Alyson E. King
Alyson King has been teaching at Ontario Tech University since 2004 (in various roles). She takes an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching and research, loves teaching and working with students, and engages in research intended to better understand student experiences.
Her research focuses on the success strategies and experiences of university students and adult learners. She is a co-investigator for an on-going Partnership Grant called Partnership on University Plagiarism Prevention (PUPP) that aims to develop an international strategy to prevent plagiarism. As Principal Investigator for a completed Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development grant, she works with a team of researchers from across Canada to better understand how underrepresented university students are successful in their university studies. As a co-investigator on a completed SSHRC Insight Grant, she conducted research with Dr. Shanti Fernando, Dr. Allyson Eamer and Dr. Tyler Frederick on supported education for adults living with mental illness.
Other research has included an oral history project collecting the stories of the founding members of Ontario Tech University (with Dr. Shirley Van Nuland) and a project on multiliteracies and graphic novels (with Dr. Janette Hughes). She is the author and co-author of many publications and conference presentations.
Education
PhD, History of Education, University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
MA, History of Education, University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
BA, Canadian History & International Relations, University of Toronto
Career
Leadership Positions
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Experience, FSSH (July 2021-present)
Program Director, Political Science, FSSH, (July 2019-June 2021; July 2015-June 2017)
Faculty Positions
Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Science & Humanities, Ontario Tech U (July 2018-present)
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Science & Humanities, UOIT (July 2012-June 2018)
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Social Science & Humanities, UOIT (2010-2012)
Lecturer, Faculty of Education, UOIT (2007-2010)
Selected Publications and Conference Presentations
Guest Editor
King, A., Qureshi, N., Toledo, E., & Stevenson, C. (In process). Special issue on The Perspectives of Traditionally Underrepresented Students. Canadian Journal of Higher Education/La Revue Canadienne d’enseignement supérieur.
Articles
King, A.E., Eamer, A., and Fernando, S. (February, 2022). When is a partnership not a partnership? Reflecting on inherent challenges in university-hospital collaborations. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 14(2), Article 6. DOI: 10.54656/jces.v14i2.31
King, A.E., McQuarrie, F., and Brigham, S. (2021). Exploring the relationship between student success and participation in extracurricular activities. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education, 36(1-2), 42-58. DOI: 10.1080/1937156X.2020.1760751
Eamer, A., Fernando, S., and King, A. (2017). Still on the margins: English language learning and mental health. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education: Studies of Migration, Integration, Equity, and Cultural Survival, 11(4), 190-202. DOI:10.1080/15595692.2017.1289918
Fernando, S., King, A.E., and Eamer, A. (2017). Supported Education practitioners: agents of transformation? Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 33(3), 1-19. DOI:10.1080/0164212X.2017.1295415
King, Alyson E. (2015) Exploring Identity and Multiliteracies through Graphic Narratives. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education: Studies of Migration, Integration, Equity, and Cultural Survival, 9(1), 3-20, DOI: 10.1080/15595692.2014.952406.
Book Chapters
King, A.E., Ammar, N., and Brigham, S. (2021). The intricate nature of 21st century students: Exploring intersectionality and persistence among immigrant students at Canadian universities. In R. M. Reardon and J. Leonard (Eds.). School-University-Community Collaboration and the Immigrant Educational Experience. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.
Fernando, S., King, A., Kunkel, K. (2021). “I came from a lifetime of teachers giving up on me”: Finding motivation in a Canadian Supported Education program during Neoliberal times. In Aleksandra Pejatović and Katarina Popović (Eds.), Navigating through Contemporary World with Adult Education Research and Practice (pp. 187-202). European Society for Research on the Education of Adults. Rotterdam: Sense Publications.
King, A.E. and Eamer, A. (2019). “One lazy day would cause everything to come crashing down”: Stories from underrepresented students on becoming a university student. Eds. J. Gammel, S. Motulsky, A. Rutstein-Riley. I Am What I Become: Constructing an Identity as a Lifelong Learner. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.
King, A.E., and Brigham, S. (2018). Understanding the influence of high school preparation on the success strategies of Canadian university students. In G. Craddock, C. Doran, L. McNutt, D. Rice (Eds.), Transforming our World Through Design, Diversity and Education. IOS Press Open Access. (pp. 503-513). doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-923-2-503
Fernando, S.I. and King, A.E. (2018). Education Interrupted: Learning Careers of Adults Living with Mental Illness. In B. Merrill, A. Galimberti, A. Nizinska, & J. Gonzalez-Monteagudo (Eds.), Continuity and Discontinuity in Learning Careers: Potentials for a Learning Space in a Changing World. Rotterdam: Brill/Sense Publishers/ESREA. (pp. 85-98)
Conference Proceedings
King, A.E., McQuarrie, F., and Brigham, S. (2018). Beyond Family, Friends and Profs: Strategies for Older Students’ Success at University. Standing Conference on the University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (SCUTREA), University of Sheffield, UK, 17-19 July.
Brigham, S. and King, A.E. (2017). Adult Pathways to Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education. Standing Conference on the University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (SCUTREA), University of Edinburgh, Scotland, July 4-6, 2017.
King, Alyson and Fernando, Shanti I. (2015). Is Knowledge Power? An exploration of an historical normative framework for literacy policy, adult education and the economy in Canadian communities. Warwick Lifelong Learning Annual Conference, England.
