Mission

The purpose of the Research Committee is to foster the conduct and distribution of co-operative education research across the country.

Research Recruitment

The CAFCE Research committee is made up of CAFCE members from across Canada who have a strong interest in advancing the distribution of co-operative education research.  Current and future initiatives include:

CAFCE Research Grant and Award

• Promote awareness and encourage applicants for the award, fairly evaluate entries, encourage and share research results

Research Committee Web Presence

• Maintain the CAFCE Research web pages to share relevant co-operative education research and links to partner association research resources
• Promote mission and membership of the Research Committee
• Promote the CAFCE Research Grant and the Dr. Graham Branton Award

Co-op Research Promotion and Partnerships

• Maintain relationships and communication with other research groups such as ACE, CEIA, WACE
• Ensure strong research stream presence at National Conference
• Continue to be a resource for research related professional development

Support CAFCE Board of Directors and Members

• On call for board of directors to assess opportunities, evaluate wording and determine effective research partnerships

Members meet once a month by phone throughout most of the academic year with additional meetings scheduled in April for Research Grant Award decisions.  Interested persons must be CAFCE members and can be considered for committee membership by sending a paragraph of interest to the Research Committee Chair.

CAFCE Research Committee & Bios

Co-Chair: Charlene Marion, Bishop’s University, QC
Co-Chair: Peter Rans, Memorial University, Newfoundland, NL
E-mail: researchchair@cafce.ca

Michelle Larsen
Co-op Coordinator, Sciences
Acadia University

How long have you been working in co-op?
6 years (still feeling like the new kid on the block).

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?
When students who have struggled with getting a placement, don’t give up. When success is finally experienced through hard work, it is a celebration and a lesson for them, and us, about what is possible through perseverance. Our office has been known to dance when the offer comes in!

What areas of research are you most interested in?  
Perception of learning by students when exposed to a non-traditional educational method. I am also acutely aware of the lack of hard evidence that post-secondary decision-makers have on which to base funding and resource decisions. I feel that efforts must be made in this area to ensure that the value of Co-op within post-secondary institutions continues to be recognized and nurtured.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
None, currently, although I expect this may change shortly.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
I conducted research in the scientific arena for 7 years prior to coming to Acadia. I have experience in grant writing, research proposal writing, experiential design and analysis using the scientific method.  

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I am an avid curler who holds a Nova Scotia provincial title winning the Women’s Club Championship in 2008.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
That co-op can be more broadly recognized for the significant role it plays in education within post-secondary institutions.
 
Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?  
We have a great-room in the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre where, during the winter, a huge wood-burning fireplace blazes. It’s fully wireless…a cozy and luxurious hideaway from which to escape the office, but still get some work done. And…if you’re lucky, someone will be playing away at the baby grand!

What’s your favourite pastime?
Curling…it’s the most social sport on the planet combining strategy, athleticism and the ability to yell really loud. Try it once and you’ll be hooked!

Charlene Marion
Cooperative Education Coordinator
Bishop’s University

How long have you been working in co-op?
2.5 years

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?
Our co-op program is small and selective, which allows me to really get to know each my students on a personal, one on one basis.  I get a great deal of satisfaction helping our students to grow personally and professionally and guide them in fulfilling their career aspirations.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
My current interests are around employer-intern relationships as well as student employability and work place competencies.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
I’m currently working on a research project entitled Determinants and Outcomes: Commitment in the Intern-Supervisor Relationship in collaboration with the Faculty of Management at the Université de Sherbrooke.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
I have worked on both quantitative and qualitative research projects.  In past projects, qualitatively, I have completed exploratory (inductive) research through the use of semi-structured interviews and analyzed results using coding. Currently my research is mostly focused on a quantitative approach.

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
Coaching basketball takes up most of my spare time.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
My greatest hope for coop is that all employers will someday understand the value and importance of hiring a coop student.
 
 Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
The University Quad; a huge green space surrounded by century old historic buildings and tall pine trees… a real scene from a Harry Potter movie!

What’s your favourite pastime?
Baking gourmet cupcakes for family, friends and colleagues (if you stop by Sherbrooke, I’d be happy to share).

Earl Anderson
Co-operative Education Coordinator
British Columbia Institute of Technology

How long have you been working in co-op?
Eight years

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college? 
I love the stimulation of trying to locate simulating work terms in a constantly changing labour market.  I also enjoy the mental stimulation of being a co-op coordinator in that it combines being a counsellor, educator, marketer, mediator, advocate etc…

What areas of research are you most interested in?
Stakeholder engagement
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
Student survey on social network

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Qualitative  - I love murky, messy, contradictory, data

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
That I was a sailing instructor in university

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
I would like to see strong research committees at both the provincial and national level to help keep co-op education and workplace education relevant, vibrant and innovative.
 
Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
The library.  I like to browse the periodicals.

What’s your favourite pastime?
Spending time with my family, cooking and listening to Scandinavian death metal.

Peter Rans, PhD
Director, Division of Co-operative Education
Memorial University of Newfoundland

How long have you been working in Co-op?
8 years

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?
Those rare, precious moments when a student has been transformed as a result of their co-op experience.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
•    The ‘value’ proposition of Co-operative Education.
•    Provision of Co-operative Education, social and economic mobility and social justice.

What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
Most recently – geographic work placement preferences of Memorial students in Co-op Education.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Qualitative, especially focus group work on refining general attitudes to useable information.

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I grew up next to the river Severn, and as a landscape it had a serenity to it which has so far eluded me on my working life.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of Co-op?
That co-op is recognized as the solution to succession planning in all sectors of the economy.

What is your favorite place on campus? Why?
There is a small lake at the edge of campus.  I like to walk around it in the summer when I’m trying to avoid e-mails.

What’s your favorite pastime?
Watching movies in the hope that I'll be discovered and offered a role.
 
Nancy Johnston, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Student Affairs
Simon Fraser University

How long have you been working in co-op?
Over 20 years

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?  
The opportunity to positively impact on futures

What areas of research are you most interested in?
Experiential learning and transfer

What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
I am currently working on a research grant exploring student’s academic success among domestic, international and new immigrant students –this is largely non-WIL related.   I have also just completed the multi-institutional study regarding co-op and institutional recruitment and retention in BC and have completed 3 recent book chapters, 2 in the WACE Handbook for Research in WIL and the other in a book entitled Developing Global citizens.  All of these chapters reference WIL.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Mixed methods, Q methodology, case study qualitative.

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
Not sure there is much there, I am not overly shy.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
That it knows what is worth holding sacred and what needs to change with respect to the model so that it stays relevant to post -secondary education.

Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
The Jade pond at convocation to see all the successful faces streaming by

What’s your favourite pastime?
Travelling with friends and family

Larry Iles
Chairperson, TRU Career Education Department
Thompson Rivers University

How long have you been working in co-op?
I have been working in Co-operative Education for 15 years-around the time when Apple Shares were only $5.00 a share.

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?  
Students, Students, Students.  I love to hear the students’ stories, to teach and inform them about career possibilities.  The Site Visits are the best part of the job. At Thompson Rivers University we are mandated to visit each student in person-where and when possible.  I’m always energized after spending time with the students on their work-term location.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
I am very interested in gender studies in relation to Co-op Education-with the increase of women in the post-secondary system and in Co-op programming-there is some exploration needed on the “lives lived” and how experiences while on a Co-op work-term differ through the gender lens.

What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
•    GPA attainment
•    Retention and Engagement
•    1st year initiatives and Career Development

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Quantitative

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
Huge reader-always have a few books on the go-big WW non-fiction passion. And-that I would rather be skiing than doing most anything else...I don’t think they would be surprised about that point-but I like to remind them as often as I can.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
The model keeps on growing. I believe the move to evolve into a Work-Integrated-Model is the future – blending our considerable experience with the Co-op model into other areas of work-based-learning.
 
Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
Starbucks-enough said!

What’s your favourite pastime?
I enjoy filling out Bio’s about myself-then reading and skiing

Jeela Jones, PhD Candidate
Assistant Director, Co-operative Education Programs
University of Ottawa

How long have you been working in co-op?
Almost 9 years.

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?
Working in Co-op is a constant inspiration because the people I work with and the projects I’m involved with are all focused on student development.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
I’m interested in research that asks about experience.

What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
I’m completing my PhD in Education and my thesis is focused on co-operative education. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll graduate in 2012!

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Qualitative, and arts-based research in particular (image-based, narrative).

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
Some of my colleagues know that I’m an avid snowboarder, but few would know that after a day on the hill, our entire family likes to hit the terrain park and tackle the jumps and features!

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
I hope that coop, and other forms of work-integrated learning, become the norm for all programs of study.

Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
At lunchtime you can often find me at the graduate student lounge in the library. It’s one of my favorite places on campus because everyone there is so determined to achieve their personal academic goal. This feeling of intense determination is a powerful motivator to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

What’s your favourite pastime?
My pastimes change with the seasons. This summer, I fell in love with golf.

Christine Arsenault
Director, Management Co-op
University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)

How long have you been working in co-op?
Since August of 2001 (10 years)

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?
I love that co-operative education allows for so many rewarding experiences.  It’s one of the few jobs that allows direct ties to the academic mandate for staff positions.  It also allows for great relationship building; both internally and externally. As co-op staff we get to know our corporate partners, their company and needs but we also build lifelong relationships with our students.  From the first day that they are admitted, co-op staff gets to know the students and their interests.  We then assist them through to graduation and beyond.  It’s very rewarding to see alumni come back as employers.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
Currently, I’m most interested in research that involves international students as well as students where English is their second language.  More specifically, looking at how these students adjust to the Canadian job search process.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
UTSC’s co-op programs are supporting a number of research projects that look at global trends in interviewing, the supervisor/employee relationship and adjusting to the Canadian job search process.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?  
As a co-op practitioner, my expertise is not in research methods! I rely heavily on my academic colleagues to help determine the best methods for pulling out the practical answers that I am looking for.

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
Although I work in the business department, my undergraduate studies were in biology and the visual and performing arts.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
That it will continue to remain tied to the academic mandate of an institution and not simply be a job placement service.  Co-operative education is just that – a form of education designed to teach students lifelong skills for obtaining and maintaining rewarding forms of work.
 
Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
My favourite place on our campus is our new fourth floor patio.  The view is awesome and it is very serene.

What’s your favourite pastime?
Planning travel adventures for me and my family!
 
Rocco Fondacaro, PhD
Director, Student & Faculty Relations, Co-operative Education & Career Services
University of Waterloo    

How long have you been working in co-op?  
5 years following 20+years in high tech industry and manufacturing

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?  
The challenges of integrating academic and experiential learning.  The excitement and optimism of young people.    

What areas of research are you most interested in?  
1. Quality in work integrated learning – the role of expectation  
2. Learning outcomes attainment – definition and assessment.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?  
There are two projects underway with my involvement:  an organizing and classification model for understanding quality issues in WIL; and, refining a methodology for using employer job performance evaluations to assess student attainment of competency attributes and learning outcomes

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?  
Experimental in social sciences (psychology); evaluation; survey; focus groups

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I am relatively new to the WIL world, having did graduate work in experimental social psychology and spending many years in industry and business doing research, marketing, and strategic planning.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
That we come to understand the underlying cognitive/transformational mechanisms that make the sum of academic and experiential learning greater than the sum of these two parts.
 
Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?  
The student life center, that where the students hang out… lots of energy and exploration of ideas going on.

What’s your favourite pastime?  
Sci-fi; movies; astronomy and stargazing.  I also have several horses.

Judene Pretti
Director, Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education (WatCACE)
University of Waterloo

How long have you been working in co-op?
I moved into the co-op world in 2006 as the first director of our Professional Development program (WatPD). I became the WatCACE Director in the spring of 2011 and now spend my time on research related to co-op (or a shorter answer: 6 years).

What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college?  
I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the complexities of co-op, both from an operational and an educational perspective.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
I am most interested in investigating the learning that takes place during work terms and in understanding the ways that the learning can be supported and enhanced.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
I am working on the evaluation of the Waterloo Professional Development Program for co-op students (WatPD). We have received a Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) grant to study the impact of the program.  I am also chairing a working group on a review of co-op education at Waterloo.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
The majority of my experience is with quantitative research, but I have done some work with code books to analyze qualitative feedback.

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I suspect they would be surprised to find out I was a cheerleader in high school.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of co-op?
My hope for the future of co-op is that students will continue to benefit from this experiential learning cycle and that all partners (students, employers, faculty) will work towards better integration of experiences from classroom to workplace and back.

Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
The Tatham Centre (co-op and career building) during interviews is my favourite place on campus. It’s a beautiful building and the buzz during interviews is a great motivator for me.

What’s your favourite pastime?
Shopping!!

Norah McRae
Executive Director
Co-operative Education Program and Career Services
University of Victoria

How long have you been working in coop? Since January, 1992.
What inspires you the most about your work at your university or college? Seeing the difference that co-operative education, and other forms of work-integrated education, make to the learning of our students and to the needs of their workplaces.

What areas of research are you most interested in?
The role that work-integrated education can have on the development of meaningful, transformational learning and on the workplace. The role of international experience in the development of cross-cultural competence.
 
What research project(s) are you participating in right now?
Research on work-integrated education and the interplay between the student and the workplace. Researching the development of cross-cultural competence in students engaged in international experiences. Will be starting to look at the student employment hiring trends and needs of the local employer community.

What research methodologies do you have the most experience in?
Some quantitative, some qualitative

What would your colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I’m a “Preacher’s Kid”, or P.K.!

What’s your greatest hope for the future of coop?
That we are able to develop a solid academic discipline around work-integrated education that is research based and supported by empirical evidence and theory.

Where is your favourite place on your campus? Why?
UVic has a running trail that meanders around our beautiful tree filled campus. When going for an after work run I am quickly immersed in this peaceful environment and can see different birds and sometimes wildlife.

What’s your favourite pastime?
Holidaying in Hawaii, anytime, anywhere. Sadly, it is a pastime I don’t get to indulge in as often as I would like.

Past Chairs:
2005-07: Jeela Jones, University of Ottawa, ON
2007-09: Heather Skanes, Memorial University, Newfoundland, NL
2009-11: Christine Arsenault, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON

• Mission & Membership
• CAFCE Research Grant & Submission Guide
• Grant Recipients
• Research Resources