This project investigates the complex and divergent role of the teacher in the contemporary context, in which teaching becomes a profession and a teacher’s responsibilities are predetermined. By adopting a philosophical lens, I explore what it means to be a teacher by analyzing and comparing the two great teachers Confucius (Kong Fuzi or Kongzi) and Socrates. Although there has been no shortage of studies comparing and contrasting these two thinkers’ pedagogy, little research examines the similarities and differences between their approaches in a specific context of contemporary education. By facilitating discourse among Confucius, Socrates, and contemporary teachers, I outline what a teacher means according to the two thinkers and which factors might impede present-day teachers from being Confucian and Socratic teachers. I will propose an integrated approach that can help bring the values of both Confucian and Socratic teachings to contemporary classrooms.

Chemists in academic institutions utilize a variety of resources and strategies to remain current and to track scholarly information, patents, and news. To explore how chemists in academic institutions remain current, librarians at four Canadian university institutions surveyed 231 and interviewed 14 chemistry faculty, staff, and graduate students on their information seeking behaviors and attitudes. According to survey results, a minority of chemists (13.9 percent) acknowledged that they were successfully keeping up to date, while 50.6 percent indicated that they were somewhat successful. However, a significant number of chemists (35.5 percent) indicated that they were unsuccessful and could do better in remaining current with information. Investigators analyzing focus group data identified three emergent themes related to remaining current: (1) there is “too much information – and not enough time.” No single information seeking strategy works; (2) “patents are important – but messy.” Chemists find themselves largely suspicious about the value and credibility of patents; and (3) chemists “could do better” in keeping up to date with new and emerging technologies. Chemists continue to be open to new tools and resources yet readily acknowledge that they are too often not sure which information seeking behaviors, resources, or strategies work best. This study helps to shed light on opportunities to identify and meet chemists’ evolving information needs.

Physicists in academic institutions utilize a variety of resources and strategies to seek, find, and use scholarly information and news. Using a sample of physicists, researchers surveyed 182 students and faculty at seven Canadian university institutions to explore self-perceived success rates, resources consulted, databases used, and use of social media and citation management systems. To complement the survey, 11 follow up interviews/focus groups were completed with participants to further uncover information-seeking behaviors, choices, strategies, and feelings around keeping up to date with information needs. According to survey results, a minority of physicists (15.4%) acknowledged that they were successfully keeping up to date. However, a significant number of physicists (28.6%) indicated that they were unsuccessful and could do better in remaining current with information needs. Co-investigators, using qualitative analyses, identified four emergent themes: (1) There are “too many papers – and not enough time” to effectively search, evaluate and read scholarly papers of interest; (2) Staying up to date is important especially in competitive research areas; (3) Graduate students seek information differently than faculty and experienced researchers; and (4) The arXiv database is important to many physicists. Additional minor themes included physics-related publishing is constantly evolving; physicists use a variety of information-seeking behaviors; and, information-seeking methods can differ between physics subdisciplines. This study aims to shed light on opportunities for academic librarians to identify and meet physicists’ evolving information behaviors, attitudes, choices, and needs.

The development of augmented reality (AR) has provided firms with increasing opportunities to improve customer experiences, especially in a shared context where customers are encouraged to communicate with others. This study investigates the effectiveness of social AR in building relationships among customers through a shared social experience, one which includes shared sense of place, social interaction, and social identity. Data was collected from 378 active users of a social AR application and was analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro. Results from this study show that shared sense of place, social interaction, and social identity mediate the influence of social AR past usage on customer-to-customer relationships, which consequently enhance customers’ continuance intention to use the social AR application. Additionally, the results of the moderated mediation analysis reveal that the indirect effect of social AR past usage on continuance intention is positively moderated by extraversion, such that at higher level of extraversion the mediated relationship becomes stronger. These findings offer important contributions to the AR marketing literature and add valuable insights for practitioners to advance the use of AR technology.

Rural communities play a major role in the Canadian landscape and identity. As such it is important to explore the role of rural Canadian communities and why people are so drawn to them. The purpose of this research is to explore why people are so attached to rural communities across Canada despite the presence of economic and population decline. This has been achieved through a thematic analysis of the transcripts of CBC TV series “Still Standing”. An interview with the show producer was also conducted in order to gain background information of the show. The results showed that, above all, there is a strong desire and determination to stay among community members. They will do “whatever it takes” in order to stay in the community and continue calling it home. Results also showed that residents were not concerned with initiating significant growth for the community, they simply wanted to maintain the livability of the community for themselves. Many community members spoke about various initiatives and solutions that they had developed that were quite creative in terms of community resilience. Community members also often used place-based assets and unique local qualities as a catalyst for development in the community. One of the primary challenges that was common for communities regardless of their region or province was the threat and challenge of youth outmigration. Many community members were concerned that youth outmigration would threaten the survival of their communities in the future. Some of the challenges that emerged from this research included the limited number of communities that could be studied, as well as the fact that data was taken from the transcripts of an edited television show.

Transitioning out of high school is a significant step in a young person’s life. The Tri-Sector TAY Planning process in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada has developed a single integrated transition plan for youths with an intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD). This plan unfolds collaboratively, with education and community professionals meeting at the same planning table with the family and the youth beginning at the age of 14 years. Notably, no new government funding was provided to support this process. The case study reported herein explored both the potential benefits of the Tri-Sector Planning process and the ways in which this multi-sector planning procedure might be improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen participants, including youths, parents, and professionals. A qualitative thematic data analysis was conducted. Collaboration was identified as an important component of the multi-sector integrated planning process, critical to promoting successful outcomes for youths, including gainful employment and entry into post-secondary education. On the question of possible improvements to the procedure, promoting increased youth engagement and agency during the planning process emerged as an important consideration. In addition, a Social Return on Investment (SROI) quantitative and qualitative data analysis was completed on the case study data to examine the identified impacts of the process. Even with the investment into the Niagara Region Tri-Sector TAY Planning process based only on an estimate of funding from participating organizations, the net SROI ratio was 1.00:4.92, illustrating that for every $1.00 of funding contributed by participating organizations, the after-cost impact benefit was $4.92.

Les nouveaux outils numériques continuent de transformer la pensée des artistes et auteur.es, ainsi que leur façon de s’engager dans la création. Au cours des dernières décennies, les avancées technologiques ont permis de concevoir et de développer de nouvelles pratiques en littérature et dans les arts, avec pour résultat d’innombrables créations innovantes. Les outils numériques rendent possible un meilleur accès aux textes littéraires et facilitent des interactions complexes entre la littérature et les autres arts. De même, les arts visuels et autres ont conçu de nouvelles intégrations du texte dans leurs réalisations. Ces nouvelles pratiques ont changé notre discours visuel et textuel. New digital tools continue to transform the way artists and writers think about, engage with, and create works. In the last decades, advances in technology have facilitated the design and writing process, allowing the creation of countless virtual renditions of concepts or works. Digital tools have impacted the traditional literary world, opening access to a variety of digitized texts and enabling increased interactions with other art forms. In turn, visual and other creative arts have conceived new integrations of text within their medium, all of which has impacted and changed our visual and written discourse.

Urban trees provide important benefits to communities, from mitigating stormwater to improved air quality. Municipalities across Ontario encounter a decline in their urban tree canopy (UTC). UTC assessment is essential for the management of urban trees, especially in the context of climate change. However, quantifying the canopy remains a challenge, given that tree crowns are difficult to assess from the ground. Geospatial technologies provide a suitable alternative to costly, ground-based assessments. Still, they typically require a significant investment in resources, including technical expertise and equipment. For many small- and medium-sized municipalities facing the realities of climate change, these investments are cost-prohibitive. This study aimed to assess the UTC within the Town of Lincoln, Ontario, using geospatial technologies. The first objective was to estimate canopy cover and distribution using image classification as the main approach. The second objective was to assess the proficiency of a low-cost method based on image interpretation (i.e., i-Tree Canopy) to calculate canopy cover compared to the main approach. The third objective was to examine the possibility of using the canopy goal designated by the Niagara Official Plan as a standard canopy goal. This research study produced three main results. First, the image classification indicated that the tree canopy covers 21% of the Town. Second, this study demonstrated that the results from the main approach are similar to those obtained from i-Tree Canopy. Given the similarity between these approaches, this study concluded that the lower-cost i-Tree Canopy method could be combined with other methods to prepare accurate and affordable canopy assessments for resource-limited municipalities. Finally, this study concluded that canopy goals should account for local Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Using Geospatial Technologies differences based on geographic location. This study makes a valuable contribution to the literature as it informs management of canopy resources in communities with limited resources. Outcomes from this study can also better inform tree-canopy goals and policies with a cost-effective method that requires minimal expertise. The ability to conduct UTC assessment in smaller communities is critical in mitigating the impacts of climate change facing most of these communities.

A postcard with the label "General View, Niagara Falls". The image shows the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls with a few boats in the water.

A postcard with the label "Niagara Falls, Queenston Heights, Ontario, Gatekeepers Lodge at Brock's Monument".