Closing Research-Practice Gaps in the Delivery of Online Teaching and Learning

Stephen MacGregor; Joshua Pigeon

doi:10.18733/cpi29709

Authors

Stephen MacGregor University of Calgary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7466-5695
Joshua Pigeon Ottawa Catholic School Board

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18733/cpi29709

Abstract

In this article, the authors introduce four areas of practice—equity and inclusion, instructional design, assessment, and leadership—where the relationship between research and practice either fell out of step or was strained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resonant with broader conversations about research-practice connections, neither research nor practice contexts are considered to bear the blame; the challenge emerges from the educational ecosystems we co-construct and co-inhabit. With the prevalence and complexity of online learning only growing with time (e.g., relating to OpenAI’s ChatGPT), the authors conclude by discussing inroads toward stronger research-practice connections in online teaching and learning.

Author Biographies

Stephen MacGregor, University of Calgary

Stephen MacGregor, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Leadership, Policy, and Governance at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education. His research centers on knowledge mobilization as a mechanism to promote school improvement and systems change, with an emphasis on leadership practices for increasingly complex educational environments.

Joshua Pigeon, Ottawa Catholic School Board

Joshua Pigeon is a Vice Principal with the Ottawa Catholic School Board where he is currently in the role at St. Josephine Virtual High School. Prior to this, Joshua taught grades 7-12 as a classroom teacher and also worked as a resource teacher supporting students with exceptionalities. His virtual journey began at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic where he taught students residing in various locations across Ottawa, implemented various instruction and assessment practices, and later stepped into leadership.

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