Rodda
and Petryshyn Honoured by Academy of Pedagogical Sciences
Drs. Michael Rodda and Roman Petryshyn, from MacEwan’s Faculty of Arts and Science, have been recognized for their international research and program development work. Both have been voted in as Foreign Members of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine (APSU). Membership allows Drs. Rodda and Petryshyn to participate in Academy meetings, receive reports and vote on resolutions.
APSU is a
government-financed umbrella organization uniting 17 institutes, centres and
programs that conduct research, award doctorate degrees and make national
recommendations to government on changes in
In 2005, the Academy of
Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine employed 1,253 researchers conducting 239
projects. These were in five fields: theory and history of pedagogy;
information technology; child development and special psychology; pedagogy and
psychology of vocational education and higher education. During this year
members of the Academy published over 3000 titles, including monographs, textbooks
and handbooks, teacher guides and peer- reviewed articles. Over 500 students
were working on their PHDs in the Academy in 20 different fields.
Drs. Rodda and Petryshyn
have worked most closely with the Institute of Special Pedagogy (ISP) in
In 2004 MacEwan, ISP and
the department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta signed a
cooperation agreement that formed CURT, the Canada Ukraine research Team. CURT
has focused on issues of sign language, foetal-alcohol syndrome and inclusive
education. Rodda and Petryshyn also helped to establish the voluntary society,
Canada Ukraine Alliance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, of which Dr.
Rodda is currently President. This society has sponsored 20 summer-camp
training institutes in
Dr. Rodda currently
teaches Psychology courses at MacEwan. Dr. Petryshyn is director of MacEwan’s
Ukrainian Resource Centre and Development Centre.