Canada does not have a national system wide assessment of the socioeconomic impacts of academic research. We do not have a Research Excellence Framework such as in the United Kingdom. Yet Canadian researchers, funders and institutions are interested in research impact, particularly the methods and processes for generating impacts to complement…

Virtual reality (VR) technology provides innovative intervention means for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to its advantages of realism, flexibility, and controllability, bringing new possibilities. The application of VR technology for intervention in children with ASD has been widely explored. A total of 39 studies reviewed…

Governments and private funders are placing increasing demands on postsecondary institutions and community-based organizations to account for the impacts from their collaborative research and learning efforts. In this article, we explore how best to account for impacts arising from the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement project…

Nudging is increasingly used in public health interventions in Western societies to produced health-promoting behavior changes; however, there is lack of clarity as to what constitutes a nudge, scant knowledge of the effectiveness of nudging techniques in public health lifestyle interventions and a number of ethical and value-based concerns. The…

A large and growing population of students with autism is increasingly pursuing higher education. Yet, the field has a remarkably small literature base from which to glean actionable insights that might enhance postsecondary success for this population. The examination of 13,000 items published in sixteen journals over a sixteen-year period…

In 2011, the Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research launched a set of educational opportunities to facilitate and enhance the dissemination of TCPS 2, the 2nd edition of the "Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans" (2010), which guides Canadian research ethics. Three educational modalities…

Despite the increasing availability of gerontological training programs, knowledge of their contents, characteristics, methods, and outcomes remains limited. However, the transition from multidisciplinarity to interdisciplinary orientations is now fundamental to such training, providing participants from diverse academic orientations and…

Our research examines the effectiveness of intake variables used by a Canadian post-degree teacher education program over the period of 3 years to select candidates for entry into the program. Using a mixed-methods approach, we compared intake variables (grade point average, written response, work experience, reference letters, academic…

We investigated the experiences of research assistants in their dual role as both employees and trainees, when they were employed in a complex, mixed-methods, Canadian study on the everyday experience of living with and managing a chronic condition. A total of 13 research assistants participated in one or more components of this study: a survey (n…

Propensity score methods allow investigators to estimate causal treatment effects using observational or nonrandomized data. In this article we provide a practical illustration of the appropriate steps in conducting propensity score analyses. For illustrative purposes, we use a sample of current smokers who were discharged alive after being…

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring--which is commonly practiced over long distances--could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to…

This paper presents a qualitative case study of statistical practice in a university-based statistical consulting centre. Naturally occurring conversations and activities in the consulting sessions provided opportunities to observe questions, problems, and decisions related to selecting, using, and reporting statistics and statistical techniques…

The present review examines research on the effects of technology use on reading achievement in K-12 classrooms. Unlike previous reviews, this review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards. In addition, methodological and substantive features of the studies are investigated to examine the…

Outlines six criteria that should be met in designing studies to investigate effectiveness of treatment programs for suicide patients: (1) random assignment of patients; (2) follow-up of 80% of subjects; (3) need for statistically significant, clinically important results; (4) reporting of all clinically relevant outcomes; (5) adequate description…

The article presents an outline of the methodology used in a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of staff development courses for Ontario's Civil Service Commission. The procedure included a literature search, instructor interviews, and questionnaire development. (MF)