education)
Demonstrate a range of professional competencies that will enhance active professional engagement..
During the Inter-University Doctoral Program’s Summer Institute, I was approached by Dr. Lace Marie Brogden (Dean of Education) to take on a short-term Data Research Analyst role for the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). This project was a major undertaking because earlier in the year, the faculty members and staff gathered in order to provide feedback for StFX’s future strategic action plan. During the gathering, Dr. Brogden provided broad statements that members could provide feedback on. Additionally, once all members had an opportunity to provide written feedback, each member had yellow and red sticky dots. If members wanted to emphasize certain feedback, they would place a yellow dot on the statement. If members felt that the feedback should not be prioritized, they placed a red dot on the statement. All of the raw data was written on at least twenty large sheets of chart paper which needed to be processed before any research could take place.
The process of developing the final product required several significant stages. The first stage was the processing of the raw data. Therefore, this required me to carefully remove each sheet so that nothing fell off. I also placed tagged markers on each page so that I can create a tracking system. I digitized each chart and then transferred the images into a PDF. That way, the originals are kept intact. Upon finishing the digitization process, my second stage was to hand type each string according to the original broad statements. I also provided my initial interpretation for each string and linked them to the five Strategic Plan themes. Any text that was unclear or utilized acronyms and terms that I was unfamiliar with was immediately relayed to Dr. Brogden for clarification. The third stage required the grouping of certain strings to form emerging themes. I also conducted a reinterpretation of each string according to the Strategic Plan. Eventually, after several back-and-forth meetings, feedback and revisions, a final product was completed by November of 2023. This work was very important to me because I wanted to have a deeper understanding of how the university and its people coexisted. I was also thrilled to be involved in this undertaking because it provided me with an opportunity to give back to an institution that supported me (and continues to) for so long.
Professional & Collegial Competencies
Artifact 2: Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU)
Facilitating Science Education Workshops with the Association of Science Teachers (AST) & Knowledge Mobilization Efforts with the NSTU Research Repository
My most recent contributions to the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) have been through my involvement with the Association of Science Teachers (AST). Every year, during the provincial professional development day, I use the opportunity to engage with my fellow colleagues on many pedagogical practices that are intended to cultivate student success. Because I am cognizant of the audience and venue I am situated at, I avoid using technical scholarly language which tends to appear at university conferences. As a result, I use the professional development session as the context to facilitate and embed some of my research findings to the overall theme of the session.
For example, during my Master-thesis, I researched and provided findings related to grit and aspects tied to student success. Therefore, the intentions of the last three AST sessions were to provide educators with actionable strategies to foster and sustain achievement. Because AST caters to all grade levels, I made sure to provide appropriate materials to help engage learners of all ages and all abilities.
Artifact 3: Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Personal curriculum vitae
Relevant Files
During the development of the Master-level thesis, my thesis advisor and mentor, Dr. Young, encouraged me to build on my research engagement activities. While hesitant, I ultimately decided to participate in my first 2021 Education Research Forum (ERF) at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). As Dr. Young identified, it is an opportunity to articulate my research, obtain feedback from others and, building on public speaking skills. Therefore, using my first ERF as a launch point, I continued to find any opportunity to build my Curriculum Vitae (CV) in preparation for doctoral studies. Since starting doctoral studies, not only has my portfolio included the ERF but, I have also facilitated workshops with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union’s (NSTU) Association of Science Teachers (AST).
Lifelong learning is a significant goal of mine. Since starting the Inter-University PhD program, I have been very lucky. In August of 2023, I was offered a position as a Data Research Analyst with StFX, under the guidance of Dr. Brogden (Dean of the Faculty of Education). I know there are other opportunities that are forthcoming. As I move from the coursework to the completion of the comprehensive portfolio and to the PhD dissertation proposal defence, I intend to seek more opportunities for growth. Not only to build the CV but to gain knowledge and skills.
For the short- to mid-term, I have full intentions to remain a public high school educator. I love what I do and thoroughly enjoy the experiences and interactions I have had with collaborative parents, students, stakeholders and other educators. For the long-term, I wish to extend my passion for teaching and educating others within future Bachelor and Master of Education programs.