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Knowledge translation (KT) is key to the scientific process, yet academic work produced often does not reach the public. In this article a unique undergraduate KT term assignment is presented where students summarize a large body of research into an artifact for public use. This assignment model may increase student engagement and learning outcomes while filling the knowledge-to-action translation gap. The option dovetails students' and employers' need for demonstrative performance prior to hiring, the academic push for publicly and freely available scientific knowledge (e.g., open access), and challenges involved with engagement with advanced material in both in-person and remote environments. The assignment is presented in the context of benefitting effective KT and enhancing open access to information; it is then analyzed using the American Psychological Association's (APA) goals for undergraduates alongside Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. Various APA goals accomplished through the assignment, benefits, limitations, and future directions are highlighted.

Research points to the pedagogical value of an engaged and community service-learning approach to developing understanding of course content (Astin, Vogelgesang, Ikeda, & Yee, 2000). To help students achieve a better understanding of how the discipline of psychology contributes to the discipline of law, some students in a second year psychology class participated in a community-based research project, partnering with the Elizabeth Fry Society and the John Howard Society. The objective of the study was to determine whether there are differences in attitudes towards the criminal justice system between individuals who have, and have not, been in conflict with the law. The student-researchers interviewed men and women from the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies, who had been in conflict with the law, regarding their attitudes toward the criminal justice system, and compared their responses to those given by undergraduate psychology students who did not participate as student-researchers in the project. Responses revealed some commonalities (e.g., recommendations to change sentencing practices) as well as differences (e.g., satisfaction with the justice system). The students wrote a research report describing the findings of the study as well as their reflections on their experience. In addition to the positive feedback received from the community organizations, the students participating in the project reported that they found it to be a positive, enriching, and rewarding experience.

What it means to be literate has been changing with time, technology, and culture with a shift towards including multiliteracy in research and teaching. Multiliteracy refers to one's skills and abilities beyond reading, writing, and numeracy (e.g., visual, technical, auditory). The current study aimed to create a foundation of understanding of the multiliteracy practices of rural Canadian youth and to identify individual differences that may impact multiliteracy activities. Rural high-school students are traditionally on the periphery of research regarding literacy activities; this study will inform professionals about how to support these students' unique literacy activities. 424 (214 females) rural Canadian Grade 10 and 12 students (Mage=16 years, SD=1.09) completed a survey regarding their reading abilities, enjoyment, preferences, and practices both in and outside of school when engaging with print and digital mediums. Participants also provided rankings regarding their most preferred multiliteracy activities. Individual differences (age, grade, gender, self-assessed reading ability) were examined from a social cognitive theoretical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of technology and digital resources on students' literacy continues to grow along with the increased prevalence of technology in the world today. Although elementary and middle year students' literacy has been examined, a gap exists in the literature regarding high school students' literacy, especially their digital literacy. This research examined the literacy habits and activities of Grade 10 and 12 students from 16 composite and high schools within a Rural Canadian School division. 424 students (Mage=16 years) completed a survey regarding the frequency of their literacy activities with a focus on their digital literacy habits. Results of the research show potential for increased use of digital technologies and literacy texts in and out of classrooms. Recommendations include supporting digital literacy for rural high school students by increasing opportunities to use new technologies in the classroom and encouraging teachers to use a variety of print and digital literary texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]