About the Pat Griffin Research Grant

Annually, CASN offers a Pat Griffin Research Grant to support research that addresses the research priority of “Nursing Education Outcomes” (Research Priority 7) from the National Research Priorities for Nursing:

Research to develop, evaluate, and promote knowledge translation of evidence informed, interprofessional education approaches, curricular models for nursing education, pedagogical approaches that foster skills in clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and evidence informed decision-making, simulation-based learning, and transition-to-practice modalities in relation to:

1. relevance of learning for nursing practice;
2. experience of new graduates entering the workforce; and
3. readiness of new graduates for the nursing profession.

The research can focus on all academic levels of nursing education.

Research Funding

Funds for this grant are provided by the Dr. Pat L. Griffin Fund of CASN.

Grant Details

Grants available: 1 per calendar year
Funding: up to $15,000
Deadline for submissions: May 2, 2025
Start of funding date: July 1, 2025
Applications can be in either French or English.

Eligibility Criteria

• The principal investigator must be faculty at a CASN member school.
• If a principal or co-investigator received the grant, they must wait 3 years before being eligible to receive another grant.
• The recipient must agree to sign a Research Agreement including interim and final reports.
• Research must address “Nursing Education Outcomes” identified in CASN’s National Research Priorities for Nursing.
• The application is 10 pages maximum, excluding required attachments, using an 11-point font and maintaining the margins as they appear on the application form.
• Submissions must include all requested information.
• All documents must be submitted in a single PDF format with a maximum size of 45 MB.

How to Apply

All applications and supporting documentation must be submitted via email to Jodie Lachance (jlachance@casn.ca).

• Information for Pat Griffin Research Grants
• Evaluation Criteria for Pat Griffin Research Grants
• Application for Pat Griffin Research Grants
  

Jody Ralph, PhD, RN, is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor. Her clinical experience as a Registered Nurse was in a Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplantation unit. She has advanced training and experience in mixed-methods research, systematic reviews, and the development and evaluation of educational interventions, including virtual simulation games. Dr. Ralph has 18 years of experience teaching university-level courses in Pathophysiology and Human Anatomy and Physiology. 

The Pat Griffin Research Grant is greatly appreciated and will support an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study conducted in collaboration with Aznam Yacoub, PhD (Computer Science), Dave Andrews, PhD (Kinesiology), Mark Lubrick (Centre for Teaching and Learning), Terri Lawrence, PhD (Schulich Medical School/Nursing) and student trainees.  The team will create and evaluate a serious game designed for undergraduate anatomy and/or physiology students and focused on the cardiovascular system.  

Post-secondary Human Anatomy courses tend to be content-heavy, but they cover foundational material necessary for many subsequent courses in the health professions. Game-based learning strategies and gamification have increased in popularity in academic settings and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Gamification incorporates some game design elements (e.g., points, badges) into learning activities, such as quiz questions, to influence individual performance and motivation. Currently, well-known examples of gamification are Kahoot! or Duolingo. Serious games (also known as applied games) take this one step further and are fully designed immersive games that integrate the principles of game-based learning and “serious” educational content. This study aims to address gaps in the literature by collecting qualitative and objective and subjective quantitative data to characterize the game's efficacy as an educational intervention and learners' perceived experiences. We have selected cardiovascular hemodynamics as the focus for this initial game due to its complexity and vital role in homeostasis. Blood pressure, volume, and flow are regulated by the major anatomical structures (e.g., the heart and blood vessels) of the cardiovascular system. This system is of great clinical importance in normal physiology and is altered in prevalent conditions such as hypertension and heart disease, all of which are relevant to many students in health disciplines.