Christina White Prosser

Dr. Christina White Prosser

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Positions

Post Doctoral Associate

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Language and Literacy

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Language and Literacy

Sessional Instructor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Adult Learning

Contact information

Background

Educational Background

Doctor of Education Educational Research - Adult Learning, University of Calgary, 2021

Master of Arts Archaeology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 1996

Bachelor of Arts Major: Archaeology, Minor: Music, University of Calgary, 1994

Biography

Dr. Christina White Prosser is an adult learning specialist, experienced educator, adult learning researcher, and proven leader in educational administration. Her professional experience includes various non-profit organizations and over 23 years in postsecondary education.

Christina is passionate about student learning and participation at all stages of life and is currently focused on the continued growth and pivoting of professional and personal challenges facing today's adult learners. Christina has completed a Bachelor of Arts in music and archaeology at the University of Calgary, a Master of Arts in archaeomusicology from the Katholieke Universiteit de Leuven in Leuven, Belgium, and a Doctor of Education in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She is engaged in researching the impacts and effects of transformational learning and self-perception in adults as they adapt to and adopt change later in life. Her research topics include:

  • Technology assisted literacy and language learning in incarcerated adults.
  • Crime prevention programs and youth comprehension and retention.
  • ProgramsUses of learning technology with adults who have learning challenges and those who belong to vulnerable populations.
  • Vulnerable adults who attend courses to assist them with knowledge, application and attitude adoption in order to become contributing members of society.
  • How adult learning impacts epistemology and ontology during a crisis or high-stress periods.
  • Online learning and evolving praxis

Research

Areas of Research

Correctional Education: Technology Assisted Literacy and Language Learning Research Project

The rehabilitative measures in place within Canadian Correctional centres include opportunities for incarcerated individuals to change and grow through educational interventions specifically designed to increase skills sets and overall self-confidence. Given the challenging environment of correctional facilities, opportunities to provide efficient and enhanced processes for learning with the potential are sought as they are considered to equip incarcerated persons for life after incarceration and reduce recidivism. Recent studies have shown that “inmates who participated in correctional education programs had 43% lower odds of recidivating than inmates who did not” (Davis et al., 2014, p. 14). With this positive outcome in mind, correctional programming is offered in all Canadian correctional centres, federal and provincial (Correctional Service Canada, 2019).  This project will provide an opportunity to pilot Scanning Pens, a technology designed to support students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or those learning English. The objectives of this research are to better understand how instructors and students in Canadian correctional facilities can use Scanning Pens to enhance literacy learning within the corrections environment. Using mixed methods, including pre and post-literacy assessment tools, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews, this research will draw on pragmatic and social constructivist research paradigms. The findings from this study will inform the fields of adult learning and literacy with implications for practice and policy in correctional education

2022-2025

https://www.mitacs.ca/en/projects/correctional-education-technology-assisted-literacy-and-language-learning-research-project

YouthLink Research Project - The comprehension and retention of a school age students after participating in a crime prevention program offered through the Calgary Police Museum

Nonprofit organizations often struggle to provide evidence-based measures of the success of their programs. This is particularly true of crime prevention programs, which do not lend themselves easily to being measured. It is difficult to quantify what hasn’t happened; yet crime prevention is fundamental to YouthLink’s vision and mission. The following research project will support YouthLink in evaluating the impact of their programming.  In partnership with YouthLink, the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education will:

  1. Create an approved research plan for the evaluation of YL crime prevention programs
  2. Identify appropriate evaluation measures and tools for measuring program impacts
  3. Conduct exploration of the short-term impacts of YL 
  4. Communicate Findings
  5. Provide recommendations for exploring long term impact

2022-2023

Resource Officer Program Review

Emerging Research project with Dr. Michael Adorjan, Sociology U of C, and Dr. Kathleen Hughes, Psychology U of C, partnering with the Calgary Police Service as they review the School Resource Officer Program. 2022-2024

The benefits of international teacher and student exchanges

Literature review of the benefits of international teacher and student exchanges for participant outcomes, school communities, and K-12 education systems led by principal investigator Dr. Roswita Dressler.

2021

Perspectives on Correctional Education: Engaging the Voices of Instructors and Incarcerated Students.

Correctional education plays a vital role in rehabilitating incarcerated individuals in the correctional system in Alberta, Canada. Which types of programs and correctional learning experiences impact and facilitate this rehabilitation is largely unknown. Through a case study, I gained the perspectives of both incarcerated learners and their instructors to develop a detailed understanding of learning experiences at one Alberta correctional centre. Participants were asked to reflect on their teaching and learning experiences within several correctional education programs. In order to understand which correctional education programs were distinguished as effective by study participants, the four dimensions of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains – factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge – were used to frame the incarcerated students’ learning experiences in each program (Forehand, 2005). Participants’ views provided a deeper understanding of how factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge acquisition provide students with diverse skill sets, increased self-confidence, and the tools to plan for a future once released from the correctional system. The research also revealed the instructors’ intentions to create an ideal learning environment through their curriculum and instructional design, and their observations on the impact of the curriculum on knowledge acquisition and application. Participants shared how education can serve as a catalyst for behavioural change through complex and sometimes difficult learning experiences. expressed a need for flexible and diverse instructional resources to assist in addressing students’ individual needs, including individual instruction, increased time with students, smaller class sizes, and additional teaching equipment. This research endeavours to inform learners in correctional centres, instructors who teach correctional education courses, the correctional and educational systems that administer correctional education, and society as a whole.

Doctoral Dissertation, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. 2017-2021

https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/113021

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
EDER 659.15 History and Philosophy of Adult Education Fall 2021
EDER 631.22 Policy & Adult Learning Winter 2021
EDER 634.12 Perspectives on Community Summer 2020

Awards

  • Graduate Student Research Award, Canadian Association for University Continuing Education . 2021
  • Effective Team Award, Mount Royal University. 2012
  • Effective Team Award, Mount Royal University. 2008
  • Distinguished Staff Award, Mount Royal University. 2005

Publications

RESEARCH GRANTS

Mitacs Accelerate – Postdoctoral Grant 2022 In Progress.  Correctional Education: Technology Assisted Literacy and Language Learning Research Project ($208,156)

Employment and Social Development Canada – Research Grant Writer. Exploring digital literacy skill development and workplace readiness 2022-2024 ($1,894,875 in competition)

 

 

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

ESDC Digital Skills for Youth Project, 2017-2019 ($ 1,500,000)

Alberta Advanced Education and Solicitor General Inmate Education Program 2005-2017 ($2,750,000)

Justice and Attorney General, Parenting After Separation Program 2005-2015 ($950,000)

 

ACADEMIC SERVICE

Postsecondary Learning and Teaching – Reviewed two papers for conference proceedings 2021

Taylor Institute Teaching Awards Review Committee 2021

Taylor Institute Grant Awards Review Committee 2021

Graduate Programs Education Student Association – Distance Learning Officer 2020-2021

Canadian Virtual University - Advisory Committee Member 2015-2017

 

TEACHING - Other Institutions and Continuing Education

University of Calgary – Lecturer (Continuing Education)

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Fall 2022

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Classroom International Section) – Fall 2022

ADL 128 Creating Programs in Adult Education (Online Facilitation) – Spring 2022

ADL 122 Facilitating Adult Learning (Online Facilitation) – Winter 2022

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Fall 2021

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Spring/Summer 2021

ADL 128 Creating Programs in Adult Education (Online Facilitation) – Spring 2021

ADL 122 Facilitating Adult Learning (Online Facilitation) – Winter 2021                                    

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Winter 2021

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Fall 2020

BMC 172 Human Behaviour in Organizations (Online Facilitation) – Winter 2020

University of Calgary – Teaching Assistant (Werklund School of Education)

EDER 604.04 Collaboratory of Practice (Online Facilitation) – Winter 2020

EDER 603.23 Writing Educational Research (Online Facilitation) – Spring 2019

Mount Royal University – Instructor (Continuing Education)                                                2004 –2019

Instructor (Multiple Adult Learning Courses) – Classroom and Online facilitation                                 

Bishop Grandin High School                                                                                                                  1994 – 2013

Choral Instructor

St. Mary’s University                                                                                                                               2003 - 2004

Lecturer - Developed and taught Music 205

University of Calgary – Lecturer (Faculty of Arts)                                                                         1997 - 1999

Ancient Civilizations