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Research practicum

The research practicum gives students a chance to apply the research skills and knowledge they have gained in their studies to date. They work with research tutors, who could be university faculty or tutors connected through the university's approved research partners. Students choose their project topic based on how their interests and undergraduate specialization align with the project proposals. They will work closely with their assigned tutor and team.  

During the practicum, students are expected to engage in a variety of activities such as preparing research proposals, abstracts, posters, and reports, which will be graded. Completing each of these activities with a passing grade demonstrates the level of readiness for engagement in guided research in the future, such as graduate studies. The competencies gained through participation in this course include critical thinking, problem-solving, time management, communication, teamwork, ethics, and research methods.

Main objectives

To provide students with:

  • Recognize ethical considerations that need to be considered when designing and conducting health research, as articulated in the TCPS2 (2022).
  • Describe the roles and responsibilities of members of a research team.
  • Demonstrate the ability to develop a comprehensive research proposal that includes clear research questions, well-defined objectives, a suitable research design, and an appropriate methodology for data collection and analysis.
  • Execute a research project.
  • Demonstrate ability to collect, analyze and interpret data.
  • Synthesize the result of the research project.
  • Critically examine the contributions of the project to the larger body of evidence in the area of scientific inquiry.

To participate, students must have a minimum GPA of 2.7 or above. Students are required to spend approximately 160 hours on the Research Practicum over two terms.

Research activities are intended to be flexible; students and the research tutor will choose a combination of hours/activities that meets both the student and tutor's needs related to the project. A student's role may vary depending on the research project.

Lab-based research activities could include, but are not limited to, involving the student in one of the following:

  • Data entry
  • Data collection
  • Literature review/systematic review
  • Questionnaire design
  • Research Ethics Board application
  • Technique validation

The roles and responsibilities of students and research tutors are further described in the course syllabus for the Research Practicum. Please see the Academic Calendar for more information.