Faculty and Students Represent MRU’s Department of Education at AERA 2025: Empowering Undergraduate Researchers

In April, faculty members and teacher candidates from the Department of Education proudly represented Mount Royal University at the 2025 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. This gathering—one of the largest in educational research—offered the team the opportunity to contribute four presentations and engage with a global community of scholars and practitioners.

The Sessions Included:

  • Bridging Academic and Practitioner Knowledge Through Hybrid Spaces: Perspectives of Alumni and Faculty Supervisors
    Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Kyle Joseph, Hayley McInnes
    An exploration of how hybrid spaces promote collaboration and knowledge exchange between faculty, mentor teachers, teacher candidates and alumni

  • Implementing a Professional Development School Model: Supporting Alumni Communities of Practice
    Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Hayley McInnes, Kyle Joseph
    A case study on how the PDS model fosters alumni engagement and sustained professional learning beyond graduation

  • Students as Leaders Advancing EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) for Repair and Reconciliation in a Department of Education
    Chantelle Gilmour, Prabhkirat Grewal, Dr. Kristen Schaffer, Dr. Kevin O’Connor
    Showcasing student EDIA leadership, this paper presents a community-led inquiry informing equitable, inclusive, and decolonizing practices in the Department of Education

  • Responding to Community Members’ Experiences and Desires Related to EDIA in a Department of Education
    Dr. Kristen Schaffer,  Prabhkirat Grewal, Chantelle Gilmour, Kyle Joseph, Dr. Kevin O’Connor
    A mixed methods study examining community experiences with EDIA in the Department of Education to inform inclusive and reparative practices

Recent graduates Kyle Joseph and Hayley McInnes were among a few undergraduate students attending the conference in person. Their inclusion as co-presenters underscored the value of mentoring emerging scholars and integrating undergraduate research into national academic forums. Their work stood shoulder to shoulder with graduate students, faculty, and leading researchers worldwide.

This experience was made possible with the support of Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSRHC) Insight Grant (Hybrid Spaces Within a Professional Development School Context), Dr. Kristen Schaffer’s HCE Innovation Fund Completion Grant, MRU’s Research and Scholarship Office and the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University’s Experiential Learning Fund (ELF).

Bringing students to conferences like AERA amplifies their voices, deepens their sense of belonging in academic spaces, and fosters long-term engagement with research and professional practice. 

Hayley McInnes and Kyle Joseph