Niagara College, ranked as the No.1 research college in Canada, is now providing faculty members and educators around the world with the opportunity to participate in academic research through its new Centre for Research in Education.

Led by Professor Dr. Giacomo Folinazzo, from NC’s School of English Language Studies, and launched in September 2024, the Centre for Research in Education intends to create and disseminate new knowledge on education-related issues, with the goal of informing, supporting and improving educational practices. The first of its kind in the Ontario college system, the Centre is a testament to NC’s trailblazing approach to innovation and research.

Dr. Giacomo Folinazzo

“Niagara College’s Centre for Research in Education is designed to act as a collaborative resource hub for researchers and institutions to work together to advance knowledge on cross-disciplinary issues in education through academic research,” said Dr. Folinazzo. “Through our research partnerships, we are developing both national and international networks of educators committed to the improvement of educational practices.”

Funded through NC’s Dream Big Fund – an initiative designed to support and cultivate trailblazing ideas that align with the key areas of focus in the College’s Strategic Plan – the Centre for Research in Education will also enrich the wholistic student learning experience through research-related opportunities that work towards improving existing practices, methodologies and delivery of courses across academic areas.

Dr. Folinazzo, who recently completed his PhD in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, has a passion for developing the field of language education that spans more than two decades. With more than 20 years of experience teaching languages across Canada, Italy and Japan, coupled with his research on Mediation and Mediation Strategies, the Action Oriented Approach and Theory of Plurilingualism and Pluriculturalism, Dr. Folinazzo is eager to support research that will improve how language is both learned and taught.

“The Centre for Research in Education has been a dream of mine since 2018 when I discovered my passion for academic research and the endless possibilities and opportunities it provides,” said Dr. Folinazzo. “I’m very thankful to Niagara College and the Dream Big Fund for seeing potential in this new Centre and for supporting my academic journey through the tuition assistance program and my professional development leave. This Centre would never have happened without NC and I am very grateful for the support and investment. The encouragement from my Associate Dean, Charles Voth, and Senior Director, Shawna Luey, has been invaluable since the early stages of the Center conception.”

For its first project, the Centre is collaborating with six Ontario universities on the fifth Symposium of the Southern Ontario Universities on “Reimagining Languages and Literacies in Education.” This symposium will be held in a hybrid mode on Oct. 4-5 at Western University.

Dr. Folinazzo will also be presenting his research on Mediation-based language teaching with an Action-oriented Approach in Catania, Italy, for the Lingua e Nuova Didattica (LEND) conference this November. The study – the first empirical study of its kind in the world to address the impact of mediation-based language teaching – was conducted at Niagara College with English for Academic Preparation (EAP) students. He is currently working with research partners on several grant proposals to government funding councils, and he looks forward to a rich collaboration with NC’ Research and Innovation department.

Earlier this year in March, Dr. Folinazzo presented at the Applied Linguistics Language Teaching (ALLT) conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and was one of the few selected among 2,000 proposals to present at the American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) in Houston, Texas.

Anyone interested in learning more about Niagara College’s new Centre for Research in Education can connect with the Centre through its website.