Research Projects
Frequent Low-Stake Evaluations, Student Workload, and MSAF use
Frequent low-stake evaluations (FLSEs) have been shown to reduce anxiety around test-taking. However, we hypothesize that when adopted across multiple classrooms, this approach leads to increased workload and therefore poor time management and increased stress.
The McMaster Student Absence Form (MSAF) is a tool that provides students relief for missed work due to illness or other extenuating circumstances. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the MSAF is sometimes used to manage time. Therefore a second aim of this study is to examine trends in MSAF use over time and to determine if changes in its use correlate with changes in evaluation strategies among courses in the Life Science, Integrated Science, and Medical Radiation Science programs .
Initially, this study started by examining courses in the School of Interdisciplinary Science (SIS). Since we began, we have established collaborations with faculty at other Ontario institutions to investigate if our findings are unique to SIS, or if there is a pattern across institutions.
NOT accepting additional thesis students for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Peer Mentoring in Life Sciences
For my peer mentoring course, students provide near-peer mentorship to more junior students in a partnering sister course. Integral to this course is a peer-mentorship survey that is administered to student mentors and mentees alike.
We now have data from this course spanning several offerings, which differ in terms of enrolment size, curriculum design, and online vs in-person mentorship. As such, this project seeks to explore how each iteration of this course has impacted the quality of the mentoring relationship.
Our survey also collects self-reported identity information that allows us to identify whether there are unique mentoring needs required of students belonging to different demographic groups.
NOT accepting additional thesis students for the 2024/2025 academic year.
STEM Experiences & Attitudes Among Black High School Students
The power of representation cannot be overstated. The McMaster Black Youth IMHOTEP STEM Enrichment Program (MacISTEP) provides Black high school students in the Hamilton and Halton District School Boards with hands-on experiences in STEM at McMaster University. The program also allows these students to be mentored by other Black undergrads, graduate students and faculty!
This study seeks to explore STEM motivations, challenges, and attitudes, among participants in our afterschool STEM club.
The MacISTEP program and study are co-led with Dr. Juliet Daniel, and are part of a larger national initiative led by Dr. Carl James, the Jean Augustine Chair at York University.
NOT accepting additional thesis students for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Meet the Team
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Program: Honours Life Sciences, Level V
Project: Impact of class size on peer mentoring experiences in LIFESCI 3XX3 (Qualitative coding and thematic analysis using NVivo)
Career goals/aspirations: Pursue a career in healthcare while also continuing to explore my passion for pedagogical research
What I do for fun: spending time with friends and family, hiking, and trying new restaurants
Ahmed Abdalla: Research Assistant
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Program: Honours Life Sciences Co-Op, Level IV
Project: FLSEs, Student Workload and MSAF use (Qualitative coding on QDA Miner, statistical analyses on R studio)
Mohammad Shaikh: Volunteer
Akshaya Vigneswaran: Thesis student
Abdullah Al Azzawi: Volunteer
Program: Honours Life Science Program, Level II
Project: FLSEs, Student Workload and MSAF use (Qualitative coding on QDA Miner)
Career goals/aspirations: A wide range of interests including research, teaching, and medicine
What I do for fun: In my spare time I really enjoy spending those precious moments with friends and family.
Abdullah Al Azzawi: Volunteer
Abdullah Al Azzawi: Volunteer
Abdullah Al Azzawi: Volunteer
Program: Honours Life Science Program, Level II
Project: FLSEs, Student Workload and MSAF use (Qualitative coding on QDA Miner)
Career goals/aspirations: Currently work as a Sales and Marketing Associate at a medical device company, but hopes to have a career in the medical field as a physician.
What I do for fun: I really enjoy traveling and meeting people from different cultures and if I could, I would visit every single country on Earth :)
Amr Abdelazim: Volunteer
Abdullah Al Azzawi: Volunteer
Amr Abdelazim: Volunteer
Program: Honours Life Science Program, Level III
Project: FLSEs, Student Workload and MSAF use (Qualitative coding on QDA Miner)
ALUMNI
Undergraduate Thesis Students
Lauren Beck (2023-2024): Assessed the combined impact of frequent low-stake evaluations and student workload in the Life Science Program at McMaster University during the COVID-19 pandemic (LIFESCI 4B09)
Currently an MSc Global Health candidate (McMaster University)
Research Assistants
Pierce Razzaque (2023-2024): Explored the impact of FLSEs on student workload and strategic use of absence relief forms. Also assisted with LIFESCI 3XX3 curriculum redesign.
Currently a B. Ed. student at Brock University