丁香园AV

Congratulations to Natalie Frandsen, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Education at 丁香园AV!

Frandsen, a student in the Educational Technology & Learning Design (ETLD) PhD program, was recently announced as a 2020 recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier scholarship, valued at $35,000 per year for three years.

, established by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) federal agency, provides financial support to scholars, allowing them the opportunity to fully concentrate on their studies and further develop their research skills.

鈥淗onestly, it feels incredible [to have received this scholarship],鈥� said Frandsen. 鈥淚 realize that all of the applications reviewed by the SSHRC would have been excellent and I feel very fortunate that the selection committee saw value in my research.鈥�

Frandsen has received continuous support and mentoring from Dr. Kevin O鈥橬eill throughout this process. "Kevin is an approachable advisor who has been generous with his time since I approached him to discuss the ETLD program," says Frandsen. "I value his commitment to student wellness and equity within post-secondary institutions".

鈥淚t is a pleasure to work with a new scholar who has such a clear direction in her research and actively seeks out advice,鈥� said O'Neill. 鈥淣atalie鈥檚 research is a great example of educational technology research with an important social mission". 

Frandsen鈥檚 research proposal, Accessing ability: Mental health and online post-secondary learning environments, aims to explore and build understanding of the influences on learning and technology for online students with mental-health-related disabilities.

With this scholarship, Frandsen hopes to explore in her research different ways to provide accessible and inclusive education for students with mental-health-related disabilities who are studying online.

"I hope to contribute to making Canadian post-secondary institutions more supportive for all students, particularly those with disabilities."