The Pat Clifford Award
2009 – Dr. Renée Guimond-Plourde and Dr. Norman Vaughan
The Canadian Association (CEA) is pleased to recognize the significant research contributions of Drs. Guimond-Plourde and Vaughan. The Clifford Award Selection Committee was unanimous that these two candidates were equally worthy of receiving this award, which had the following 2009 theme: Adolescent Education for the 21st Century: Implications for Teaching and Learning.
Dr. Renée Guimond-Plourde is a Professor/Researcher in the Education, Kinesiology and Recreation Department at the University of Moncton, Edmundston Campus (UMEC). She leads a research program that contributes to the development of the emerging field of study on ‘stress coping’ among secondary school students. Her research focuses on the lived experiences of adolescents as the subjects of their own stories, rather than the objects of studies. This work will identify avenues for the development of education curriculum and for writing teaching material to promote subjective well-being through effective stress management by adolescents in a school context. The Selection Committee agreed that Dr. Guimond-Plourde’s research focus and approach addressed an important gap in our understanding of student mental health and how adolescents cope with stress.
Dr. Norm Vaughan is an instructor in the Faculty of Teaching & Learning at Mount Royal College in Calgary. His research investigates whether interactive learning technologies (social networking sites, blogs and wikis) can be used to design and support assessment activities that increase levels of student engagement with course concepts, their peers, faculty and external experts, potentially leading to increased student success, retention and satisfaction. The Selection Committee agreed that Dr. Vaughan’s research focus and topic were timely, important, and highly relevant to transforming teaching and learning in the 21st century. His leadership in the field of educational technologies promises to make a major contribution to developing critically reflective and informed educators
