Spotlight on Graduate Research

By Kate Hargreaves 

With shortages of primary care practitioners and long wait times for health care, more Ontarians may be turning to episodic care providers such as walk-in clinics, urgent care centres and pharmacies for their medical needs. 

For women who have experienced gender-based violence (GBV), however, a lack of continuity and brief encounters with providers can create barriers to receiving responsive trauma- and violence-informed care. 

By Sara Elliott

Dr. Evra Trought-Pitters sees a future where Indigenous Knowledges are meaningfully included in Ontario elementary and secondary mathematics education.

The Toronto District School Board educator recently defended her University of Windsor doctoral dissertation in education, examining how educational leaders can help teachers incorporate Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives into mathematics instruction respectfully.

By Sara Elliott 

Every Saturday in Iqaluit, Patricia Rokitnicki spends her morning with community members searching the city for snow bunting nests.

That's not a distraction from her PhD research — it is her PhD research. 

By Kate Hargreaves

For the fifth year running, the University of Windsor’s Master of Sport Management and Leadership program has ranked first in Canada. 

By Kate Hargreaves 

Being a teacher is about more than getting kids up to speed on their reading, writing and math. 

Teachers also support students as they solve problems, build relationships, set goals and manage emotions. 

These skills are part of social-emotional learning (SEL), which takes place every day in elementary and secondary schools. But PhD researcher Elizabeth Szymanski (BA, ECE, BEd, MEd) says that teacher candidates don’t necessarily feel prepared to take it on. 

By Kate Hargreaves 

On an extremely hot day in early July, 42 doctoral students arrived on the University of Windsor campus for the Joint PhD in Educational Studies 2026 summer institute.  

Over the whirr of handheld fans, first-year students introduced themselves to one another while second years exchanged hugs and life updates after a year apart. 

By Kate Hargreaves 

With baseballs and frisbees flying, music pumping and students dancing, the Adapted Physical Exercise (APEX) program wrapped up for the summer at Windsor’s Westview Freedom Academy.   

APEX — started 15 years ago in the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Human Kinetics — provides exercise programming for community members with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD).  

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. 

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. 

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.