New research from UBCO has determined that even a virtual therapy session with a dog can help reduce a person’s stress. This opens the door to expand the program and improve accessibility to pet therapy.

While it’s well known that spending time with dogs can ease stress, new research shows that watching a short video of a dog can have a similar comforting effect.

Led by Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, Professor in UBC Okanagan’s School of Education, and Dr. Christine Tardif-Williams, Professor at Brock University, this latest research builds on an earlier study examining whether in-person interactions with therapy dogs would translate just as well to a virtual setting—opening the doors for community members to benefit.

“Our findings demonstrate that even with a virtual session, there was a significant reduction in stress among both the student population and the general public, regardless of age,” says Dr. Binfet, Director of UBCO’s Building Academic Retention through K9s (B.A.R.K.) program. “This suggests that virtual canine comfort modules are an effective, low-cost and accessible resource for those seeking mental health supports.”

This research was published in Human-Animal Interactions, an open-access publication showcasing multidisciplinary research on interactions between humans and animals. Co-authors include B.A.R.K. coordinator Freya Green and student researchers Rebecca Godard, Akshat Singal, Camille Rousseau, Renata Roma and Amelia Willcox.

Dr. Binfet sheds light on why the study was conducted and what it means for mental health support.

What inspired this research?

This study was inspired by the need to increase accessibility to therapy dogs. Programs that offer students and members of the public an opportunity to interact with therapy dogs are often located in urban centres and, when offered, are very popular. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on in-person interactions and the need to shelter in place highlighted an even greater demand for virtual wellbeing supports.

This led to the creation of the virtual canine comfort modules, which featured a pre-recorded video from four of our B.A.R.K. therapy dog and volunteer handler teams. These pre-recorded modules proved effective in improving student wellbeing and this study gave us the opportunity to replicate the service, and extend findings as well as canine therapy, to broader community participants.

What did the study involve?

More than 900 student participants and 120 community members watched a five-minute pre-recorded video featuring a therapy dog and handler. These videos were designed to mimic an in-person experience, including elements like guided reflection, visual engagement with the dog and calming narration. Participants completed a short stress survey before and after watching the video.

The sessions were free, easy to access online and required no appointment or other human interaction.

Why is this research significant beyond campus settings?

The results suggest that virtual therapy dog interventions can also benefit the broader public, particularly those who face barriers to accessing in-person mental health support, such as access outside of normal operating hours or from a remote location.

This format may also be ideal for individuals who are hesitant to seek formal mental health support.

What are the next steps?

This research lays a foundation for additional virtual opportunities for students and the public to engage with therapy dogs and their handlers. This might include incorporating mindfulness into the virtual canine comfort modules and assessing whether this has an added stress-reduction effect on wellbeing.

Regardless, this does reinforce our theory that canine-assisted interventions, whether in person or via teleconferencing, can be beneficial and can help people reduce their stress.

The post Just press play: Virtual dog therapy can improve mental wellbeing appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

A new AI innovation from UBCO engineers can lead to better efficiency at shipping ports around the globe.

A UBC Okanagan research team has developed an innovative artificial intelligence system that can accurately predict where ships are heading and arriving, potentially helping Canadian ports better prepare for incoming vessels and respond more efficiently to global supply chain disruptions.

Dr. Zheng Lui, a Professor with UBCO’s School of Engineering, and doctoral student Chengkai Zhang have created TrajReducer, a framework that increases prediction accuracy and computational efficiency by analyzing ship trajectories through advanced spatial clustering and cross-dimensional metadata ranking.

The research, published recently in Ocean Engineering, addresses a critical need in maritime logistics where accurate predictions of a vessel’s arrival time are essential for improving port operations, says Dr. Lui.

“Maritime shipping represents more than 80 per cent of global trade and the ability to accurately predict where cargo vessels are headed and when they will arrive, has never been more important,” he says. “Recent years have shown us how quickly global supply chains can be disrupted—whether by pandemic-related delays, geopolitical tensions or incidents like a shipping container getting stuck in the Suez Canal for several days. Canadian ports need tools to help them adapt quickly and efficiently.”

Traditional methods for predicting where ships are going have been slow and often inaccurate, he says, with about 30 per cent of data omitting the ship’s estimated time of departure and arrival.

TrajReducer solves these problems by studying patterns from several thousand ship voyages and using details about each vessel, such as its type, size, speed and direction.

“It is similar to having a smart GPS that not only knows where you’ve been, but can also predict where you’re going based on your driving patterns and what kind of car you drive,” explains Dr. Lui. “Instead of checking every single ship journey in our database, TrajReducer quickly identifies the most similar past voyages, including vessel size and weather conditions, to make its prediction.”

The system works by looking at a ship’s current path and comparing it to carefully chosen similar voyages. This provides a calculation of where a ship is headed with high accuracy, even early in its journey.

The technology has particular relevance for Canada’s major ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montreal and Halifax which serve as critical gateways for North American trade, says Dr. Lui.

“Canadian ports handle hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo annually, and even small improvements in operational efficiency can translate to significant economic benefits,” he adds. “When a port knows days in advance when a large container ship is arriving, staff can optimize berth assignments, arrange the right equipment and coordinate with rail and trucking networks.”

All of these steps can speed up delivery of the products in the shipping containers.

Compared to existing prediction models, TrajReducer’s efficiency and reliability offer significant advancements in maritime operations, as it allows for the accurate prediction of vessel destinations without extensive computational requirements.

“The beauty of this system is that it becomes more accurate as it processes more data,” adds Zhang. “As global shipping patterns evolve—whether due to new trade agreements, infrastructure changes or climate considerations—TrajReducer adapts and improves its predictions.”

This research represents a significant advancement in maritime analytics, with potential applications extending beyond port operations to include maritime safety, environmental monitoring and supply chain optimization.

“This is about more than efficiency—it’s about resilience,” says Zhang. “When Canadian ports can anticipate and prepare for the arrival of ships accurately, they’re better positioned to maintain the flow of goods that Canadians depend on, even when global trade faces unexpected challenges.”

The post AI innovation at UBCO helps shipping ports see what’s coming—literally appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

UBCO’s Dr. Hadi Mohammadi holds his latest innovation—a manufactured heart valve that has just been put through its paces—comparing its viability to other valves currenty available to patients.

Sort of like testing a car, a team of researchers at UBC Okanagan has been test driving a number of mechanical heart valves (MHV)—and the one designed in their own lab appears to outperform the others.

Associate Professor Dr. Hadi Mohammadi runs the Heart Valve Performance Laboratory at UBCO’s School of Engineering. He, along with Dr. Dylan Goode, has been testing an MHV created in their lab which may, after clinical trials, supersede mechanical valves currently available for people living with heart disease.

The research, published recently in the Journal of Biomechanics, determines that MHVs may outperform tissue valves under certain conditions.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to make this claim,” says Dr. Mohammadi. “While more testing is needed to fully understand what causes the differences in how each valve performs, we are excited about the potential of this significant achievement.”

Calcific valvular heart disease—when one or more of the heart valves do not open or close properly due to calcification—is projected to affect some 4.5 million people by 2030, making it the most prevalent valvular heart condition in aging populations.

And Dr. Mohammadi explains current options for aortic valve replacement include having a new heart valve—either mechanical or valves made with natural materials such as bovine or porcine tissues—implanted.

Both options come with limitations.

Tissue valves generally perform better than MHVs and provide better blood flow, but last an average of 10 to 15 years, which could require another replacement, explains Dr. Mohammadi. Mechanical valves can last a lifetime, but do not perform as well as tissue valves, requiring patients to take daily blood thinners.

Despite advancements in prosthetic heart valves, an ideal solution remains a challenge.

“Developing a prosthetic valve with optimal hemodynamics and durability would address critical challenges worldwide,” says Dr. Mohammadi. “This research evaluates two emerging MHVs, currently in preclinical and clinical trials, designed to overcome the limitations of earlier models.”

The researchers put their iValve together with another developing valve called Triflo MHV. These two were fully tested during the study with three other valves that are similar to the current industry standard.

In the lab, each valve was tested for flow velocity using a pulse duplicator system that mimics real heart conditions. Each test included 10 cycles, and each valve underwent multiple tests. Results indicate that the iValve and Triflo achieved comparable pressure ratios and significantly lower mean and peak reverse blood flow values than the traditional MHVs. This means blood can flow more smoothly, putting less stress on blood cells, which could reduce the need for blood thinners.

Unlike most MHVs, the iValve allows blood to flow through a single open central orifice, like tissue valves. Other MHVs, including the Triflo MHV, divide the flow into smaller streams, which may increase the risk of flow-related complications.

This gives the iValve a potential advantage in terms of safer, smoother blood flow, says Dr. Goode.

“Overall, both the iValve and Triflo MHV appear to offer better performance than existing MHVs,” he says. “These results show that the new generation of mechanical valves may offer a strong combination of long-lasting performance, better blood flow and lower risk of blood clots—similar to how a natural heart valve works.”

The iValve, designed at UBC, is now being prepared for animal and clinical trials, bringing it one step closer to becoming a reality.

The post UBCO researchers pioneer advanced mechanical heart valve appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

New UBCO research shows students, who were allowed to use Gen AI tools in a writing assignment, were motivated to do so by a desire to enhance learning, increase the speed and ease in completing the assignment and improve their grades.

A new study from UBC Okanagan says students appear to be using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) responsibly, and as a way to speed up tasks, not just boost their grades.

Dr. Meaghan MacNutt, who teaches professional ethics in the UBCO School of Health and Exercise Sciences (HES), recently published a study in Advances in Physiology Education. Published this month, the paper—titled Reflective writing assignments in the era of GenAI: student behaviour and attitudes suggest utility, not futility—contradicts common concerns about student use of AI.

Students in three different courses, almost 400 participants, anonymously completed a survey about their use of AI on at least five reflective writing assignments. All three courses used an identical AI policy and students had the option to use the tool for their writing.

“GenAI tools like ChatGPT allow users to interface with large language models. They offer incredible promise to enhance student learning, however, they are also susceptible to misuse in completion of writing assignments,” says Dr. MacNutt. “This potential has raised concerns about GenAI as a serious threat to academic integrity and to the learning that occurs when students draft and revise their own written work.”

While UBC offers guidance to students and faculty about the risks and benefits of using GenAI, policies regarding its use in courses are at the discretion of individual instructors.

Dr. MacNutt, who completed the study with doctoral student and HES lecturer Tori Stranges, notes that discipline-specific factors contribute to the perception that many courses in HES are particularly challenging and many students strive for excellence, often at the expense of their mental wellbeing.

So, how often were the students using AI and what was motivating their use?

While only about one-third of the students used AI, the majority of users, 81 per cent, reported their GenAI use was inspired by at least one of the following factors: speed and ease in completing the assignment, a desire for high grades and a desire to learn. About 15 per cent of the students said they were motivated by all three factors, with more than 50 per cent using it to save time on the assignment.

Dr. MacNutt notes that most students used AI to initiate the paper or revise sections. Only 0.3 per cent of assignments were mostly written by GenAI.

“There is a lot of speculation when it comes to student use of AI,” she says. “However, students in our study reported that GenAI use was motivated more by learning than by grades, and they are using GenAI tools selectively and in ways they believe are ethical and supportive of their learning. This was somewhat unexpected due to the common perception that undergraduate students have become increasingly focused on grades at the expense of learning.”

The study does raise some cautions, she warns. GenAI can be a useful tool for students learning English or people with reading and writing disabilities. But there is also the potential that if paid versions are better, students who can afford to use a more effective platform might have an advantage over others—creating further classroom inequities.

MacNutt says continued research in this area can only provide a better understanding of student behaviour and attitudes as GenAI technologies continue to advance. She also suggests, while AI continues to be used more frequently, that institutions and educators adopt an approach that embodies “collaboration with” rather than “surveillance of” students.

“Our findings contradict common concerns about widespread student misuse and overuse of GenAI at the expense of academic integrity and learning,” says Dr. MacNutt. “But as we move forward with our policies, or how we’re teaching students how to use it, we have to keep in mind that students are coming from really different places. And they have different ways of benefiting or being harmed by these technologies.”

The post AI is here to stay, let students embrace the technology appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

UBCO SpokenWeb project team members Evan Berg, Myron Campbell and Karis Shearer work in the AMP Lab on the design aspects for the project.

For the past seven years, the SpokenWeb project at UBC Okanagan has processed a collection of literary audio files—digitizing and preserving hundreds of recordings that could have been lost to time.

The audio tapes have also been tagged with metadata, fully researched and made discoverable through web platforms.

Dr. Karis Shearer, Associate Professor of English and Cultural Studies at UBCO, explains that the audio recordings, many made between 1960 and 1980 by a number of internationally recognized BC poets, have become brittle and were in danger of being lost.

“The magnetic tapes are fragile objects, and over time the tapes degrade and are at risk of becoming unplayable,” says Dr. Shearer, who has worked with a team of librarians, literary scholars, artists and students to preserve these recordings. “In the AMP Lab, we have the legacy technology to read and play these objects, so digitizing them allows us to hold on to that history.”

Now that these literary collections are more accessible, it’s time to make the collections public—to “re-sound” them, as Dr. Shearer says—and let them be used for research and teaching.

Next week, researchers and artists from across Canada are coming to Kelowna for a four-day program of discussions, workshops, performances and exhibitions hosted and organized by the SpokenWeb project. Named Re-Sounding Poetries: Collections, Classrooms, Communities, the event will also celebrate the preservation of these recordings.

The SpokenWeb is a partnership among 12 institutions across Canada, partially funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. It has been dedicated, under the leadership of Concordia University professor Jason Camlot, to preserving these literary audio recordings on magnetic tape as well as researching and teaching with those tapes.

“In Western academic institutions, literary study has been mainly focused on print,” explains Dr. Shearer, director of UBC’s AMP Lab. “While the reading of poetry aloud has its own long history, it has never been a focus of the study and teaching of literature. Developing new and collaborative approaches to researching and teaching with sound has been the main focus of the SpokenWeb project over the past seven years and we’re excited to share these methods with the wider community.”

She notes that most tape recordings in this project haven’t been listened to in decades, if ever. The collection has been digitized, and many tapes are being made available to the public to listen to for the first time on the SoundBox Collection website and at next week’s Re-Sounding Poetries event.

Co-organized by Dr. Shearer and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Klara du Plessis, this immersive series of workshops will take place at UBC’s Okanagan campus and downtown Kelowna from May 14 to 17.

During the four days of the immersive institute, Drs. Shearer and du Plessis are convening academics, archivists, librarians, artists and members of larger creative and teaching communities to exchange ideas, methods and art focused on the intersection of sound and literature.

“Re-Sounding Poetries will gather people from a variety of areas of expertise,” explains Dr. du Plessis. “Collections of recorded poetry are best understood by bringing together these specialists including the archivists, librarians, scholars, artists, technicians, teachers and poets themselves.”

The conference will offer panel discussions, workshops on podcasting and spoken word performances, with an open mic hosted by the Inspired Word Café. There will also be three exhibitions of archival materials and research projects, curated by UBCO doctoral student Slava Bart, Sarah Cipes who is currently working on her master’s degree and UBCO alumna Erin Scott.

A workshop series, hosted at UBCO in the Creative and Critical Studies building, as well as the Special Collections and Archives located in The Commons, will have limited spots reserved for the public. These workshops take place May 16 starting at 10:30 am, and are available at a reduced rate of $35 for all of three.

“Our four-day gathering will function like an immersive summer camp experience for students, faculty and members of diverse communities to engage creatively and critically with archival audio,” says Dr. Shearer. “The final product will be a diverse and innovative series of events for everyone.”

Re-Sounding Poetries Sound Institute has received support from the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Inspired Word Cafe, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan Library and funding from a SSHRC Connection Grant.

For more information and to register for the full Re-Sounding Poetries Sound Institute or individual workshops, visit: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/re-sounding-poetries-collections-classrooms-communities.

The post SpokenWeb project breathes new life into Canada’s poetic archives appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

Doctoral student Sarah Craven demonstrates how the home testing device, called Breezing, works.

Health researchers at UBC Okanagan are hoping a new device—that people can use to measure their resting caloric consumption without visiting a lab—may lead to better health for people who struggle with their weight.

Dr. Sarah Purcell is a researcher with UBC’s Southern Medical Program and UBCO’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences. She is currently working on a study that will have people do home tests of their resting metabolic rate (RMR)—the calories burned while doing nothing—by using a portable non-invasive machine that measures respiratory gas.

Previous studies involving RMR have required people to visit research labs and lie quietly for a specific time while they are monitored.

But this latest study will examine the feasibility of the portable device and determine if it can help people develop healthier habits by understanding their RMR and how their bodies use the calories they consume. This is especially important for people struggling with obesity as it might help them develop new habits to improve their daily eating habits and activity levels, she explains.

“In Canada, there is a high prevalence of obesity among adults and it is the leading risk factor for chronic diseases,” says Dr. Purcell. “Behavioural interventions that target dietary intake and physical activity changes are a cornerstone for managing obesity. However, these interventions typically have short-term success and it’s been proven that long-term weight maintenance is poor. Within one year most of the lost weight is regained.”

Dr. Purcell says there is a need to identify and evaluate additional strategies to help people keep the weight off and stick with physical activity and dietary changes for sustained weight loss. That’s where this new RMR measuring device comes in.

“Dietary modifications in weight-loss interventions rely on prescribed recommendations for energy intake requirements, which are typically estimated by predictive equations for RMR using one’s body size, demographics and an activity factor,” she says. “But with advances in indirect calorimetry technology, RMR monitoring can now be done at home.”

Working with Dr. Purcell is doctoral student Sarah Craven, who is hoping to recruit about 10 people with obesity to participate in the study.

“The novel part of our study is that we’re validating this equipment to determine if it’s feasible. And our study participants can use this equipment at home. No more trips to the lab,” says Craven. “It takes about 20 minutes and people can do it from the comfort of their own homes.”

Their study will involve two groups—people living with obesity and people living without obesity—and the researchers will monitor the accuracy, adherence and acceptability of the device across the two groups.

If this study determines the device is feasible—it’s easy to use and study participants stick with it—then Craven suggests it can be integrated into further, more in-depth studies or clinical applications that can help people monitor their RMR and daily caloric intake. And eventually take steps to improve their health.

“With this advancement in technology, RMR monitoring can now be easily done at home and can provide valid ongoing feedback to generate personalized recommendations for energy intake targets,” says Dr. Purcell. “Repeated RMR monitoring and feedback may offer a novel avenue for intervention tailoring and provide additional psychological and behavioural effects that have yet to be explored.”

Study participants will have their metabolism, body composition, physical activity and caloric intake measured during a six-week test period.

People with larger bodies or living with obesity who are interested in learning more about the study can take a prescreening questionnaire or email Sarah Craven at nutrition.metabolism@ubc.ca.

The post New technology may lead to improved health and weight management appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

UBCO and the Kelowna Women’s Shelter have received $290,000 from the federal government’s Women and Gender Equality Canada initiative for research into brain injuries created by intimate partner violence within 2SLGBTQIA+ relationships.

UBC Okanagan and the Kelowna Women’s Shelter are collaborating to reshape how intimate partner violence (IPV) is understood and treated among 2SLGBTQIA+ survivors.

The project, partially supported by the federal government’s Women and Gender Equality Canada initiative, will receive more than $290,000 in funding to support community-based research and initiatives that address the gap that has sidelined the unique challenges of gender-diverse communities.

“By shining a light on brain injuries within 2SLGBTQIA+ relationships, we’re challenging outdated assumptions about IPV,” explains Tori Stranges, a doctoral student in UBCO’s Faculty of Health and Social Development. “This isn’t just another study—it’s a call to re-evaluate support systems that have, until now, overlooked the nuanced experiences of these survivors.”

The study began last summer and brings together UBCO researchers and community partners, including the Kelowna Women’s Shelter.

“We’re proud to work alongside UBCO on this important research,” says Michelle Dickie, Executive Director of the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. “Our goal is to amplify the conversation around IPV and emphasize that it affects individuals across all gender identities and sexual orientations, ensuring that our community’s services are truly inclusive and informed by lived experiences.”

The project’s mixed-methods design—combining surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups—will culminate in a world café-style event. This event will unite survivors, service providers and policymakers to craft real-world solutions for better health care and social support.

Early survey results and interviews indicate that the prevalence of brain injuries—often hidden by a heteronormative lens—is alarmingly high among 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and, particularly, those impacted by IPV, explains Stranges.

The study’s findings are expected to drive new screening protocols and tailored support services that acknowledge the full spectrum of IPV’s impact—from the physical to the neurological.

“As public interest grows in understanding the multifaceted nature of IPV, this research represents a bold stride toward a future where every survivor’s experience is recognized and addressed,” she adds.

For more information about this research, contact Tori Stranges at: tori.stranges@ubc.ca

The post Local collaboration aims to address brain injuries in marginalized communities appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

A new UBCO study has determined that homegrown players keep fans happy and help improve team revenues.

Everyone loves a hometown hero.

And now, a new UBC Okanagan study has determined that having homegrown players on NHL teams is not only good for the fanbase, it’s also good for the owner’s wallet.

Each additional locally born player who plays a full NHL season increases home game attendance by about 12,000 spectators and boosts team revenue by about US$4.8 million annually, the researchers estimate.

“This study addresses a critical gap in the literature on fan demand for professional sports,” says co-author Édouard Perron. “By analyzing both attendance and revenue data, this paper is the first to quantify the relationship between local players and fan demand in professional hockey.”

Perron worked with UBCO’s Dr. Min Hu, assistant professor in economics with the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, while completing this research for his undergraduate economics honours thesis. He is currently working on his masters at the UBC Sauder School of Business.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Sports Economics, covers 14 NHL seasons from 2005 to 2018, focusing on the post-lockout salary cap era and concluding before the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the NHL expanded to 31 teams with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, resulting in 422 individual team seasons analyzed.

The researchers define a local player as one born in the same state or province as the team they play for, or born within 100 kilometres of the arena where the team plays.

Unlike other professional sports leagues that depend primarily on national revenue streams including TV or media deals, NHL teams rely more heavily on local revenue sources such as tickets, parking and concessions.

The league also uniquely emphasizes birthplace in player profiles and marketing materials.

“Where a player is born plays a more central role in fan identity and marketing due to the league’s geographically diverse player development pathways, which differ significantly from those of the NBA or NFL,” says Perron. “Locally born players are prominently featured in promotional materials, serving as relatable figures who enhance fan loyalty and foster community pride.”

The value of hometown players is comparable across the NHL’s diverse geographic contexts, including comparisons between the Original Six teams, primarily located in the northern region, and non-traditional teams in the southern region.

“The results underscore the strategic value of investing in and promoting local talent, particularly for teams struggling with comparatively low attendance,” says Dr. Hu. “It’s clear that homegrown players strengthen fan engagement by fostering stronger regional connections, acting as both cultural ambassadors and economic drivers.”

It makes economic sense to acquire a locally born player, adds Perron, as they clearly have a significant positive impact on attendance and revenue. While the research examines fan demand and its financial implications, Perron says it also offers actionable business, management and marketing insights for teams hoping to improve their financial performance.

Teams could invest more in locally based player development opportunities and work specifically with young hockey players to mentor them at an early age.

“The findings underscore the value of investing and promoting local talent, particularly for teams with lower attendance levels,” add Dr. Hu. “By fostering stronger community connections and regional loyalty, locally born players enhance team identity, boost fan engagement and increase game demand.”

The post UBCO study determines a homegrown player is worth an extra $4.8M annually to an NHL team appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.

Wednesday is Pink Shirt Day in BC, a day established to prevent bullying and cultivate kindness. To support this, UBCO has just released a study demonstrating how high school students practice and recognize kindness in their school environments. Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash.

A new study from UBC Okanagan is shedding light on how high school students show kindness, revealing key insights that could help foster more positive school environments.

Led by Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, Professor in the Okanagan School of Education, the study explored how students aged 14–18 conceptualize kindness and how they express it in their everyday interactions.

“While kindness is a frequent topic in education research, there have been few studies into how high school students understand and apply it in real-life situations,” says Dr. Binfet.

Dr. Binfet and his team surveyed 479 grade 9–12 students in the Central Okanagan. The students were asked to rate their own kindness in face-to-face and online interactions, as well as the kindness of their peers, teachers and school environment. The study revealed that girls rated themselves as significantly kinder than boys, while boys reported feeling kinder during in-person interactions as opposed to online exchanges. Grade 12 students rated themselves as kinder than their younger peers, while grade 9 and 12 students viewed their schools as more positive environments than their grade 10 and 11 peers do.

One of the most notable findings was the significant influence friends have on students’ kindness, Dr. Binfet notes. Participants identified their friends, teachers and classmates as being the most significant influences on their kindness with a number of students also citing public figures, such as celebrities.

“This study shows that students are demonstrating kindness in school—whether it’s cheering up a friend, helping a classmate with schoolwork or holding the door open for someone,” says Dr. Binfet. “There are grand gestures as well as small meaningful acts.”

This research confirms that students both demonstrate and receive meaningful acts of kindness within the school context, see their peers as key influences on their kindness, and generally see themselves and their school as kind. He explains that understanding how high school students understand and enact kindness helps counter negative stereotypes surrounding high school.

The findings from this research may inform low-cost and low-barrier initiatives in schools to help promote positive school environments and support students in developing respectful relationships with one another.

“High school is the last training ground for many students before they head off into the workforce or further advance their studies,” says Dr. Binfet. “As we look to create a kinder world, positive school environments become increasingly important. By modelling these behaviours, and providing opportunities for students to express them, we can help reinforce and expand those actions.”

Co-authors include student researchers Rebecca Godard and Amelia Willcox, and Building Academic Retention Through K9s coordinator Freya Green.

The full study is published in the journal Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy.

The post UBCO study looks at how high school students recognize and perform acts of kindness appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.

UBCO’s Dr. Wendy Wong poses with award-winning Canadian writer Margaret Atwood at the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy award ceremony last week. Photo credit: Canadian Writer’s Trust.

UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Wendy Wong’s book about protecting your personal data just received a significant “like” by winning the 2024 Balsillie Prize for public policy.

We, The Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age, was published late last year and explores how technology companies play a pivotal role in governing our lives by leveraging the countless amount of personal data generated in our everyday online interactions.

The book describes how prevalent the collection of personal data is. For example, a simple thumbs up on a social media post can open many digital tracking calculations that send personal data anywhere, including the dark web. And the potential benefits that advancing technology and AI once provided have changed society—not always for the better.

“I was thinking about these AI systems and I realized that social science is being relatively silent, especially political science,” she says. “But in the face of these rapidly developing technologies—that promised so much for humanity—there is real detriment to society. We weren’t thinking about some of the social, political and cultural changes that were about to happen; the way we treat each other in society and the way we treat ourselves. All of that as we know now, has come to the fore. And we think about each other very differently.”

The Balsillie Prize was established in 2021 and recognizes the best non-fiction book that advances public issues relevant to Canadians. Dr. Wong’s book was selected by a jury, including Toronto author and physician Samantha Nutt, out of a pool of 58 books.

We, The Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age was also shortlisted this spring for the Lionel Gelber Prize—an international award for the best non-fiction book in international affairs written in English. The prize, issued by the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, was founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber and seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues.

Dr. Wong, a Political Science Professor in UBCO’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences remains humble about the recognition, describing it as a pure honour to be in the company of the other nominated writers Gregor Craigie, M.G. Vassanji and Christopher Pollen.

“You never write a book thinking it’s going to be recognized by an international jury as a contender for a major award. It took a day for me to let it sink in,” adds Dr. Wong. “It is truly a wonderful affirmation of how centrally we need to discuss human rights when we consider AI and data about human beings.”

The post UBCO professor’s book wins Balsillie Prize for Public Policy appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.