Story submitted by Dr. John Conrad, Director, Innovation and Business Engagement
A team of SLC student research assistants from a wide range of programs and two faculty members are continuing their analysis of the Workplace Inclusion Charter Expansion (WICE) through SLC’s department of Business Engagement and Innovation.
Jointly they and their team are responsible for the external assessment and outcome measurement of the interventions designed and implemented by the KEYS Job Centre for 40 local small, medium, and large employers who have signed the Workplace Inclusion Expansion Charter with the City of Kingston. The purpose of the Charter is to promote employment practices and provide strategies that will improve inclusion, diversity, and equity in the workplace.
Dr. Rajni Dogra, Program Coordinator and Professor in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program, and Dr. Krista Videchak, Curriculum Specialist, are analyzing the data collected from surveys, focus groups, interviews, and work process artefacts to evaluate the impact of the project.
Both Dr. Dogra and Dr. Videchak have worked with a diverse student team of research assistants from the College’s Business Analytics, BBA, and User Experience (UX) Design program. So far, six SLC students and four Business Analytics Interns have worked at various stages of this project.
The students are:
- BBA – Chadham Izatt, Cameron Hasler, and Morgan Davis
- Business Analytics – Sachin Samson, Akshai and Venugopal, Harsh Vyas
- UX Design – Chantel Cole (graduate)
Dr. Dogra is the Principal Investigator on this two-year project (March 2020-June 2022) and is responsible for the research design and methodology with an emphasis on the quantitative components. Dr. Videchak is the Co-Principal Investigator and is focused on the qualitative research components of the project.
Dr. Dogra is vice-chair of SLC’s Research Ethics Board and is a term-adjunct assistant professor in the Queen’s Economics Department. Dr. Dogra earned her PhD in International and Development Economics as well as a Law degree from Panjab University. Dr. Dogra is a lifelong learner as seen through her recent completion of certificates from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Duke University, and the Rotman School of Management.
Dr. Videchak was part of SLC’s EDI & Belonging Task Force, working with other members to create SLC’s EDI & Belonging Task Force Recommendations Report. Dr. Videchak earned her PhD in Philosophy from Queen’s University, with a focus on racial injustice and cultivating compassionate educators and education systems. She received her MA – Philosophy from Wilfred Laurier University and her undergraduate degree from Western University.