Dr. Ralf St. Clair

Dr. Ralf St. Clair
Position
ProfessorCurriculum and Instruction
Contact
Office: MacLaurin A567rstclair@uvic.ca
Credentials

PhD (Educational Studies) University of British Columbia, MEd (Community Education), Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

In the two decades since I completed my PhD I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in many fascinating projects and in universities in three countries: the UK, the US and Canada. Some of the highlights include an EU-funded study of vocational adult education across Europe, managing a massive skills survey in Scotland for the Scottish Government, and a large scale exploration of educational aspirations in deprived areas of the UK. One of my favourite things to do is write books. I have two single-authored books out so far, and am hoping for more in the near future!

I am supervisor for Lee Zhe, PhD student in comparative higher education and on the committee for Constantinos Yanniris, PhD student in environmental education, and Amélie Lemieux, PhD student in arts based language learning.

I am completing a SSHRC funded Partnership Development Grant focused on educational aspirations in three Indigenous communities across Canada.

St. Clair, R. (2017). Tackling the endpoint enigma. In Käpplinger, B., Robak, S., Fleige, M., von Hippel, A., & Gieseke, W. (Eds.) Cultures of program planning in adult education. Studien zur Pädagogik, Andragogik und Gerontagogik / Studies in Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Gerontagogy, Vol. 70. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Peter Lang.

St. Clair, R., Heslop, J. & Greengoe, N. (2017). When the walls come tumbling down: A case study of community colleges within a Canadian high mobility post-secondary system. In R.L. Raby & E. Valeau (Eds.) International Handbook on Comparative Studies on Community Colleges and Global Counterparts. Rotterdam: Springer International.

St. Clair, R. (2016). Plus ça change – The failure of PIAAC to drive evidence-based policy in Canada. Redaktion Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung, 39(2), 225-239.

Kintrea, K., St. Clair, R., & Houston, M. (2015). Shaped by place? Young people’s aspirations in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Journal of Youth Studies, 18(5), 666-684.

St. Clair, R. (2015) Creating courses for adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Single Authored Book).

St. Clair, R., Winer, L., Finkelstein, A., Steeves- Fuentes, A., & Wald, S. (2015). Big hat and no cattle? The potential of MOOCs for adult learning. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education 27(3).

St. Clair, R., Kintrea, K., & Houston, M. (2013). Silver bullet or red herring? New evidence on the place of aspirations in education. Oxford Review of Education 39(6).

St. Clair, R. (2013). The limits of levels: Understanding the International Adult Literacy Surveys. International Review of Education, 58(6).

St. Clair, R. (2010). Why literacy matters: Understanding the outcomes of literacy education for adults. National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education. (Single Authored Book).