COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Psychological and Brain Sciences explore 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 faculty supervisor to create and deliver knowledge translation products. This course is half credit (0.5) but offered over the full academic year (September-April).
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 thesis course.
Prerequisites: 1.0 credits in 300-level PSY 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:
Course Coordinator
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
Responsible for the content (or the knowledge) that needs to be translated into deliverables by the students.
Students
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.
Important 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.
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.
PARTICIPATING FACULTY
Faculty webpage: Craig Chambers | Department of Psychology
Lab webpage: Perception Action Language Lab
Number of Students:1
Types of KT deliverables
- 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)
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
- Students will be able to choose the type of deliverables to produce.
More details about the KT deliverables:
Prof. Chambers is interested in KT deliverables relating to the communication of research in the language sciences.
Course pre-requisites:
PSY270 or JLP285 at a minimum; JLP383 or JLP315 or JLP384 suggested.
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Creativity, familiarity with or willingness to learn required software/platforms
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/melissa-holmes
Lab website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/holmes-lab/
Number of students accepted: 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)
- No preference (students can choose the type of deliverables to produce).
More details about the KT deliverables:
Please contact Prof. Holmes if you have any questions.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Creativity, familiarity with or willingness to learn required software/platforms
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/emily-impett
Lab website: https://www.emilyimpett.com/
Number of Students: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested (students can choose)
- Written pieces (e.g., social media campaign, newsletter/blog summarizing the outcomes of a large project/series of studies centered on a topic)
- 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 to students at local schools
I am currently doing a research project to examine how popular ideas about relationships (e.g., love languages, soulmates) spread online on Reddit. I can imagine a KT student working on a project related to this research, but I am also open to other ideas.
Course pre-requisites:
N/A
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)
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:
Video editing, Social media experience, Design (but not required)
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/ruth-speidel
Lab website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/ccdmp/
Number of students accepted: 1
Types of Knowledge Translation (KT) Deliverables interested:
I am looking for students interested in developing animations and illustrations for a caregiver and educator training focused on social-emotional development in children ages 3–8 years. I am also open to discussing alternate project ideas if students have specific deliverables in mind.
More details about the KT deliverables:
Ideally, the KT deliverables will center around supporting the knowledge translation of research on social-emotional development to support caregivers' and educators' knowledge of social-emotional concepts, such as emotion regulation and empathy. The deliverables will be illustrations and animated videos designed for parents, caregivers, and educators as the audience.
Course pre-requisites:
No formal prerequisites, but completion of PSY210 is a plus.
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Experience with animation and graphic design are assets.
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/christina-vanden-bosch-der-nederlanden
Lab website: https://www.utmlamalab.com
Number of students accepted: 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)
- Website (e.g., lab website, project/outreach website)
More details about the KT deliverables:
Prof. der Nederlanden is looking for a student who can help with our social media and outreach for recruiting families to participate in the lab.
Course pre-requisites:
Developmental Psychology (though not a requirement)
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
video editing, social media 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 accepted: 1
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:
Background in developmental psychology, social/cultural psychology, and/or neuroscience
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
Open to students interested to use or develop skills suited to the project goals
Faculty website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/benjamin-wolfe
Lab website: https://applylab.org
Number of students accepted: 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)
- Live/Interactive demo or lesson
More details about the KT deliverables:
Professor Wolfe is interested in KT deliverables for general science communication, infographics, media, and demos.
Course pre-requisites:
PSY270 or PSY280 at a minimum; PSY385 or PSY389 optional
Preferred (but not required) qualifications and skills:
N/A
APPLICATION PROCESS
Students formally apply by submitting an application.
Application Portal »
Application Deadline: May 15, 2026
- Enrollment requires acceptance into the course by a faculty supervisor.
- Students will be notified is selected to enroll in this course by early June.
- For more information, please contact the utmpsych.utm@utoronto.ca
For more information on what a Thesis entails as well as other opportunities for gaining research experience at UTM, click HERE.