Category: Tips

At the beginning of December 2025, I travelled to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) in Nova Scotia to facilitate a co-design workshop at the Bras d’Or Seniors and Pensioners Club. This workshop was conducted as fieldwork for my Master of Urban and Regional Planning thesis at Queen’s University, supervised by Dr. Maxwell Hartt.

My experience conducting a co-design workshop was very positive. I had a great time, and I’d like to think the workshop participants did as well! That said, there were several important ‘take aways’ I’d like to share for others who may be considering using participatory methods.

Now, before we get into the fun stuff, I should provide you with some context. My research explores the potential of adaptive reuse as a planning strategy to support aging populations in shrinking cities. [MH1]  Globally, cities are experiencing significant demographic shifts as their populations have begun to both age and shrink. This poses unique challenges for cities as they must manage urban decline, high vacancy rates, and diverse population needs – all with a decreased tax base. One underexamined planning approach that has the potential to address the unique challenges of shrinking, aging cities is adaptive reuse, an approach that aims to extend building lifespan through reuse or conversion. However, little is known about the opportunity adaptive reuse poses as a planning strategy for aging and shrinking populations. As such, the questions guiding this research are: 1) what elements of physical and social environments do older adults prioritize in the development of age-friendly adaptive reuse spaces? and 2) how can adaptive reuse inform planning and social policy to support aging populations in shrinking cities? For my study, I chose a co-design workshop as one method of analysis.

For those who may be unfamiliar, a co-design workshop (also referred to as a design charrette) is a participatory approach that treats stakeholders and community members as equal partners in the research process. Participatory methods, like co-design, help ensure that research outcomes are relevant, inclusive, and aligned with the lived experiences of the population being engaged. I chose to use a co-design workshop to work directly with older adults to better understand which elements of physical and social environments they prioritize when imagining age-friendly adaptive reuse spaces. In doing this, I wanted to emphasize planning with vs. for older adults – something that is often overlooked in the creation of age-friendly spaces and policy development.

In the co-design workshop, participants worked through three activities. The first activity was intended to provide context and help participants begin generating ideas. I presented a brief slide show with information about my study and provided explanations for major concepts. I also provided a few diverse examples of adaptive reuse from around the world to inspire and expand participant perceptions of possibility. In the second activity, participants were asked to create a ‘laundry list’ of all the elements they would want included in an age-friendly adaptive reuse development. Once complete, each group was given a map and site plan of a vacant site in CBRM and craft materials (e.g. markers, pens, sticky notes, rules etc.) so they could begin placing elements and designing. In the final activity, each group was asked to give an informal presentation.

1. A co-design workshop is a ‘type B’ person’s dream, however, it may be stressful for someone who is more ‘type A’. In my experience, facilitating a co-design workshop required significant flexibility and adaptability, especially when it came to following a timeline. Although you may have a beautifully thought-out timeline created, it is important to find balance between offering more or less time dependent on the vibes of the room. For example, there were some activities I thought would take 20 minutes that needed more time, and others that I thought would take 60 minutes that needed less time. You should be conscious of this and always ask participants before making decisions.

2. It helps to have someone that you can ‘bounce ideas off of’. In a perfect world, I would have been able to pilot my workshop with colleagues before going to CBRM; however, the timeline was too short. That said, my main point of contact at the Bras d’Or Seniors and Pensioners Club, Raylene, was a dream to work with. I was able to run my workshop by Raylene, who offered important insights that helped tailor the workshop and make it extra special for the participants (thank you, Raylene!). If you are considering using participatory methods, this is a quintessential step. We can’t know everything! And there are some things that we think may work great that just don’t. It is much better to know these things beforehand vs. trying to adjust in the moment.   

3. When using participatory methods, it is important to be conscious of the power imbalance that may exist between researcher and participants. To combat this, I opted to complete the co-design workshop in a space that was familiar and accessible to participants. I also emphasized my role in the workshop as a facilitator rather than a researcher. It was very important to me that participants understood how valuable their authentic perspectives on this topic were. To help with this, I chose to take a backseat role during the design component of the workshop. Instead of sitting with each group and discussing ideas with them, I took a few casual notes and grabbed a cup of coffee to keep myself busy – but not too busy. I did, however, circulate once to ensure that everyone’s voices were being heard and to answer any questions. I personally believe this helped create more authentic results, as groups were focused on working together vs. my presence or perception of them. How you do this will depend on the population being engaged; however, it is important to consider when designing your study.

4. Leave ample time for questions! And make sure you are providing ‘question breaks’ after explaining large concepts or details. You may think you have explained something quite well or that no one will have any questions, but there will always be questions – which is a great thing! In my experience, having lots of questions helped build relationships and trust with participants as it allowed me to showcase my knowledge and passion for this project. It also triggered discussion, which helped deepen understandings of concepts beyond what I had provided. I was very thankful for all the questions and/or comments participants contributed.

5. Lastly, it is important you ditch big academic words and swap them out for everyday language that is easy to understand. Although you may be well versed in academic language, it is just not how people speak on day-to-day basis. Before the ‘big day’, I had a family member watch my presentation to check for language that was not accessible. This not only helped me adjust my script, but it also highlighted points in my presentation that needed more explanation or additional time. I highly suggest running your presentation/script by someone to ensure no big words have snuck in by accident.

That’s all for now! There are many other things you may need to keep in mind depending on the population you are engaging with. For instance, speaking slowly and using a microphone is never a bad idea! Making sure that the workshop isn’t too long is a great idea as well! and while designing a workshop or charette may seem like a big feat, it is extremely rewarding.

Best of luck to you!

Choosing from a variety of available research tools is an important step in the research process. In the methodology section of my research proposal, I designated archival research as a necessary first stage because it would be crucial to provide historical context for my research topic (the role of the university in the north). This method clearly appealed to my interest in all things historical, but more importantly it was a necessary precursor to setting up interviews and possible focus groups for the second phase of my research.

Although it sounded like interesting work, admittedly I had no real experience with it. But I’ve spent a lot of time in libraries so I didn’t think it would be a major hurdle for me to take this on. I’ve since learned there are certain protocols associated with archival research that need to be followed, which I will outline here along with my comments and suggestions.

During my introductory visit to the Yukon, I was lucky enough to meet one of the archivists from Yukon Archives through a common acquaintance (although at the time I didn’t realize she worked in the Archives!). I arranged to meet her at the Archives the next day and we had a very informative first meeting. Miranda asked me some exploratory questions about my research interests and explained the type of assistance that Archives staff could provide. I learned that archivists have different specialties and, lucky for me, Miranda’s specialty was Government Records, which fit in well with the research I needed to do. There is also the more front-facing role of Reference Archivist who works with patrons of the Archives and serves as an important point person for researchers.

It was helpful to bring along my research proposal so that Miranda could get more details as well as a sense of where archival research would fit into my proposed methodology. She also suggested that it might be helpful to return to the archives once I conducted a few preliminary interviews during the second stage of my research project. After a brief search of government records and within a day or two, she provided me with a preliminary list of record titles for me to review and advise which I was most interested in getting access to.

I soon learned that my assumption that I would be able to access electronic records was overly optimistic! In fact, very few records were accessible electronically and so it was going to be necessary for me to travel to Whitehorse to conduct much of this research, adding considerably to the cost of my research project. Government records are also not necessarily organized as you might like them to be. Some titles can be so general that it’s difficult to know if they would be relevant, especially in cases where the records have only been reviewed in a most cursory fashion due to time and resource constraints. I learned, in fact, that a large part of the Archivist’s role is working with organizations that are turning over their records and need assistance with culling their collections and attempting to categorize and set up naming conventions for them.

Next I was asked to complete a Request to Access Personal Information for Research or Statistical Purposes form. An archivist I knew from Queen’s confirmed that this was now fairly standard practice for working with archives and, although I didn’t anticipate using many personal records in my research, it is a necessary step in the process and essentially forms the basis for a researcher’s relationship with the archive.

I continued to correspond with Miranda once I returned home. She sent me a more comprehensive list of potentially useful record titles and outlined the normal process that researchers follow. In her experience, archival research can be quite overwhelming for new researchers. She recommended starting with an initial trip (she suggested one week for me) to start reviewing the requested files and to develop a routine that works best for you. Prior to my planned visit (and a minimum of 2 weeks before) I would need to provide the Reference Archivist with a list of the records I wanted to review, to allow time for archival staff to retrieve the materials and have them ready. Miranda recommended that I not spend the whole day in the archives during this initial visit, but instead I should spend some time reflecting on what I’d found in order to narrow down my archival search. (The archival research process can, in fact, assist a researcher to narrow down their research questions.) After the initial visit, she suggested that I review my notes and plan for a longer visit which would involve a more targeted review of records.

Unfortunately, my financial situation impacted my ability to follow her recommended plan. I stayed instead for 9 days and spent most of my time in the archives. (The reference archivist was kind enough to allow me to visit on a Monday when the Archives were generally closed to the public.) Unsure of when I could return, I reviewed as many records as possible, identifying folders that were clearly not relevant and narrowing down my list of preferred files. The next step will be to share these titles with the reference librarian to enable her to search for related material for my next visit.

I was lucky that the people I wanted to meet and possibly interview at a later stage were located next door to the Archives at Yukon University which allowed me to make the most of this initial visit. I also connected with another researcher who was working in the Archives during that same week.

So there you have it – my introduction to archival research. I found it to be quite enjoyable but not without its challenges. For those of you interested in pursuing archival research, I offer a few suggestions:

• If you know someone who’s had experience with archival research, reach out to them to ask if they would share their best practices. I was lucky enough to find 2 people from 2 different academic departments who seemed happy to share their experience.
• As a first step, visit the website of the Archives you intend to work with, as there are different types of records that could be relevant for your research topic. If you’re lucky, the Archives are located within walking distance or an easy drive, making it a less costly stage of your research.
• If you don’t already have a PDF creator app on your cellphone, it’s worth installing one before your trip so you can take snapshots of folders and/or files that you might want to refer to later. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to install the app before the trip which meant that I had to create PDFs manually when I returned home.
• Use colour coding and highlighting in Excel to help you distinguish or rank folders. Make notes/observations of what’s included in these folders. It is also much easier if you can do this soon after your trip to the archives or even on a daily basis during your research trip.
• When taking notes of which files are relevant, make sure to identify file numbers to help retrieve them later. You can also request that staff send you copies of these documents but at the cost of 45 cents per page, this can be quite prohibitive (although as one Reference Archivist put it to me – it would be cheaper than an extra trip to the Yukon!).
• Organize the folders/files chronologically to help develop a timeline of events.
• Lastly, be sure to thank the Archives staff for their assistance. They play an essential role in your archival research and acknowledging them would go a long way to making the most of future visits and requests.

After taking university courses for seven years, I’d like to think I’ve witnessed a fair number of teaching styles. I’ve taken courses with profs who lectured for three hours without PowerPoint slides, with profs who relied solely on a binder of notes they prepared for us, and with profs that would randomly call on students to answer questions. My favourite courses were the ones I took during my Master of Planning degree, since the professors created plenty of opportunities for in-class discussion, guest lectures, and field trips. As I prepared to become a high school teacher (and later, a professor), I took note of what teaching styles I liked and which I liked less, always wondering what type of instructor I would become.

As of October 2024, I no longer need to wonder. Partway through the Fall semester, I was asked if I could take over a graduate course for a professor who would be taking a leave of absence. And so began my journey of teaching as a PhD Candidate.

Fall 2024: Planning for Population Change

I decided to accept the department’s offer to teach SURP 884, though it wasn’t without hesitation. Despite having taken the course before, and despite my research aligning well with the course content, I wasn’t sure if I was up to the task. I had never taught a course before – would I have what it takes to lecture for 3 hours a week? How would the students feel knowing that one of their colleagues was taking over the course?

It definitely took some time to get used to my new position. I found myself spending hours preparing the lecture slides, ensuring that I felt completely comfortable with all the content and could find enough to talk about for three hours – while also ensuring there were plenty of opportunities for discussion.

Luckily, while I didn’t have much experience lecturing, I did have several years of experience leading workshops for French high school students. This also meant I had received plenty of leadership training. One of my favourite pieces of advice I had received during that training was to never underestimate the knowledge the group you’re leading has, and that they have all the answers. This advice was incredibly handy while teaching SURP 884. While I guided the conversation, the students asked so many questions, answered each other’s questions, and brought up questions and comments that I hadn’t even considered. Allowing the students to take up space in the lecture was certainly to their benefit – it gave them the opportunity to independently, and collectively, deepen their knowledge on the topics I was teaching.

My favourite realization as a course instructor was the level of control I had over course content and assignments. I’ve been a Teaching Assistant countless times, yet I would get nervous every time I graded an assignment, as I hoped I was following the expectations set by the instructor. As a professor, however, I was in charge. I made changes to the lecture slides as I saw fit. I made small changes to the assignments when I noticed some instructions were causing confusion. This level of control felt quite freeing.

Overall, teaching SURP 884 was a great learning experience, and allowed me to develop my teaching skills before teaching my first undergraduate course.

Winter 2025: Geographies of Growth and Decline

When I applied to teach a third-year undergraduate course, I figured there would be 40 or 50 students in my course. To my surprise, after another third-year human geography course got cancelled, my course ended up having 80 students enrolled – it even had a waitlist. However, I was lucky once again to be teaching a course that aligned well with my research interests.

One thing’s for sure: teaching for an hour and a half twice a week is much easier than teaching for three hours once a week. After the first few weeks of lecturing, I no longer struggled with pre-lecture butterflies and was excited to spend more time teaching my students. Between lecturing, asking questions, and breakout group discussions, the class time flew by!

While I wasn’t building the course from scratch, I felt like I had so much freedom. I created a new assignment to prepare them for their term paper assignment. I included my own research in the lectures. And I had fun. When I felt like I was most in my element (usually when presenting my own research), I could tell that my enthusiasm was rubbing off on the students. There were even students that would come to me after class just to compliment the lecture.

As I mentioned before, I enjoy the level of control I have as a course instructor. It essentially gives me permission to find ways to engage students as much as possible. So, I created a fun little activity that I’d like to integrate into all my courses going forward. Five minutes before class started, I would play a song that is somehow related to a shrinking city (lyrics, hometown of the artist, etc.), and they would have to guess which shrinking city it was. I found it was a great way to boost everyone’s energy before the lecture – and I, of course, had a blast picking out songs and watching the students guess the city. A few honourable mentions: Allentown by Billy Joel, Heave Away by The Fables, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot, and songs by Shania Twain (Timmins, Ontario) and Bach (Leipzig, Germany).

When Concern Became Reality

To teach courses as a graduate student, I was employed as a Teaching Fellow. Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants are all unionized positions of PSAC 901. Our collective agreement expired in April 2024, meaning our union was hard at work, bargaining with the university. Unfortunately, a deal could not be reached between the two parties. As a result, my union went on strike on March 10^th, and my undergraduate class was cancelled.

Every weekday, I have been on the picket line in solidarity with other members of my union. It’s physically exhausting, but mentally, so, so rewarding. I have met so many incredible graduate students on the picket line. I’ve learned so much about our union, other unions at Queen’s, and graduate student worker unions from other universities. I’ve seen faculty, staff, and undergrads standing in solidarity with us. I’ve had the chance to educate people passing by about my union’s demands.

Even while on strike, teaching goes beyond the classroom. A few weeks ago, Dr. Laura Jean Cameron from the Department of Geography and Planning brought her students to the picket line so I could teach them about the importance of our strike for graduate workers and students alike. Today (April 11^th), the union held a Teaching Fellow teach-in, where I got to summarize the course I had been teaching to my fellow union members and the university community.

Tips for Teaching Fellows

I hope that my experiences as a Teaching Fellow provided some insight into the work we do, and how to prepare to teach. I’ll leave you with a few key points:

• Take control. Even if you’re using existing course content, tailor the course to your interests as much as possible.
• Make plenty of time for group discussions. Give your students the opportunity to come up with the answers themselves.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The staff and faculty in your department can provide fantastic advice when you need it.
• Have fun. I cannot stress this enough. Let your students witness how much you enjoy the topics you are teaching. Your enthusiasm is contagious and can result in more class participation.

Relationship building is one of the most valuable aspects of the research process. During my visit to an older adult community centre in São Paulo in April 2024, supported by Dr. Maxwell Hartt and PhD candidate Janine Dodge, I witnessed first-hand the importance of building connections and rapport. Engaging in casual conversation played a key role in creating a space where participants felt comfortable expressing themselves. The older adults asked me questions about my life in Portuguese, and I responded in Spanish (my native language). We laughed together at our ability to “kind of” understand each other. In my experience working in the international development sector across Latin American and East African countries, I learned the importance in engaging in conversation first and showing genuine interest in people’s lives, before setting up agendas and objectives. This approach is not typically adopted in goal-driven Western working contexts.

I brought forth these lessons to my own research process with older adults (65+) in the City of Ottawa. When I first started recruitment, I contacted more than 10 different older adult community centres. The experience was incredibly challenging because I was not gaining any traction and fell behind in meeting my research deadlines. However, finding common ground during those initial calls and showing up in-person made all the difference. I first found a Spanish-speaking older adult community centre through an Ottawa radio station. Initially, they were hesitant about participating in the Aging Playfully research, and they asked me to deliver a short presentation on aging populations and the details of my walk-along interviews. As this took place, the Kanata Senior’s Centre reached out to me, expressing strong interest in my work because I had mentioned my professional collaboration with the City of Ottawa over the summer months. One individual from the Kanata Centre mentioned that potential participants were “passionate about making their city a better place.” Lastly, I found more research participants through snowball sampling recruitment. A connection from my personal network in the Kitchener Waterloo region, who was moving to Ottawa, reached out to 11 of her known friends who resided in the Ottawa region. Out of those, 5 expressed interests in participating. Ultimately, recruitment was highly successful, and I received more participants than originally anticipated.

The walk-along interviews entailed semi-structured interview questions, along with observations of the built environment along older adult’s typical walking routes. Some interviews took place near community centres, as these were spaces where older adults typically gathered, while others occurred in parks, trails and neighbourhoods near their homes. Below are some images from the various paths we visited during a sunny month of October.  During the interviews, I had the opportunity to listen to stories, occasionally walk at slower pace, and observe what older adults found interesting or what they hadn’t noticed about their surroundings.

Oddly enough, what I found the most enjoyable about this experience wasn’t necessarily the walk-along interviews themselves, but the natural encounters that occurred around the interviews. For instance, since the topic of discussion was play, one older adult suggested that we play a board game after the interview, accompanied by some cookies and tea.

Similarly, after interviewing a couple of older adults, they invited me to stay for coffee and conversation, where we chatted about why I decided to study urban planning and my thoughts about the City of Kingston. At another centre, I was invited to join a poetry class where I listened to an older adult’s poem about their regret of smoking for many years, and how that decision impacted her health in later years. I was amazed to see the tremendous emotional support from her community. The community centres that I visited served as spaces for older adults to support each other, reminisce about life, and encourage one another during difficult life transitions. I noticed that my presence cultivated intergenerational bonds and sharing of experiences, which is something that older adults deeply cherish and long for.

To recap, here are some of the tips I can offer future researchers during their participant recruitment process and interviews:

1. Define your research scope, target age, and participant background early to clearly identify the types of participants and spaces to search for.
2. If possible, go to potential recruitment centres and spaces in person. There is so much value in finding common ground and showcasing your personality. This makes you more memorable and increases the chances of people wanting to help you.
3. Be flexible in your interview approach. At first, I wanted to interview older adults in spaces and urban corridors near their home. However, since they already gathered in specific community centre, meeting them and interviewing around these spaces made scheduling much easier for them.
4. Be patient and genuine in your interest and questions. Asking thoughtful, open-ended questions helps create a space where participants feel comfortable sharing things they might otherwise hold back in more structured interviews.
5. Guide the conversation back to the research topic when needed. Many participants drifted into unrelated topics such as politics. I would acknowledge their points with something like “that’s really interesting, why don’t we discuss this after the recording” or found ways to relate their topics back to the original question/ the research theme.
6. Start early and do not leave anything for last-time. I cannot stress this enough since we often fall victims of needing “time-pressure” to get started. The Masters program wraps up quickly, so leaving writing until the very end adds so much stress. Conducting analysis early gives you extra time to add interesting things like maps, receive extra editing help etc. 
7. Show appreciation for the participant’s time and involvement. Make them feel valued as they are playing a crucial role in advancing meaningful research.

When it was first suggested that I write a blog on this topic (a new experience for me), I couldn’t help but reflect on why I’ve returned to studies multiple times. A love of learning, for sure, but why pursue the path of a PhD degree? Do I really need to commit a minimum 5 years to satisfy the need for a new challenge? There are many other shorter, less expensive challenges I could undertake.

The return to studies can be challenging, especially if you’ve been away from it for a while. Sometimes you’re at a point in your life when making the change makes sense, and you’re ready for and excited by the challenge! Sometimes you do it because you believe it will improve your career prospects. Sometimes you do it because of your passion for the research topic. If you’re lucky, money is not a major barrier, and you just want the privilege of challenging yourself academically. There are lots of reasons why one might choose to pursue graduate studies, which makes for great conversations. I’ve met many interesting people along the way and, although my path has taken a lot of twists and turns, I have so many great memories and experiences – some ups and downs of course, but never boring!

I’ve completed graduate degrees on both full-time and part-time bases and even moved from part-time to full-time within the same degree. With that in mind, I offer some thoughts on the pros and cons of each approach, reflecting on my own personal experiences.

I would always recommend the full-time option, if possible, because graduate study is most enjoyable when you can immerse yourself fully into the academic experience and really focus on your research interests. You have more opportunities to make close connections and share stories with other full-time students. It’s easier to come across and meet with faculty since you’re usually in the department daily, which often makes for more ad hoc, spontaneous conversations. You have access to more funding opportunities and your tuition fees, although higher, often include access to many benefits, such as health and dental insurance, gym access, and even discounted rates to attend events (Isabel performances) and services. I personally enjoyed regular meetups with fellow students at the various grad clubs across the different institutions where I studied. In fact, Grad Clubs are one of my favourite experiences of grad school!

The downside to full-time study is the opportunity cost of what you could be doing instead during those 2-5 years of study (that’s my ‘business’ voice talking). You’re not able to contribute to a pension, contribute to an RRSP, gain work experience or earn seniority in a company, and you have less quality time to spend with family and longtime friends and associates.  I often lost touch with friends who weren’t on the same full-time study trajectory, because I often had to make choices for how to spend my time and in most cases, I put schoolwork ahead of maintaining social contacts.

What about part-time study? Assuming you’re working full-time you can make those RRSP contributions, gain formal work experience, etc. The downside, however, is that with full-time work, part-time study, there’s less time for you. You can expect to spend most of your evenings and weekends working on academic tasks and assignments which is not only challenging from a time-consuming perspective, but also from a heads-space perspective. I’ve often said that for me, that is the most challenging piece – not having the mental space to mull things over, synthesize and make important connections. Beyond that, you have limited time to regularly attend and present at conferences, have access to those ad hoc conversations and meetings that can sometimes lead to new connections, a change in your research direction, etc. And it can be exhausting – so the need to take care of yourself is imperative.

In any case, once you’ve made the decision to return to studies and you’ve considered your unique situation and your options, if you’ve decided to go the part-time route here are some suggestions for how to deal with the challenges.

• Work from macro to micro projects. Make a note of important deadlines – I often found a term or full year calendar best for this, so you know where you’re headed and the time involved. Then take a step back and schedule required tasks to complete each month in order to keep you on track to meet your larger project deadlines. This will also help you to plan for some important family and social events, so you won’t lose touch with family and friends (something I often struggle with).

• Know yourself. What time of day are you most productive? Try to schedule work that needs intensive effort for those times. I know that for me, working in the evenings after putting in a full day is not very productive. Consider setting aside a couple of evenings to use this time for simple academic tasks while using other evenings as personal time to do errands, check in with family and friends, and especially to get in some form of exercise and whatever helps you to relax and provide that ‘mulling over’ time.

• Break larger tasks into smaller pieces so that again, you can schedule them around your full-time work. Doing it this way makes it less overwhelming and can make you feel more productive as you see that you’re actually making progress toward your academic goals.

• For those most productive times outside of your normal workday, plan for shorter periods of intensive/important academic work. Better to schedule several 90 minute sessions weekly than to try to get it all done in a day/weekend. I’ve tried to devote entire weekends to academic work, but this isn’t necessarily more productive and certainly doesn’t rejuvenate you before returning to work on Monday!

Returning to studies is not for everyone. When I would tell people about my academic plans, I often received congratulatory messages but let’s face it – not everyone would make the same choices. It really comes down to your particular set of circumstances and what passions drive you. No one can decide this for you.

If you have the time, are willing to make the financial sacrifice, and ultimately believe that the investment in yourself and your research interests is worth it, then it’s well worth considering a return to studies. You just need to decide which type of program commitment is better for you at that particular time in your life. Are there good job opportunities available or are they lacking? How much time are you willing to devote to your studies? Are you able to relocate closer to your preferred postsecondary institution? How will your personal and family responsibilities fit in with your academic pursuits? All are important considerations. But also important is having the love and passion for your research topic, which will help sustain you through the challenges. A graduate degree is a major commitment no matter which way you slice it!

Before coming to Pop Place, I knew qualitative research was the peanut butter to my planning jelly. However, I also knew that qualitative research involved, for the most part, one of my most dreaded tasks – transcription.

Before my Master’s, I had the opportunity to work under a health promotion lab at Queen’s as part of my coursework. As part of the requirements for my research skills development course, I had the opportunity to interview a graduate student about their work.

The core idea behind this was to understand a) how the semi-structured interview process worked, and b) how to record and transcribe participants in order to do thematic coding later on in the analysis stages of research. While this has been highly transferrable to my Master’s report on Healthy Aging in Downtown Calgary, the transcription stage was nothing short of arduous. In my frustration, as I stopped recordings, slowed them down, mistyped, or couldn’t hear my interviewee properly, I thought to myself, “It is 2020. How have we not figured out an easier way to do this?”

I vowed to myself that if I ever went to graduate school, and if I ever used semi-structured interviews, I would find a way to make this process more efficient. It is a pet peeve of mine when processes are inefficient. I am of the mindset there is always a better way to do something.

When chatting with our Director, Maxx, we regaled a time before the pandemic and advances in recording software. The process (if you were lucky) involved a stop-start peddle and a slowed-down recording of your interview where you would (hopefully) get a full sentence in the first round. I underwent my undergraduate during the pandemic; ergo, my undergraduate research labs’ peddle was unavailable to me.

Brainstorming with my professor, we found an alternate solution that involved a lot of listening, pausing, and writing time stamps by hand. A two-hour semi-structured interview turned into hours upon hours of transcription. I remember sitting in the back office of my part-time job at Crave Coffeehouse in downtown Kingston before an afternoon barista shift, headphones on, eagerly trying to hammer out as much transcription as I could before I had to go to work.

Thankfully, after some creative brainstorming during our SURP 800 report proposals in the summer of 2024, I found a solution.

Back in my days of music recording in high school, a lifetime ago, I always used Audacity to record and remix my compositions for band. While I haven’t touched the software in years, I downloaded it to check if I could record conversations with reasonable clarity. Pretending to interview my friend over the summer, it worked. Better yet – it was still free! But, there still was not an option to transcribe automatically to reduce the time spent transcribing.

As I worked on my summer research for the City of Calgary as a planning student, I went into a room and yapped through my writer’s block. It’s one thing to do mixed-methods research, it’s another to write it out in a way that any person reading it can understand it and the results. I sat in an empty cubicle and clicked the “Dictate” feature in Microsoft Word to record what I was trying to say to help get out my writer’s block. Then, I had a thought – was there a way to upload my transcription audio and get some semblance of a proper transcription?

When I got home, I used the audio I recorded with my friend to confirm my hypothesis. I played the audio track back and to my delight, Word did a pretty decent job. Was there some weird grammar and the occasional incorrect word? You bet. However, a quick listen through the 10-minute practice audio and only a couple stop-starts, I was able to get a cohesive transcript on the first try.   

Suddenly, the task of creating multiple transcripts for a planning research report seemed less daunting. I had hours back in my day, compared to what I was doing during COVID.

Ultimately, there is always a way to work both smarter and harder. Sometimes, you don’t need to work harder. Here is a stream-lined summary on how to do just that:

1. Look for smarter tools. Auto-transcription features baked into word-processing software are infinitely more efficient than previous methods of transcribing. Microsoft Word comes with every workplace I’ve ever been with as an industry-standard word-processing software.

2. Exploring audio recording software that is efficient and accurate makes a world of difference. Free software, like Audacity, does the job. If you’re like me and have and Adobe Creative subscription for all things graphic design, there is also the option to use some of the features in Premiere Pro or Audition. However, should you want to save some money on subscription packages, stick with Audacity.

3. Pick the QDAS that’s right for you. Queen’s University offers a free NVivo subscription (as do many academic institutions). However, may others exist with unique features that create excellent qualitative outputs. When in doubt, a highlighter and Microsoft Word document also do the trick for smaller sample sizes.

Of course, as a qualitative researcher, you must do your due diligence – take great field notes, make annotations, the process of getting ethics approval, authentically connecting with your participants – which you can’t expedite. I would argue you shouldn’t expedite those. There are important qualities of any study using a qualitative methodology. Transcription still requires due diligence – researching proper recording tools,  ensuring your chosen tool works, listening back to audio, and re-checking what’s been transcribed. But the right tools make the process infinitely easier so you can get to the core of your analytical work.

For anyone, whether planning student or working planning professional tight on time that needs a “hack” for high-quality transcriptions, look no further than these basic tools.

In November 2022, I embarked on the journey of applying for my first research major research scholarship. While I had previously applied for scholarships during my undergraduate degree, this was my first time applying for something that was research-based. After attending the School of Urban and Regional Planning’s research grant information session in October, I felt ready to start working my way through writing applications for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). This was an intimidating process that involved asking a lot of questions, talking through ideas with my lab and classmates, and spending many nights crafting my proposal. Yet, the end result was very much worth it! I was successful in earning both the SSHRC and OGS grant, opting to accept the former this past June.  

Thinking back on this process, I wanted to share some of the things I found useful as I navigated my way through writing my application. I have asked some fellow Pop Place members who have also been successful with research grant applications to provide some input as well. No matter what grant you are considering applying for, I hope that this post provides some helpful tips to guide you on your way. 

Finding Your References: 

• Ask professors who know you best. When you are beginning to think about who the best person might be to ask for a reference letter, ensure that you are choosing people who know you. Did you get a good mark in a particular class? Did you take multiple classes with a certain professor? Perhaps, you worked as a research assistant? Someone who has a good sense of how you work will have a much easier time providing a good reference letter. 
• Provide ample time for writing. Standard practice is to provide at least two weeks’ notice when you are making a reference request. It is important and respectful to ensure that your reference has enough time to gather the necessary information and write your letter at their leisure. This will also ensure that as the deadline approaches, you are not stressing about getting everything submitted on time.  
• Share helpful resources. When submitting a reference request, it might be a good idea to forward the recipient some helpful documents that can better inform their writing. This could include your CV, research proposal, relevant projects/papers that you have worked on and other necessary materials. It is good to ensure that you are providing your reference with sufficient background information so that they have an accurate understanding of your capabilities.  

Perfecting Your CV: 

• Highlight relevant experience. CV templates can sometimes be quite constraining, especially if the grant you are applying for is requesting a specific format. While writing your CV, it is important to ensure that the experiences you choose to highlight, reflect your capabilities as a researcher. It’s a good idea to look through the grant website to see if they have specified what qualities and skills they are looking for in an applicant. From there, you can gauge what experiences you might want to discuss more in depth in your application. 

• (Rachel Barber) Get involved! Many research-based scholarships consider your previous research contributions, such as publications or conference presentations. If you know you’ll be applying for a scholarship well in advance and already have some research completed, consider submitting an abstract to a conference, or collaborating on a manuscript. Research contributions are great, since they remain on your academic CV forever – this is especially useful if you’re expecting to apply to other scholarships in the future, or if you’re planning on pursuing an academic career. 

Crafting Your Research Proposal: 

• Think big, be practical. Writing your first research proposal can seem like a daunting task. There are so many possible routes that you could take. A great way to approach this is to think big. Get all of your ideas out, no matter how far-fetched they may seem. Then, sit down, and figure out what would actually be practical given your time and resource constraints. Is your idea feasible to complete within the scholarship timeframe? Do you have access to the people, tools, and skills you would need to undertake this research? 
• (Rachel Barber) Have your draft reviewed by as many people as possible. In the earlier stages of your draft, consider having it reviewed by your supervisor, previous winners of the scholarship you’re applying to, or other professors, as they can provide useful insight into the structure of your proposal. As you are finalizing your proposal, ask a few people outside of your field of study to review it, such as colleagues, friends or family members. Since selection committee members come from various backgrounds, it is important to ensure the proposal uses terminology that is understandable to those who don’t work or study in your field. 
• (Ellory Vincent) Talk your ideas over. Writing your proposal is, by far, the hardest part of the process. Even though at this point you know what you want to research you now have to explain it to someone else, worse, you have to explain it to people who are reading dozens of other proposals for the same grant. You want to stand out but you also want to be able to communicate your research in a clear and concise manner.  It’s not easy. It is best to talk over your idea with someone you trust and whose opinion you respect. Make sure this is someone who will be able to give you honest and direct feedback. As you begin to revise your writing, make sure that your proposal stays true to what you want to study and conveys your genuine interest in the subject – a proposal that demonstrates charisma through writing is the strongest. 

General Advice: 

• Leave yourself enough time. While it may seem like a small task, you do not want to leave this task for the last minute. You may run into challenges with articulating your ideas and scaling them down. It is also important to ensure that you have enough time to go through multiple rounds of editing with multiple people. In order to put your best foot forward and ensure your ideas are presented in the best way, leave yourself plenty of time to work with your writing.  
• (Marley Gryfe) Seek out examples of successful or unsuccessful applications for the same grant. Consider reaching out to upper year students in your program or a professor/supervisor to get their input on what works well and what you might want to avoid. This is a great way to orient yourself before embarking on the writing process.  
• (Marley Gryfe) Review all grants for which you might be eligible. The same application can often be used for multiple awards with a few minor tweaks, thus increasing your chances of obtaining funding! Even if you are unsuccessful with your first application, you now have a complete research proposal that you are ready to submit somewhere else.  
• (Ellory Vincent) Stay cool and pursue your research, with or without the grant.  

As Ellory highlighted, the most important part of this process is your research. It is important to go into the scholarship-writing process with clear objectives and an open mind. If this scholarship doesn’t work out, you now have a polished proposal that, with some minor adjustments, could be submitted to a variety of other scholarship programs. While the process of applying for research scholarships and fellowships can be stressful, it is a great opportunity to start organizing your ideas and establishing your research goals. And, as Dr. Maxwell Hartt, Director of the Population and Place Research Lab likes to stress, make sure that you are having fun!  

This past November I had the opportunity to present at the poster session at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Conference in Toronto. When I received the email saying that I was accepted to present, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase our research to planning researchers and professionals from all over the world. With this being my very first poster presentation, I was nervous and unsure of where to start. I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for resources and hoping to find a tell all on how to make the best research poster possible. While there were a lot of great resources out there, I found they did not always apply to my type of research and the setting in which I was presenting. In this blog post, I will be sharing some tips that I found useful and that will help you crush your first poster presentation.

Preparing the Poster

1. Know the requirements for your poster. The first step in designing a poster is understanding the poster requirements (size, orientation, content, etc.). In my case, this information was available on the conference website. Otherwise, you could email a representative from the organization to confirm the requirements prior to starting your poster.  
2. Decide what story you want to tell and how you are going to tell it. Now that you understand the poster requirements, you must determine what information you want to include on your poster. Tip: keep the writing concise. A picture is worth a thousand words.
3. Consider the software and applications you have available to you. You will need to make a decision regarding which software or application you intend on using to design your poster (e.g., PowerPoint, Canva, Adobe InDesign, etc.). When making this decision, you should take into account how much time you have to allocate to poster design. Should you use a program you are familiar with, or do you have time to learn something new? If you choose to learn something new, be sure to watch different tutorials and explore the software to determine what works best for you.
4. Search for inspiration! Take some time to look at other academic posters that appeal to you to get inspired. You can create similar designs or search for templates to jumpstart the process. If your research is part of a specific project, consider using designs and colour schemes from past presentations to establish a more uniform and recognizable look.
5. Get creative and do not be scared to change things up. Spend time playing around with different designs and layouts until you find something you are happy with. Some useful design tips to consider: (1) Ensure the font is clear and large enough that it can be read from six to ten feet away; (2) Select unobtrusive/neutral backgrounds that do not distract from the text and images in the poster; (3) Use images, colours, and other design elements to separate different sections of the poster
6. Seek feedback. Ask your friends, family, and professor to look over your poster and provide you with some feedback. Having additional sets of eyes is incredibly helpful and they may notice things you did not. It is better to find mistakes now than to have someone point them out when you are presenting!
7. Consider your options for printing. When researching different printing options, make sure to consider costs, turn around time, and poster finish. After seeing all the posters at ACSP, I came to the conclusion that a glossy finish looks much nicer than a matte finish. Do with that information what you will.

Presenting the Poster

• Have a catchy pitch. Anyone can come up and read your poster, so you do not need to recite everything you have written. Think about how you can draw someone in to talk about your research in a more conversational manner. Tip: practice this beforehand! For me, I practiced with friends and family and even with other poster presenters in between presenting. This will help you build confidence and really master that pitch.
• Take initiative. Do your best to start the conversation. Make eye contact, smile, and if they come closer, introduce yourself (be sure to exchange names and affiliations and shake hands if they are comfortable doing so). You can ask them if they would like you to walk them through your poster and if yes, it is your time to shine! If you need an idea of how to start your pitch, you could always ask “are you familiar with this field of research?” and carry on the conversation from there.
• Present your research chronologically. You should discuss topics in the order in which they appear on the poster. Start with an introduction to your research and proceed chronologically through the remaining sections. This will provide the listener with a better understanding of your research topic/process.
• Be prepared for questions. If you have followed these tips so far, chances are you have an awesome poster and people are going to want to talk about it. Allow time in between sections and at the end of the presentation for questions and feedback. Tip: bring a notebook to record any questions and feedback provided to improve your research moving forward.
• Network. Poster sessions are about networking. You should take this time to make connections with people working in your field. Ensure you carrying business cards with you and if you make a connection, follow up with it after the event by sending an email, a message on LinkedIn, etc. Tip: attach some business cards to the poster for people to grab before/after the poster session when you may not be around to discuss your research in person.
• Have fun! Most importantly, have fun. You have successfully made it through your first poster presentation, and you should be proud of yourself. So go have a good time at the event, you deserve it. Congratulations on crushing it.