Title: The Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey (CCWS) – Exploring knowledge transfer in the postsecondary context
Supervisor: Dr. Guy Faulkner
Committee members: Dr. Jasmin Ma, Dr. Kerry Renwick
Abstract: The Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey (CCWS) is a feedback mechanism tailored for Canadian students and institutions to gather information about student health and wellbeing (CCWS, n.d.). The survey provides a mechanism for institutions to assess and intervene in the health and wellbeing of its students by providing administrators and staff a tool to make decisions based on meaningful data generated from its student body. With an understanding that it takes knowledge users a significant amount of time to move knowledge into action (Contandriopoulos, 2012; Green, 2009; Greenhalgh, 2006; Mitton, 2007), there is a need to identify how institutions are using the CCWS data to inform action (e.g., new policies or programs), and the barriers and facilitators to this process. Currently, there is limited literature that has explored the experiences of knowledge users (e.g., faculty, administrators, policymakers, etc.) at Canadian postsecondary institutions in how data about student health and wellbeing is being applied. In this proposed research, the experiences of knowledge users at Canadian institutions that have deployed the CCWS will be examined. Using a pragmatic paradigm and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Framework Method as frameworks and guides, this study will work to address the following research objectives: 1) identify if and how the data collected from the CCWS is being used to inform decisions about institution programs and policies, 2) identify barriers and facilitators to using the CCWS data, and 3) identify recommendations for improving the knowledge exchange potential of the CCWS to postsecondary institutions. By exploring the proposed objectives, there is an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how data is collected and used to inform decisions and action in postsecondary institutions within Canada and beyond.