Graduate Studies

Your teachers are on their own when it comes to AI — one UWindsor researcher wants to change that

Samita Sarkar in front of a grey background wearing heart shaped glassesPhD student and secondary English teacher Samita Sarkar is researching high school teachers' navigation of a changing AI landscape (PROVIDED BY S. SARKAR/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

When Samita Sarkar was a new teacher, a lot was happening in the world. ChatGPT was going viral online — and so was a global pandemic. 

As a secondary school English teacher, she found herself confronted with issues around artificial intelligence (AI) and student writing assessment with little to no policy guidance. 

“We had to make high-stakes decisions around academic integrity, assessment and what counts as ‘student writing’ with no institutional guidance or administrative support,” she says. 

The "Great Olympic Journey" of one Human Kinetics class

A group of people in front of a WADA signGraduate students visited the World Anti-Doping Agency as part of Dr. Scott Martyn's Olympics-focused graduate course (S. MARTYN/University of Windsor)

Guest submission by Dr. Scott Martyn

Having studied the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (Milano Cortina 2026) held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy this past semester, five University of Windsor graduate students from the Faculty of Human Kinetics received an Olympic-calibre experience of their own last month.

The group, led by UWindsor professor Dr. Scott Martyn, travelled to Toronto, Montreal and Lake Placid, New York, to experience the modern Olympic movement first-hand.

Between languages, cultures and school systems — UWindsor research finds a gap no one was filling

Image of desks in a classroom with overlaid headshots of Anne Rovers and Andrew AllenAnne Rovers is conducting research under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Allen on Othermothering practices in Francophone high schools (A. ROVERS/FILE/CANVA STOCK/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Throughout their high school years, students look for academic and social support from teachers, peers and others in the school community. 

For Black and Afro-descendant students in Francophone high schools — especially recent immigrants to Canada — this support can be all the more critical as they try to navigate a new and unfamiliar social and linguistic environment. 

Thinking about thinking: Education research explores role of metacognition in undergraduate learning

Ava Flanagan standing next to the academic poster for her metacognition researchAva Flanagan has received a SSHRC graduate award for her Master of Education research into metacognition (KATE HARGREAVES/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Making the leap from high school to undergraduate studies can be daunting. 

Students may face new responsibilities, expectations and learning experiences, putting familiar study strategies to the test. 

In this unfamiliar context, reflection on the learning process can be a powerful part of building confidence and independence. 

Kinesiology students embrace turns and transitions in their research journey

Two people look at a poster in a hallwayThe 19th annual Kinesiology Research Day featured keynotes, a poster session and lab tours (MICHAEL WILKINS/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Isabella Anes Rangel knows better than most the necessity of pivoting when life takes an unexpected turn.  

A talented basketball player from a young age, Rangel’s athletic skill and drive set her on a trajectory from her home country of Venezuela to Canada as a high school student and eventually to the University of Windsor for an undergraduate degree in kinesiology. 

Partnership with local soccer clubs to study low energy in female players

A group of people in front of the door for the Centre for Human Performance and HealthMSc student Abigail Passy (far left) and supervisor Dr. Andrew Perrotta (far right) met with representatives of local soccer clubs (MANWELA YADKOO/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Playing a 90-minute soccer game requires a lot of energy: sprinting, tackling, recovering and then running some more. 

That’s not to mention hours a week of on-the-pitch and off-pitch training. 

When this energy expenditure is not matched by energy intake, relative energy deficiency — commonly known as REDs — can occur. 

For adolescent female soccer players, REDs may be a growing issue. 

Student-athlete wins national and provincial awards for community service

Chloe VidAmour smiling and wearing a medalMSc kinesiology student and track and field athlete Chloé VidAmour was awarded both USPORTS and OUA community service awards for 2026 (PROVIDED BY LANCER ATHLETICS/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Human Kinetics graduate student and track and field athlete Chloé VidAmour has been recognized nationally as the first ever Lancer recipient of the USPORTS Student-Athlete Community Service Award.  

VidAmour also took home this year’s provincial recognition as the winner of the OUA Female Community Service Award in track and field. 

Lifting, law and lifelong learning: World record holder studies women’s strength athletes

Jeanine Watt next to a statue of a bodybuilderJeanine Watt is a graduate student, two-time UWindsor alumna and world record-holding powerlifter (PROVIDED BY J. WATT/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

Jeanine Watt (BSc ’78, LLB ’88) joined a gym in 2018 to stay active as a semi-retired lawyer. 

“I knew that if I retired, the only thing that would get any exercise was my thumb on the remote control,” she jokes. 

This March, she will take the main stage at the Arnold Sports Festival as a pro competitor in the Arnold Armlifting Championships. 

Game changer: Master of Education graduate tackles gender and video games

Kathleen Rose in front of her thesis defense presentationKathleen Rose wrote her Master of Education thesis on video games, gender and body image (PROVIDED BY K. ROSE/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Kathleen Rose (MEd ’25) calls herself a long-time gamer, playing early role-playing games (RPGs) like Baldur's Gate since the 1990s. 

As the mother of young children at the time, and as a woman in the male-dominated video gaming space, she began to wonder about what messages these games were sending to players about gender and bodies. 

“As an English teacher, games are a text. They’re a media text like anything else,” she explains. 

Lifting weights, lifting spirits: Kinesiology student shares the joy of exercise with high schoolers through APEX

Chloé VidAmour in the gym at the Toldo CentreChloé VidAmour is an APEX program coordinator, MSc kinesiology and health studies student, and Lancer track and field athlete (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor).

By Kate Hargreaves

In high school weight rooms across Essex County, leadership class students and students with disabilities are sharing in the joy of exercise. 

Master of science in kinesiology and health studies student and APEX program coordinator Chloé VidAmour describes seeing these students build connections as “beautiful to watch.” 

“We see this blossom of friendship,” she says. “It’s so fulfilling to see how much everyone loves the program.”