Overview of Our Projects

The research agenda of faculty members is as equally diverse as the organization, goals, programs, and graduate students of the Faculty of Education. The Faculty recognizes education and schooling as a construct involving learning and lifestyle choice in diverse settings and across the lifespan, not simply a construction of bricks and mortar called ‘schools’. The research to document, evaluate, and explain this learning and choices utilizes a wide variety of quantitative, qualitative, and community-based approaches. The Faculty continues its long-established interests and scholarship into curriculum development, implementation, and analysis; classroom teaching, learning, assessment, and related issues; counseling and administration; and educational policy, management, and practices. More recently, the Faculty has expanded its inquiries into the construction of knowledge in a variety of authentic contexts: gender and ethnicity issues; art, learning, and work communities; health, wellness, and literacy; physical performance and lifestyles; recreational organization, management, and programming; and classroom applications of information communication technologies.

The Faculty’s research efforts are broadly grounded in the professional practice of formal education (elementary, secondary, post-secondary) and informal education (museums, galleries, learning communities, and other institutions); the social sciences, humanities, sciences, mathematics, and technology; and health, wellness, and medicine. This broad academic foundation supports an equally broad array of research projects funded by the Canadian Council on Learning, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Michael Smith Foundation, Imperial Oil Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation, and several other public and private funding agencies. Further details about specific Faculty research interests and projects can be found at: research overviews

Current Research Projects

Learning and The World We Want

The LAWWW artwork started as a good idea and then, as people around the world connected with the idea, an amazing insight in the potential of children to remind adults of what is important was created.

A B C's of BC's Past

School Memorabilia Museum

Our long-term goal is to produce a museum of artifacts and memorabilia of schooling - preschool through university. Dean of Education, Budd Hall supported the idea and provided display space. Initially there have been displays with thought-provoking questions directed to “teachers-in-training”.

Hopefully, there will be a permanent structure. Considerations are a school portable or an army hut. History of Education professors and students of History of Education classes can link up to their educational heritage.

Displays so far have been at L.V.I.R.T. meetings, UVic., and the BCTF retired teachers’ annual general meeting. Currently there is an additional display in the Curriculum Library provided under the direction of Zoe Clement and Marisa Lousier.

Although in the early stages, the project has received positive responses and is well underway.

We have had wonderful support from UVic-Caren Willms.

District #61-Sherri Robb, Mary Sluggett, Connie Schmidt and Paul Rowley; retired teacher Margaret Mackenzie, Lower Vancouver Island Retired Teachers and as well general community members. Technical support is from Patrick Warrington.

Thank you to SD#61 for three school desks, Sherri Robb for distributing a notice to teachers asking for artifacts and to Paul Rowley for donating his own personal student desk, inkwells and sample boards.

Directors: Dr. Tom Fleming, Eleada Grant, Gloria Humphrey, Dr. Helen Raptis, Judi Warrington, Dr. Bill Zuk

Pacific Crystal Project

The Pacific Crystal Project (the Pacific Centre for Scientific and Technological Literacy) is one of five Centres for Research in Youth, Science Teaching, and Learning (CRYSTAL) funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This hub-and-spoke centre provides a central management system composed of co-directors, an executive committee, and an international advisory board for collaborative research studies with the Faculties of Science, Engineering, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education at the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, Malaspina University-College, BC School Districts, and numerous non-governmental agencies. Go to the Pacific Crystal Project website»