Frequently Asked Questions about AREx

General Questions about the Program
General Questions about Projects
Questions for Faculty
Questions for Students
Questions for Community Groups

APIRG Research eXchange
-- Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions about AREx

Who or what is APIRG?

APIRG is an Alberta PIRG. PIRG stands for Public Interest Research Group. PIRGs are student organizations based on the premise that students are citizens, and as such, part of their education should include recognizing and engaging the problems of society.

PIRGs exist to provide training, support, and opportunities for students to be active citizens in their communities. Through involvement with PIRGs, thousands of Canadian students have learned skills in consensus decision-making, group facilitation, events organizing, media relations, and community-based research. These skills help individuals to act effectively in the public interest.

To read more about APIRG, visit www.apirg.org.

Why is APIRG establishing its own research exchange?

Simply put, we wish to explore and discover the merits of a student-community exchange program run out of a PIRG organization. In the era of runaway tuition ("freezing" and "capping" tuition at high rates not withstanding), students' time to explore volunteering, community organizations, and participatory/nontraditional modes of research are much more constrained in the university framework. We think that an APIRG Research Exchange, among many other benefits, has the potential to return time to students to work for the benefit of communities they would like to see thrive.

What are the strengths of APIRG's AREx program?

The APIRG Research Exchange is conceived as a mutual benefit for students, community groups and faculty. Students work with community groups in exchange for credit for an assignment or a course. AREx has been conceived with three focii in mind:

  1. Focus on social justice-oriented community organizations,
  2. Committment to participatory action research, and
  3. APIRG acts as a hub for support of research

1. Focus on social justice and social change organizations: APIRG is primarily interested in matching students to organizations who are researching, advocating and agitating for social change, as opposed to charities and service organizations in which volunteering, or the particular service delivered, is an end in itself. One way of thinking about this is that if the charity organization feeds the homeless, the social justice organization asks critical questions why people are without housing or food to begin with.

2. PAR (Participatory Action Research) methodologies: APIRG projects undertake research and development for and with community organizations rather than about the organizations themselves. Thus, projects done under the AREx are about identifying problems with the organization in question and working with them to produce research, organizational and communications assistance for the benefit of the organization. The basis of such methodologies is called Participatory Action Research (PAR). Read more about PAR here

3. APIRG is a hub of the research: the unique setting of APIRG, a network of students and community members engaged in research and education projects for social change, is a support for research. While AREx projects are logistically supported by the Research Coordinator, you'll find APIRG staff and volunteers broadly knowledgeable about a wide variety of social issues related to your project.

Other high priorities for the APIRG Research Exchange are:

  • Being driven by community research needs, as opposed to merely supplying students with exposure and 'volunteer experience.'
  • We seek, if possible, to create or assist completed projects for the community organization with the assistance of the student researcher.
  • It is thus possible to do fairly involved placements with a particular community organization through AREx. Projects requested from community organizations can take up to a full term to complete (the student and the professor should work out between themselves how to academically reward this effort).
  • For the reasons above, we match organizations to students with high self-motivation, and students go through a brief interview process before they can be matched up.

It is certainly possible with other research exchanges to undertake work with social justice organizations, use PAR methodologies, and perform completed projects for the organization. Similarly, there is no hard-and-fast line between volunteer organizations and social change organizations. However, the mandate of the APIRG Research Exchange is about focusing on completing research and other projects for groups working for social justice and change.

What's the differences between AREx the new CSL (Community Service Learning) program at the U of A?

Since both CSL and AREx are new programs aat the university, a proper answer to this question would be that the differences haven't had time to come into being. We think CSL at the University of Alberta is an extraordinarily valuable step taken by university faculty, and encourage students, faculty and community groups alike to investigate the Community Service Learning option.

The APIRG Research Committee keeps in regular contact with CSL directors and we operate in a state of "co-operative autonomy" with CSL program. AREx is completely under the direction of APIRG volunteers.

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General Questions about Projects

What types of projects are well suited to AREx?

AREx accepts projects from non-profit groups working in the fields of community development, social justice, international issues, the arts, the environment, and health. The groups must be community-based and community-directed, and not otherwise have the resources to undertake research. The projects we support must be oriented toward community development, have well defined goals, and match APIRG's mandate of supporting social and environmental change.

As the program is meant to fulfill a diversity of community and organizational needs, AREx projects can take a range of forms and sizes - ranging from a research paper to a 2 page backgrounder to database design. For example, a student can:

  • research & design communications packages to share information about an issue or event
  • design and conduct interviews, surveys, and focus groups to promote discussion and to identify community needs
  • make recommendations for improving current programs by disseminating and analyzing evaluations
  • create mixed media projects, like short documentaries and creative writing projects, to express the thoughts and experiences of different community groups
  • participate in long-term research projects, exploring various issues through extensive research and writing
What types of projects are well suited to research at U of A?

The AREx network holds projects suited to a variety of U of A academic departments (click here for an extensive list of departments). Students can take on these projects as directed studies, end of term papers and projects, or small class assignments.

Below is a list of projects that students commonly undertake at U of A. Please use this list as a guide to define your project in academic terms. The list is by no means complete; feel free to suggest other options beyond those presented here.

Formal Research

  • Research Paper
  • Policy Report
  • Field Study
  • Lab Work
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Survey or other Research Tools
  • Oral History
  • Interview
  • Evaluation

Creative Research

  • Video (Documentary, Short Film, Informational Video)
  • Writing (Journalistic, Prose, Poetry, Zine)
  • Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, Composition)
  • Visual Art (Sculpture, Painting, Design, Mixed Media, New Media)
  • Arts Review

Organizational Development

  • Communications Package
  • Marketing Report
  • Questionnaire/Evaluation Design
  • Website/Database Design
  • Translation
  • Curriculum Design
  • Budget Preparation
  • Presentation or Workshop
How long do projects take to complete?

Depending on the specific project, projects can take anywhere from a week to a year. The timeline of the project is a contract agreed upon by the community group, the student, and a faculty member before the project starts.

Projects are categorized into short (one month or less) or medium (one semester) projects, which can be done within a regular course, and long projects (more than one semester), which are usually done as directed studies or graduate work.

When do projects start?

U of A semesters begin in September, January, and May and last for three months. Usually projects are posted at the beginning of each semester, and matched with a student within the first few weeks of a semester. If it is getting near the beginning of a semester, contact us now to find out how to get involved!

(Please note that a project may not be matched with a student for one or more semesters. If a project is not picked up by a student after three semesters, it will be removed from the APIRG website and the community group will have the option of reapplying for the next semester).

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Questions for Faculty

How does AREx benefit faculty?

Faculty members are able to support students who are looking for new ways to learn, and in the process demonstrate to students that their studies can be immediately relevant to the world around them. They also gain the opportunity to participate in and teach alternative research methodologies and approaches.

What is expected of AREx faculty members?

Faculty members need to support and approve the participation of students in AREx. Before students start a research partnership with a community organization, a faculty member needs to sign off on a contract, agreeing that the student's research will be counted toward their final course mark, and that they will support the student's work in the community. Faculty may also advise the student on questions of methodology during the duration of the project, or provide their expertise to the project in other ways.

I am interested in AREx. What should I do next?

Students need faculty members to support and approve their projects. So most importantly, we need you to allow students who are interested in AREx to undertake a community project for a mark in your class.

We also need your help in getting the word out to motivated students. Encourage student participation in the program by mentioning it on your course syllabus, announcing it to your students, or inviting APIRG to come speak to your classes. Please if you have a student working on research that might be of interest to community groups.

If you are interested in incorporating community research projects into your course curriculum, or are working in a field which might be relevant to community concerns, please and we can try to facilitate connections between you, your class, and the community.

Finally, the feedback you provide to us will be essential in helping us integrate with the academic community at U of A. We would greatly appreciate your ideas and experience. Please with your suggestions or to set up a meeting.

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Questions for Students

How does AREx benefit students?

The AREx program is directed at motivated and self-initiated students who feel that their beliefs and interests should be part of their academic work.

Students undertaking AREx projects can apply their interests, energy, skills, and education to practical and community-based work that has an impact. They gain unique and valuable experience while also making university work useful to others.

What is expected of AREx students?

Once students are successfully screened and matched with a community group and a suitable project, they are responsible for finding one of their professors to support and evaluate their work. Once a faculty member is on board, a simple contract is signed between all parties (the student, a faculty member, and the community group) and the student can start the research. The student is responsible for setting these initial meetings and negotiating the project expectations with all parties.

Students who take on AREx projects are expected to work quite independently, manage additional time constraints, meet with their faculty and community supervisor as required, and fulfill the project expectations agreed upon at the beginning of the project.

Because of the self-actualized component of the AREx program, only students who feel they work in a self-directed fashion are encouraged to apply for the program.

I am an interested student, what should I do next?

Check out the AREx Project Postings (which will be up soon) at the beginning of each Fall, Spring, and Summer Semester. If you find a project that is suited to your interests and area of study, and we will send you an application form.

If you are interested in AREx, but don't find a current posting that you like, and we can try to facilitate a match between you and a relevant community group.

If you want to help spread the word about AREx, please let your professors know about the program. Announce it in your classes, or invite us to make a presentation. If you are a member of a student club, group, or departmental union, spread the word to other members, and contact us to make some formal links.

Finally, we are always looking for new students to join the APIRG Research Committee, which oversees AREx. If you would like to participate in the planning of the program, for an orientation to AREx. You'll meet other like-minded students, gain some great experience, and assist in helping academia become more relevant!

How should students approach their professors?

After identifying a project that fits well with a course, students will approach prof/instructor to get approval to replace their term assignment/paper with an AREx project. Students will take with them an AREx brochure and an agreement 'contract' to be filled out by the professor and student. Students then submit this application to AREx.

What happens after students apply?

APIRG's Community Research Committee (made up of student volunteers, one staff member, and one member of the board of directors) will match up suitable students to projects. This semester, the selection will be based on a first come, first served basis (the committee reserves the right to deny any application).

Can international students participate?

Yes. AREx sponsored research is not paid work, and therefore does not violate student visa restrictions.

Do I need to clear my project with the U of A Research Ethics Committee?

Not necessarily. Not all projects need to go through a U of A Ethics clearance. Only those projects that deal directly with human and animal subjects require this. AREx will inform you if you will need to do this. It will be your professor's role to help you through the Ethics clearance process. Members of the AREx committee include graduate students who can answer basic questions and provide some general support.

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Questions for Community Groups

How can AREx benefit my community group?

By making use of student research, community groups can undertake research even without substantial project funding. Groups gain accessible, responsible, and community-directed research that can be used in the way they decide.

Research may enable an organization to expand its mandate and set new goals, allow it to better assess the needs of the community, or show the public that its work is valuable and deserving of support.

AREx is designed to be accessible to grassroots organizations who have never undertaken research before, as well as to more established bodies with research needs but not enough capacity to recruit and hire researchers.

How do we apply?

We have tried to make the application process as streamlined and simple as possible, as we understand that many groups will be undertaking research for the first time.

Please download the Community Project Proposal form from the Apply to AREx page. In it we ask for your group information, the project description, the project plan of action, and your criteria for student researchers. You can fill out the form itself, or use it as a guide for a custom proposal of your own.

Will our proposal be accepted?

Projects are accepted onto the AREx network subject to the review and approval of the APIRG Research Committee. We review each proposal to ensure that your group and project fit the guidelines, mandate, and capacity of APIRG.

Please read further in the FAQ for information on what groups and projects are best suited to AREx.

What kind of groups is AREx looking for?

The group submitting the proposal must be:

  • non-profit, not politically or religiously affiliated, and would not otherwise have resources to undertake research
  • either a registered organization or a self-identified group
  • located in Edmonton and area, though topics may be local or international in content
  • community based and community-directed
What is expected of AREx community groups?

Students undertake research under the guidance of a faculty member as well as the community group. Your organization needs to specify one contact person from your organization who would advise and answer the student's questions during the duration of the project, and meet with the student as required. The relationship can be as hands-off or hands-on as required; however, it needs to be set out and agreed on by all parties before research begins.

What kinds of projects is AREx interested in?

The project being proposed must:

  • be oriented toward community development
  • have well defined project goals: concrete outcomes and plans for use that are feasible and valuable to the community
  • complement a department or class at U of A
  • be flexible in their start and end dates, as a match with a student may not happen for one or more semesters
  • not consist of grant-writing

Priority goes to projects that:

  • match APIRG's mandate of supporting social and environmental change
  • if research-based, employ elements of community participation
  • represent the research needs of under-represented or marginalized communities
  • match the interests and skills of students, and can be supported by faculty

See the projects section of this FAQ for more information.

Many thanks to SFPIRG's Action Research Exchange Commitee for letting us base our FAQ on theirs.

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Contact Information

APIRG Research Committee

Alberta Public Interest
Research Group (APIRG)
Hub International Mall,
University of Alberta
9111 112th St.
Edmonton, AB T6G 2C5

phone: 780-492-0614
fax: 780-492-0615
email:

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