The following are examples of activities that would normally exceed the minimum expectations for the EBR requirement for the Collaborative Specialization in Vision Research if undertaken in a vision research context. These could be completed as part of the degree requirements (for example, the internship in EECS) as long as they also satisfy the above requirements.
- An industry internship (typically paid, possibly required by the graduate program) lasting 3 months in a company specializing or applying vision science concepts
- A one-month lab exchange involving practical research work in a vision laboratory at York or elsewhere in Canada or abroad (not in the supervisor’s lab)
- A one-month clinical placement (not in the supervisor’s lab)
- Completion of a doctoral breadth requirement with a project in vision research, for example completing a vision science experiment for the Academic Breadth Comprehensive (ABC) paper in Psychology
- Leading the organization of a workshop for dissemination of research findings, public outreach or professional development
- Active participation as a member of a conference program or organizing committee
- Participating in a week-long summer school or skills development workshop (beyond program course requirements)
Other activities may be combined or aggregated to meet the EBR criterion. Depending on the duration and intensity of the engagement, these could meet the requirement (on their own or in combination):
- Offering research tours and laboratory demos
- Academic peer review of grants and research papers
- Hosting and planning the visit of an external speaker to York University
- Organizing a research visit to an external academic, industry or community partner
- Participating as student representative on scholarship ranking, steering, facilities, or hiring committees related to vision research
- Offering outreach activities to undergraduate, high school or elementary students, to specific community groups, or to the general public related to vision research
- Actively participating in CVR reading groups
To ensure transparency and fairness to students, the EBR activity will be pre-approved by the Specialization Coordinator, based on the minimum expectations, using a proposal form. An individual(s) in a position to confirm the student’s performance and successful completion will be also identified on this form (e.g. an internship supervisor).
Assessment
Successful completion of the EBR by the student will be documented by the student on a standard form and confirmed by the Specialization Coordinator. The activity will be considered successfully completed if the student’s overall performance is consistent with professional standards for the activity and meets the minimum engagement requirements (i.e., at least 37.5 hours). The Specialization Coordinator will also seek confirmation of completion from the identified individual and ensure the communications requirement was met before final approval.
In many cases the communication requirement will be satisfied as a natural product of the activity in the format of a paper, report, presentation or other artifact. In cases where there is no such documentation, the student will be required to write a short (maximum 1500 word) structured reflection critically examining what aspect(s) of vision research culture was involved and how the experience contributed to their professional and academic growth.