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St. John\u27s the Evangelist Altar
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Beyond Persistence: Increasing the Representation of Women Faculty and Leaders in Academic Surgery
Get PDFIn demanding tripartite roles, faculty at Academic Health Sciences Centres provide surgeon training and patient care, while seeking discovery through research and innovation. The persistent imbalance of women in academic surgery has been empirically evident and an intense topic of discussion for decades, yet solutions remain elusive. There has been increasing analysis and scrutiny of the factors affecting women in this domain, while highlighting the disconnect between the current state and our affirmed belief in gender equity in both education and medicine. My Organizational Improvement Plan is focussed on the recognition and resolution of barriers and biases impeding the appointment and promotion of women into faculty and leadership positions in the Department of Surgery at an Ontario University. It will explore the literature; outline theoretical underpinnings (critical theory, feminist theory, social cognition theory); and provide insight into the realm of implicit bias. It will engage authentic and transformative leadership and propose the use of appreciative inquiry as a change implementation framework for an integrated solution. This scholarly work aligns with an overriding public sentiment advocating for change of a social justice nature. Although my doctoral work is limited in scope to women in academic surgery for manageability reasons, it has the potential for scaling and broader application to address inequities that continue to exist for all equity-deserving groups. This is more than the right thing to do. We have a responsibility and obligation in health care and education to pursue equity and social justice
Improving educational opportunities by weaving Indigenous knowledge into the academy from an Indigenous perspective
Get PDFTo address the atrocities that Indigenous people have endured and provide guidance to support reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released its 94 Calls to Action (TRC, 2015). Educational reform is one of the key areas identified as necessary for reconciliation. Educational institutions such as River College (a pseudonym) are working towards the integration of Indigenous knowledge into current educational strategies and practices to achieve the acceptance and inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies, thereby acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are significant to the formation of current day Canada. The colonized approach to education at River College lacks cultural connection and supports that relate to Indigenous students, thus, affecting their sense of identity, culture and belonging. The work in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will focus on creating and supporting stronger cultural connections through the two-eyed seeing approach embedded in professional learning as a method to provide a culture of inclusiveness and a welcoming environment for Indigenous students at River College. The initiatives proposed in this OIP will look to increase engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems at River College by achieving a paradigm shift that recognizes and validates Indigenous perspectives and voices, alongside Western perspective. I will draw from transformative, transformational, and Indigenous leadership approaches to strengthen the relationship between the staff at River College and the Indigenous community to foster meaningful implementation. The creation and implementation of a common vision for systemic change and organizational improvement at River College will serve as a model for other institutions to follow
Adopting a new service delivery model to respond to student holistic needs within an Ontario University setting
Get PDFPost-secondary institutions are constantly working to improve their students’ on-campus experience. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), I address the registrar office’s service operations of an Ontario University’s opportunity to adopt a new service delivery model to improve the student experience. Many other Ontario universities, including John State University (JSU; a pseudonym), are facing an increasingly competitive landscape. Delivering a high-quality student experience through service is a strategy to distinguish the institution from its competitors as well as respond to performance metrics that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities reviews. The registrar’s office is implementing a new service delivery model, within its Student Support and Advising office as part of the institution’s overarching effort to improve the student experience. This OIP is created by a senior leadership team member in the Office of the Registrar and employs a servant and transformational leadership approach. This plan uses Kotter’s (2012) 8-step plan and Bridges’ (2009) transition model to lead the change process, as well as Rockwell and Bennett’s (2004) Targeting Outcome Program and Deming’s (1994) Plan-Do-Act-Study (PDSA) evaluation models to determine the impact on operations, staff, and students. To support the change efforts presented in this OIP, a communication plan and guiding questions are also provided
Building Intercultural Capacity in School Teams to Support Refugee Students
Get PDFIn a period of globalization and forced migration, refugee numbers are increasing exponentially, and unprepared school systems embrace students as families settle in unfamiliar territory. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores the experiences of a school team at Calluna Elementary School (CES, a pseudonym) in Southern Ontario, where staff strive to build their collective intercultural capacity in order to best serve an influx of newcomers who have survived war and significant loss. The Problem of Practice (PoP) involves addressing staff struggles with trauma-informed pedagogy, early literacy instruction, and maintaining an asset-focused perspective, through a refugee critical race theory lens. To inspire radical change in the current organization, and to flex with the rapidly changing demographics of the school community, the principal adopts both a transformative and adaptive leadership approach. While the organization evolves and oppressive programs and practices are identified and addressed, a change plan and communication plan are applied. Implementing formal professional learning sessions for staff through a 4C framework will be instrumental in developing culturally sustaining practices which adequately provide essential supports for refugee students. Training for the school team which focuses on developing intercultural competence will improve the ability of the system to address the unique challenges encountered. This morally imperative work is applicable to school contexts around the world where refugees are accepted and barriers are faced when supporting effective settlement for newcomers
An Equitable Approach to Academic Progression Advising: To Use an Automated Tool or Not?
Get PDFThis Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is concerned with the problem of inequitable access to an automated degree audit tool at a large metropolitan university in central Canada, which is affecting year-to-year progression and timely graduation. Despite the implementation of this tool 17 years ago, it has not been fully adopted, leaving the campus community to navigate degree progression inconsistently and in isolation, with nearly half the students underserved; of particular concern are first-generation students. Stakeholder theory underpins the organizational change management plan, which espouses authentic, transformational, and shared leadership approaches. Following internal and external analyses, it was determined that the institution has the capacity and readiness for change. Using an interpretive paradigm to consider multiple perspectives, four possible solutions are considered. After assessing time, finances, human resources, and impact, the preferred solution is to implement an incremental working group. An inclusive and comprehensive change model and an iterative review cycle comprising immediate and ongoing monitoring and evaluation is proposed for effective implementation. As well, strategic communication for equitable access to information sharing needed for degree progression will enhance the overall student experience and improve administrative efficiencies. The execution of a five-stage change plan will see all academic advisors using the automated degree audit tool by 2025. Successful implementation of this OIP will allow for exploration of other initiatives to improve the student experience using technology and a social justice lens in leadership
Enhancing Racialized Staff Mental Health and Well-Being from an Equity-Focused Lens
Get PDFThe Des Grands Lac school board is facing an ongoing dearth of qualified teachers that warrants a critical examination in order to underscore the impact of low staffing on staff mental health. Among these factors, the damaging impacts of racism in all its forms on racialized educators’ mental health has remained unexamined and unaddressed. As racism is deeply entrenched within the fabric of educational policies and practices, this discrimination is, too often, normalized. Consequently, owing to the racism, several racialized staff have reported experiences of anxiety, depression, and trauma, leaving them feeling alienated and undervalued. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) sets out a framework to implement an equity-focused mental health initiative that seeks to target support towards racialized staff experiencing discrimination. The OIP change-vision aims to establish allyship as a leadership strategy for school leaders in the Des Grands Lacs (DGL) school board in order to propagate and amplify equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives to combat racial discrimination. The application of critical race theory amplifies racialized staff’s voice to counter dominant discourse and raise awareness for the need for change. Drawing on transformative, servant and Ubuntu leadership styles, this OIP aims to offer solutions to create an inclusive environment where all staff could possibly flourish and safely express their lived experience. Such an inclusive environment requires a major shift in organizational culture and in the mindsets at all levels of leadership. This OIP explores ways to challenge systems of power that maintain discriminatory practices through building strong relationships and allyships
