PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Thursday, June 7

The Institute for Community Research offered the following workshops on cutting-edge methodologies for data analysis, delivered by recognized experts in these fields. Workshop trainers demonstrated techniques, materials and software.

GIS Workshop on Mapping Neighborhoods for Community-Based Research

Ellen Cromley, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, The Institute for Community Research

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

This full-day workshop demonstrates how geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to represent and describe neighborhoods in community-based research. The emphasis in the workshop is on the GIS functions and data that can be used to describe neighborhoods from social, spatial, perceptual, and administrative dimensions. Participants will learn how to integrate US Census data with neighborhood data, and will receive a workshop notebook that provides detailed information and references on the GIS procedures demonstrated in the workshop. A box lunch was provided.

Workshop Fee:  $200 (regular) / $100 (student)

Social Network Analysis

Stephen Borgatti, Ph.D., Analytic Technologies

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

This full-day workshop focused on social network analysis, an area of research that explores the relationships among actors in a social context and acknowledges that an individual's behaviour is influenced by those around him or her. Actors and their actions are viewed as interdependent rather than independent units. This view means that the unit of analysis is not the individual, but an entity consisting of the individuals and the linkages connecting them. The workshop was a practical course focused on the analysis of network data. However, participants spent some time considering network-informed action/intervention strategies. The workshop demonstrated the use of the software packages UCINET, E-Net and NetDraw for visualization and uncovering structural properties of networks, including measuring centrality and cohesion, and detecting subgroups. A box lunch was provided.

Workshop Fee: $200 (regular) / $100 (student)

Ethical Challenges and Guidelines in Community Based Research

Robert Levine, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

This workshop offered an introduction to ethical dilemmas in community based research. It reviewed the history and development of the frameworks for research ethics and protection of human subjects that are commonly utilized in health, social science and educational research, ethical considerations in partnership development, basic concepts in protection of human subjects, and dilemmas that community based researchers faced when confronted with issues of injustice that they are unable to address either completely or at all. Participants can bring ethical challenges they face in their own research for discussion with Dr. Levine. All participants received a list of references and websites that provide information on ethical considerations in CBR.

Workshop Fee: $100 (regular) / $50 (student)

Application Procedures

Applicants were invited to attend a pre-conference workshop without attending the conference.