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Research Assistant Position

Position Start & End Dates: November 2020 – May 2021

Hours per Week: 10 hours per week

Hourly Pay Rate: $25.50 per hour, (includes benefits)

Research Project: The Education Impact of COVID-19 Crisis on African Nova Scotian Household Survey

Project information:

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased need for technology to support students' access to learning capabilities. The situation has created an enormous burden for all education stakeholders with policy makers scurrying to put together guidelines and procedures for the way forward, teachers struggling on how to package the learning materials that are easily accessible to students at home, and parents struggling to structure a home learning environment to support their children. These challenges call for a re-thinking of public education that, in a post-COVID-19 new normal, will continue to rely more on technology innovations and creative learning environments at home and school. This project, through a house-hold survey, will develop an understanding of these challenges to conceptualize what this new normal might look like in a productive and inclusive public education system.

This collaborative project, comprised of team members from Dalhousie University and Delmore "Buddy" Learning Institute (DBDLI), is funded by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and DBDLI.

Duties & Responsibilities:
The Research Assistant (RA) will work as a member of a research team, under the supervision of the PI (Dr. Joyline Makani) and co-PI (Dr. George Frempong).

The responsibilities of the RA will include the following activities:

• Conduct relevant literature review.

• Assist with data collection.

• Assist in the development and analysis of virtual community discussion spaces

• Assist with updating the project website

• Compile, manage and analyze datasets from the study (both qualitative and quantitative).

• Draft reports and manuscripts for publication in collaboration with the Research Coordinator and PIs.

• Assist with dissemination of the findings (conferences, seminars, etc.)

• Any other tasks related to the research project.

The RA will be expected to mostly work flexible hours and remotely and will attend regular online meetings with other members of the research team, either bi-weekly or as required by the state of the project.

Qualifications

The following are necessary:

• A graduate student enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program or a research-based graduate degree at Dalhousie University.

• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analysis

• Demonstrated experience with academic research.

• Proven time management skills

• Excellent communication and writing skills.

The following would be an asset:

• Interest in and/or experience working with Opinio and NVivo® QSR software programs.

• Experience preparing manuscripts for publication

• Knowledge and experience working with the African Nova Scotia communities

Students of African descent are encouraged to apply.

Application Process: Email a cover letter briefly outlining your experience and a current resume by November 22 @ 11:59 PM to Dr. Joyline Makani @ Joyline.makani@dal.ca