Course Description
As a science, psychology investigates why and how humans and nonhuman animals feel, think, and behave in the ways they do. Our discoveries can be harnessed for societal good when the insights gained from psychological research are communicated accurately to the public. In this course, students will participate in seminars to learn to communicate effectively about scientific discoveries and engage in the process of knowledge translation. Students will also work with a Psychology faculty supervisor to create and deliver knowledge translation products.
Prerequisites:
1.0 credits in 300-level psychology courses. Commitment from a faculty supervisor via application process.
In this course, students will work closely with the course coordinator and the faculty supervisor. The expectation and responsibility of each contributor are as follows:
The course coordinator is responsible for 1) teaching the principles of knowledge translation, but not necessarily the technical skills required to produce specific kinds of deliverables, and 2) organizing and coordinating guest lectures and outreach events.
Faculty supervisors are responsible for the content (or the knowledge) that needs to be translated into deliverables by the students.
Students are responsible for working with both the course coordinator and the faculty supervisor to 1) produce the quality KT deliverables based on the principles taught in the course and 2) present the deliverables to the public at the outreach events.
Note: All students enrolled will be given an assignment for which they will be tasked with producing a short newspaper/magazine story about a journal article from the supervisor’s lab, or a similar substitute article of the supervisor’s choosing. Students will also produce a final written assignment explaining how their deliverable embodies knowledge translation principles and will be asked to explain how they would evaluate the effectiveness of their deliverable as a knowledge translation tool/product.
Faculty members accepting student applications for 2023-2024
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/craig-chambers
Lab website: https://www.psycholinguistics.ca/pal
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
- Flexible with the type of KT a student engages in producing.
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. Chambers if you have questions.
Course pre-requisites:
PSY274, PSY315, PSY374 or any course in the new JLP stream
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/joanne-chung
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Flexible with the type of KT a student engages in producing.
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. Chung if you have questions.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/norman-farb
Lab website: https://www.radlab.zone
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
More details about the KT deliverables:
Deliverables will focus on reviewing and communicating information around respiratory health and the benefits of related interventions (Mindfulness, Panayama, Breathwork, Holotropic Breathing, etc.)
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/keisuke-fukuda
Lab website: https://fukudalab.org
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
More details about the KT deliverables:
I am looking for students who are interested in translating some of our recent lines of work (see our lab website) into more accessible format for general audience.
Course pre-requisites:
PSY270 and/or PSY372
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Any graphic design skills are preferred but not required.
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/melissa-holmes
Lab website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/holmes-lab/
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- No preference (students can choose the type of deliverables to produce).
More details about the KT deliverables:
I am looking for students who are interested in:
- making the lab website engaging and accessible.
- producing media (video or still) that can be used to promote the research to wide audience.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Creativity, Independence, tech savvy
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/elizabeth-johnson
Lab website: https://www.classlab.psycholinguistics.ca
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. Johnson if you have questions.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/anna-kosovicheva
Lab website: https://applylab.org
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Audio recording (e.g., podcast, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
More details about the KT deliverables:
Our lab is particularly seeking students who have an interest in visual perception, and who want to apply their understanding of visual perception to the real world. Depending on the student's interest, there may be opportunities to make demonstrations of visual illusions for teaching and outreach.
Course pre-requisites:
Students should have completed relevant coursework in perception and cognition (either PSY280 or PSY270).
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/samuel-ronfard
Lab website: https://www.utmchildlab.com
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. Ronfard if you have questions.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/ruth-speidel
Lab website: http://www.tinamalti.com
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Audio recording (e.g., podcast, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
- No preference (students can choose the type of deliverables to produce).
More details about the KT deliverables:
I am looking for students who are interested in supporting knowledge translation of our social-emotional research and community-based social-emotional training initiatives (e.g., infographics, animated videos for parent/educator/child audiences to support child social-emotional development, etc.).
Course pre-requisites:
PSY210
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Background in developmental psychology
Analytical skills
Strong communication skills
Ability and interest in working with children and families
Conscientiousness and extreme reliability
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/christina-vanden-bosch-der-nederlanden
Lab website: https://www.utmlamalab.com
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Audio recording (e.g., podcast, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Outreach activity (e.g., to deliver at local schools, community center, museum)
- No preference (students can choose the type of deliverables to produce).
More details about the KT deliverables:
I have lots of ideas related to social media campaigns for child recruitment, creating lay summaries of data via infographic, creating video abstracts for some recent papers, etc. I am looking for students who are interested in materializing them.
Course pre-requisites:
PSY201/202 and PSY309 would be a bonus but neither are strict pre-requisites.
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Experience with Adobe Illustrator or other image/video editing software
Experience with social media campaign
Good people skills
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/doug-vanderlaan
Lab website: https://sites.utm.utoronto.ca/biglab/content/home
Number of Students: 2
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- No preference (students can choose the type of deliverables to produce).
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. VanderLaan if you have questions.
Course pre-requisites:
Course background includes gender and sexuality, culture, and/or development
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Enthusiasm for finding creative ways to communicate scientific knowledge.
Strong computer skills and/or willingness for self-directed learning of new computing skills
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/benjamin-wolfe
Lab website: https://applylab.org
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Infographics (e.g., for a pamphlet, poster, digital platform)
- Videos (e.g., demo, interviews)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletters/blog posts summarizing the outcomes of research projects)
- Demo requiring electronics and programming expertise
More details about the KT deliverables:
I am open to many forms of KT deliverable (website, blogpost, visuals, videos, demo construction); I have one demo project in mind that would take considerable programming/electronics skills (think Arduino / Raspberry Pi). If this sounds like you, please get in touch.
Course pre-requisites:
No formal prerequisites, but PSY270, 280 are a plus, as is PSY385 or PSY389
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
Application Procedures
Students formally apply by submitting an application ONLINE.
Deadline: April 28, 2023
Carefully check to ensure that you have the pre-requisites described above. Under some circumstances, and only with special permission, a student who has an outstanding academic record but who has not completed all of the prerequisites may be permitted to complete the prerequisites concurrently with the Knowledge Translation course.
Students will be notified if selected to enrol in this course by early June 2023.
For more information, please contact Prof. Keisuke Fukuda at keisuke.fukuda@utoronto.ca.