Alyson King
PhD
Associate Professor
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Student Experience
Political Science
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
Contact information
Bordessa Hall
- Room 307
Downtown Oshawa
55 Bond Street East
Oshawa, ON
905.721.8668 ext. 3421
Research keywords
- Higher education
- under-represented students
- multiliteracies
- history of education
- women’s history
- Supported Education, literacy and mental health
- graphic novels
Background
Dr. Alyson King has been teaching at Ontario Tech University since 2004 (in various roles). She earned her PhD degree in the History of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Her undergraduate degree is in Canadian History and International Relations. 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 a Partnership Grant called Partnership on University Plagiarism Prevention (PUPP) that aims to develop an international strategy to prevent plagiarism.
- As Principal Investigator for a recently 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 SSHRC Insight Grant, she conducts 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).
Education
- PhD, History of Education University of Toronto
Courses taught
- POSC 1200 Introduction to Democracy in Theory and Practice
- POSC 2000 Mobilizing for Change
- POSC 2100 Global Communities
- POSC 3100 Political Economy of Global Development
- POSC 3600 Politics of Education in Canada
- POSC 3700 Social Policy and Technology
- POSC 3603 The Politics of Housing
- POSC 4300 The Politics of Indigenous Rights (Special Topics course)
- COMM 1220 Reading Our World
- COMM 1310 Fundamentals of Professional Writing
- COMM 1610 Interpersonal Communication
- EDUC/SSCI 1200 History of Science and Technology
- EDUC/SSCI 1470 Impact of Science and Technology on Society
Research and expertise
• higher education
• literacies in the knowledge economy
• non-fiction graphic novels
• student experiences in the university
• supported education
• women's history
Research areas of specialty:
- higher education
Undergraduate students
Honours theses
Dunn, A. (2015.) Replacing the Gardiner: Walkability’s Importance in an Unexpected Place.
McKenzie, S. (2013). Ontario Tech in the News: Examining the institutional and geographical contexts surrounding the institution’s inception. [We developed the material from the thesis into a publishable article, which was published by the Canadian Journal of Higher Education in 2016.]
Independent Study course projects
Nieto, Israel Guzman. (Fall 2016). Policies against sexual violence and sexual harassment: History and current policy implementation.
O’Neill, Carolyn. (Fall 2016). Challenging the culture of the hypersexualization of women: How the sexual health and media literacy education curricula in the Ontario secondary school system become ineffective curricular add-ons.
Student Research Award supervisions (undergraduate summer research awards)
Kemp, S. (2020). Project: Connections & Possibilities: Homelessness, addiction and mental health in rural communities
Jackson, D. (2017). Project: Tools for Success: Helping Students Achieve and Succeed
McKenzie, S. (2012). Project: Ontario Tech in the News (won Student Research Showcase Award for her poster on her research.)
McKenzie, S. (2011). Project: Voices of Ontario Tech (won Student Research Showcase Award for her poster on her research.)
McKenzie, S. (2010). Project: Voices of Ontario Tech (won Student Research Showcase Award for her poster on her research.)
Partenariat universitaire sur la prévention du plagiat/Partnership on University Plagiarism Prevention (PUPP) (SSHRC Partnership Grant: $2.5 million) 2021-28
Co-investigator, with Dr. Martine L. Peters (PI, Université du Québec en Outaouais) and international team. Research project to develop an international strategy for the prevention of plagiarism in universities using digital scrapbooking strategies (DSS) by students and professors.
Diversities of resilience: understanding the strategies for success used by underrepresented students in Canadian universities (SSHRC Partnership Development Grant: $135,794) 2016-2018
Principal Investigator, with team members: Dr. Nawal Ammar (Ontario Tech University), Dr. Allyson Eamer (Ontario Tech University), Dr. Susan Brigham (MSVU), Lorena Fontaine (University of Winnipeg), and Dr. Fiona McQuarrie (University of the Fraser Valley).
Research examines how underrepresented post-secondary students from across Canada are able to be successful in persisting to graduation by surveying and interviewing 4th year students and recent graduates from three Canadian universities in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba.
Increasing literacies through supported education and policies of inclusion (SSHRC Insight Grant: $169,389) 2016-2021
Co-investigator, with Dr. Shanti Fernando (PI), Dr. Allyson Eamer, Dr. Tyler Frederick.
Project examines supported education programs for adults at psychiatric hospitals across Canada by interviewing students, staff and volunteers involved in the programs.
Participation and persistence: An analysis of immigrant visible-minority students at Ontario Tech (Ontario Tech SSHRC Small Research Grant Program: $2,908) 2014-2015
Principal Investigator, with Dr. Allyson Eamer and Dr. Nawal Ammar on research that aims to understand the prevailing facilitative factors (both structural and individual) that help immigrant visible minority university students to succeed.
Academic Integrity Project (Teaching Innovation Fund Grant: $17,222) 2014-2015
Principal Investigator on applied research project to develop new resources and tools for Ontario Tech University's academic integrity website; created learning modules, quizzes, teaching assignments and activities, and case studies to assist in teaching the fundamentals of academic integrity.
Social Implications (SSHRC Insight Development Grant: $50,926) 2013-2015
Co-investigator, with Drs. Shanti Fernando (PI), Allyson Eamer, Wendy Stanyon, UOIT, and Ms. Wanda Huntington, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. Case study of the Supported Education Program at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, in Whitby, Ontario, to understand the social, economic and political implications of low literacy skills for people living with mental illness.
Involvement
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Recent publications
Co-editor of a Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 52(4) 2022-2023, The Perspectives of Traditionally Underrepresented Students.
King, A.E., Qureshi, Stevenson, & Toledo. (2023). Listening to Students: Perspectives, Experiences, and Next Steps.
King & Brigham. (2023). “I was like an alien”: Exploring how Indigenous students succeed in university studies.
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.
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.
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. Transforming our World Through Design, Diversity and Education, G. Craddock, C. Doran, L. McNutt, D. Rice (Eds.). IOS Press Open Access. (pp. 503-513). doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-923-2-503
King, A.E., Eamer, A., and Ammar, N. (2018). Participation and Persistence: An Analysis of Immigrant Visible-Minority Students at Ontario Tech. Chapter in eds. B. Merrill, et al. Continuity and Discontinuity in Learning Careers: Potentials for a Learning Space In a Changing World. Rotterdam: Brill/Sense Publishers/ESREA. (pp. 69-84)
Fernando, S.I. and King, A.E. (2018). Education Interrupted: Learning Careers of Adults Living with Mental Illness. Eds. B. Merrill, et al. Chapter in Continuity and Discontinuity in Learning Careers: Potentials for a Learning Space in a Changing World. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers/ESREA.
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. Available at http://www.scutrea.ac.uk/p/scutrea.html
Eamer, Allyson, Fernando, Shanti, and King, Alyson. (2017). Still on the margins: Migration, English Language Learning, and Mental Health in Immigrant Psychiatric Patients. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education: Studies of Migration, Integration, Equity, and Cultural Survival, DOI:10.1080/15595692.2017.1289918 (pp. 190-202)
Fernando, S., King, A.E., and Eamer, A. (2017). Supported Education practitioners: agents of transformation? Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 33(3). 1-19.
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. Available at: http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/education/creid/NewsEvents/74_ii_SCUTREA2017_Proceedings.pdf (pages 40-46)
King, Alyson E. (2016). Adventurous Children: Creating a Canadian identity for children in Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids. Canadian Review of Comparative Literature/Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée, 43(1), 119-136.
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.
King, Alyson E. and Douai, Aziz. (2014). From the “damsel in distress” to girls’ games and beyond: Gender and children’s gaming. Chapter in Gender Considerations and Influence in the Digital Media and Gaming Industry. Edited by Julie Prescott, University of Central Lancashire and Julie McGurren, Codemasters, UK. IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6142-4.
Fernando, Shanti et Alyson E. King. (2013). Winners and Losers: Literacy and Enduring Labour Market Inequality in Historical Perspective. Revue Interventions économiques 47. Mis en ligne le 13 février 2013, consulté le 14 février 2013.
King, Alyson E. and Shanti I. Fernando. (2013). The Economy and Beyond: The Benefits of Lifelong Literacy. Conference Proceedings, Canadian Association for Studies in Adult Education Annual Meeting.
King, A. (2012). Cartooning history: Canada’s stories in graphic novels. The History Teacher. 45 (2), pp. 189-219.
King, A. (2011). Hating Everything: A graphic coming-of-age tale. Girlhood Studies. 4(1), 67–94. doi:10.3167/ghs.2011.040106.
Hughes, J., King, A., Fuke, V. and Perkins, M. (2011). Adolescents & ‘Autographics’: Reading and Writing Coming-of-Age Graphic Novels. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literature. 54 (8), 601-612. doi:10.1598/JAAL.54.8.5.
Hughes, J. and King, A. (2010). Dual Pathways to Expression and Understanding: Canadian Coming-of-Age Graphic Novels. Children’s Literature in Education, DOI 10.1007/s10583-009-9098-8.
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Recent conference presentations
Campbell, B., King A., and Van Nuland, S. (2022). The collapse of radical casualization and the establishment of tenure in the early development of Ontario Tech University. Canadian Society for the Study of Education Annual Meeting. Virtual. May 14-18, 2022.
Campbell, B., King A., and Van Nuland, S. (2021). The limits of casualization in academia? The development of full-time tenured positions at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Canadian Sociological Association Annual Meeting, University of Alberta [online due to COVID-19 pandemic]
Van Nuland, S., King A., and Campbell, B. (2021). Lives and Voices of Faculty: Pioneering a new university. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE), University of Alberta [online due to COVID-19 pandemic]
King, A.E. (Accepted 2020). “I felt like an alien”: Exploring how Indigenous students succeed in university studies. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE), Western University, London, ON. I also planned a panel on Perspectives of Traditionally Underrepresented Students. CANCELLED due to COVID-19 pandemic.
King, A.E., and Brigham, S. (Accepted 2020). Making universities welcoming and successful learning spaces for Indigenous, Canadian-born visible minority and immigrant students. Higher Education in Transformation (HEIT) Symposium, Durham College, Oshawa, ON. CANCELLED due to COVID-19 pandemic.
King, A.E., and Brigham, S. (2019). The same, but different: Understanding the strategies of historically underrepresented university students in Canada to persist to graduation. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. June 2-5.
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 (available in the 2018 SCUTREA proceedings, pages 256-264).
King, A.E., and Brigham, S. (2018). Understanding the influence of high school preparation on the success strategies of Canadian university students. Universal Design and Higher Education in Transformation Congress (UDHEIT2018), Dublin Castle, Ireland. 30 October-2 November.
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.
McQuarrie, F., King, A.E. and Naqvi, A. (2018). Legitimacy and institutional support for student groups at Canadian post-secondary institutions: Implications of resource allocations. Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education (CSSHE), University of Regina, SK., May 27-30.
King, A.E. and Fernando, S. (2018). Facilitating belongingness through Supported Education for adults living with mental illness. European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA), Life History and Biography Network. COREP – SAA, Torino, Italy, 1-4 March.
Fernando, S. and King, A.E. (2017). The medium is the message: mediated learning and mental health. European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA), Access, Learning Careers and Identities Network. University Rennes 2, Rennes, France. 2-4 November.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 (available in the 2017 SCUTREA proceedings, pages 40-46).
King, A.E. and Brigham, S. (2017). Underrepresented Students at Canadian Universities: Exploring Stories of Resilience. Pathways to Resilience IV Conference, Cape Town, South Africa. June 14 to 16, 2017
McQuarrie, F., Eamer, A., King, A.E., Brigham, S., Ammar, N., and Fontaine, L. (2017). A Strengths-Based Examination of Canadian Post-Secondary Students’ Academic Completion Strategies. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Annual Meeting, May 27 to 30, 2017.
Fernando, S.I., Frederick, T., King, A.E., and Eamer, A. (2017). Finding hope through education: Student experiences of Supported Education. Canadian Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Ryerson University, Ontario, May 31, 2017.
King, A.E. and Tamrici, A. (2017). Daring to Succeed: Developing a cross-Canada analysis of diverse students and their strategies for success. C2UExpo2017, Simon Fraser University, B.C., May 3 to 5, 2017.
Fernando, S.I., King, A.E. and Eamer, A. (2017). Roundtable: Community-based Supported Education Program: A case study. C2UExpo2017, Simon Fraser University, B.C., May 3 to 5, 2017.
King, Alyson E. (2016). Roundtable: Creating a culture of academic integrity: a case study. Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education. University of Calgary, Alberta. May 29 to 31, 2016.
Fernando, S.I. and King, A.E. (2015). Education Interrupted: Learning Careers of Adults Living with Mental Illness. European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA). Access, Learning Careers and Identities Network Conference. Seville, Spain. November 2015.
King, A.E., Eamer, A., and Ammar, N. (2015). Participation and Persistence: An Analysis of Immigrant Visible-Minority Students at Ontario Tech. European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA). Access, Learning Careers and Identities Network Conference. Seville, Spain. November 2015.
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. June 29-July 1
King, Alyson E. and Fernando, Shanti I. (2015). Keep Stop Start: Assessing a supported education program for persons living with mental illness. Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, Hawaii. January 5 to 8.
Fernando, Shanti I. and King, Alyson E. (2014). Supported Adult Literacy Education for Persons Living with Mental Illness: Quality of Life and Social Implications. Conference Proceedings, Canadian Association for Studies in Adult Education Annual Meeting, May 24-27, 2014, Brock University, St. Catherine’s, Ontario.
Fernando, S. and King, A. (2013). The Economy and Beyond: The Benefits of Life-long Literacy. Presented at the Canadian Association for Studies in Adult Education, June 2-5, 2013, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C.
King, Alyson E. (2013). Minority Students @ Ontario Tech: A Classroom Perspective on Issues of Retention. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Annual Meeting. 4 June 2013, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. Organized panel titled: Current Practices and Future Directions: Supporting Marginalized Students in the Universities.
King, Alyson E. (2013). Facilitator & Commentator for panel: New Directions in the History of Indigenous Education/Nouvelles orientations en histoire de l'éducation autochtone. Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting. 3 June 2013, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C.
Crichlow, Wesley and King, Alyson E. (2012). Engaging Communities & Parents: A Digital Approach To Student Engagement, Retention and Success (Poster). Learning to Earning | Higher Education and the Changing Job Market Conference. Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, 1-2 November 2012.
King, A. (2012). Jobs, Professions or Knowledge? Creating a new university in a time of political and economic conservatism. Presented at the Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education, Annual Meeting, Waterloo, Ontario.
King, A. (2011). Students at Work and Play: Creating a Student Culture in a New University. Canadian Society for Studies in Higher Education, Annual Meeting, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
King, A. (2010). Cartooning history: Canada’s stories in graphic novels. Canadian Historical Association. Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.
King, A. (2010). Hating Everything: A graphic coming-of-age tale. Canadian Communication Association. Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.
Hammett, R., Burke, A., Hughes, J., King, A., Toope, D. (2010). Playing in Webkinz World: Living and Learning Literacies / Le Webkinz World et les littératies. Canadian Society for the Study of Education/Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation. Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec.
Burke, A., Hammett, R., Hughes, J. and King, A. (2009). Challenging traditional notions of literacy: Children’s playmaking on the Internet. Edge 2009: Inspiration and Innovation in Teaching and Teacher Education. Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Hughes, J., King, A. and Fuke, V. (2009). Adolescents and “Autographica”: Reading and Writing Coming-of-age Graphic Novels / Les adolescents et l’« autographie » : lire et écrire des romans graphiques sur l’adolescence. Canadian Society for the Study of Education/Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.
King, A. (2009). “Adventurous Children: Images of Children in Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids.” Paper presented to the Society for the History of Children and Youth Conference, University of California, Berkeley, July 10 to 12, 2009
King, A. (2005). “Educating Women for the Modern World,” Paper delivered at the 13th Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Scripps College, Claremont, California, June 2005. Organized roundtable, title: “Shaping Identities: Women and Higher Education in Canada and the United States.” Other roundtable members: Constance Backhouse, Sara Burke, Margaret Kechnie, and Jacqueline McNeil.
