Dr. Shayna Minosky (formerly Rusticus) started at KPU as a student between 1997 and 2003. The she returned to KPU as a sessional instructor in May 2014 and became a regular full-time faculty member in September 2016.
Dr. Minosky completed her undergraduate degree at KPU (then Kwantlen University College) in 2003. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) in Psychology (now the BAHBAP). From there, she went to UBC, where she completed her Master’s (2005) and PhD (2010) in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology. She also completed a two-year post-doctorate with the Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES) at UBC and then two years with the Department of Physical Therapy on an evaluation project related to evidence-informed health care.
Prior to working full-time with KPU, Dr. Minosky worked for 8 years as a Statistical Analyst for the Evaluation Studies Unit within UBC’s Faculty of Medicine (and still continues to work there on a casual basis). She also taught as a sessional instructor for over 10 years in the Faculty of Education and School of Social Work at UBC.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Minosky lives with her partner, three teenage/young adult children and three cats in New Westminster. She stays active through walking, hiking and weightlifting. She also has over 10 years experience in mixed martial arts (boxing, kickboxing, jiujitsu). Other hobbies she has are reading fantasy novels and crocheting (and other crafts).
At KPU, Dr. Minosky primarily teaches courses related to research methodology and statistics. The courses she has previously taught include:
PSYC 1100 – Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 2300 – Introduction to Statistics
PSYC 2400 – Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods
PSYC 3400 – Applied Research I (Quantitative Methods)
PSYC 3960 – Program Evaluation
PSYC 4100 – Tests and Measurement
PSYC 4400 – Qualitative Research Methods
Publications
Dr. Minosky has published in a variety of areas, including the learning environment, teamwork, test development and validation, and equivalence testing. Her list of most recent publications includes (*student co-authors):
Minosky, S. A, *Elaini, N., *Justus, B. J., & *Bali, T. (2024) Comparing video camera, microphone and chat box use on social presence and engagement in an online group activity. Online Learning, 28(4), 354-372. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v28i4.4133
*Bali, T., *Mann, B., & Minosky, S. A. (2024). Student perceptions of the use and effectiveness of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Active Learning in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874241303154
*Mann, B., *Bali, T., & Minosky, S. A. (2024). Student perceptions of peer and faculty rapport in the online classroom: A qualitative study. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000415
*Stobbe, B., *Lau, J. B. K., *Justus, B., & Minosky, S. A. (2023). Development and preliminary validation of the Teamwork Expectations and Attitudes Measure (TEAM). Kwantlen Psychology Student Journal, 5, 18-36.
Minosky, S. A. &* Dumoulin A. R. (2023). Mixed martial arts as a way of life: Going beyond the black belt and engaging in life-long learning. Martial Arts Studies, 13, 71-83. https://doi.org/10.18573/mas.141
Rusticus, S. A., *Pashootan, T., & *Mah, A. (2023). What are the key elements of a positive learning environment? Perspectives from students and faculty. Learning Environments Research, 26(1), 161-175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-022-09410-4
Minosky, S. A., *Wiechers, M., &* Landaverde-Umana, L. (2022). The impact of course format on student perceptions of the classroom learning environment and teamwork. Active Learning in Higher Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787422112802
*Justus, B. J., Rusticus, S. A., & *Stobbe, B. (2022). Does self-directed learning readiness predict undergraduate students’ instructional preferences? The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2022.1.10879
Rusticus, S. A., Wilson, D., Jarus, T., O’Flynn-Magee, K., & Albon, S. (2022). Exploring student perceptions of the learning environment in four health professions education programs. Learning Environments Research, 25(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-021-09349-y
*Dumoulin, A. R., & Rusticus, S. A. (2022). Employable Skills Self-Efficacy Survey: A validation study. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 8(4), 247-258. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000298
Rusticus, S. A., & Albon, S. (2021). The Health Education Learning Environment Survey: Factor structure analysis with pharmacy students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 86(5), 8710. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe8710
*Dumoulin, A., *Lau, J., *Justus, B., & Rusticus, S. (2021). Validating a modified version of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (MSDLR) for use among undergraduate students. Kwantlen Psychology Student Journal, 3, 71-85.
Dawes, D., Rusticus, S., Beck, C., Dawes, M., Mortenson, B., Ross, C., & Greig, A. (2021). Development of five online modules for teaching evidence-informed healthcare: The West coast Interprofessional Clinical Knowledge Evidence Disseminator (WICKED) Project. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 26(5), 237-240. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111399
Rusticus, S. A. (2021). Body image. In F. Maggino (Ed.), Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_553-2
Rusticus, S. A. (2021). Content validity. In F. Maggino (Ed.), Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_224-2
*Field, A., & Rusticus, S. (2020). Impact of language on the expectations of individuals working with students on the autism spectrum. Kwantlen Psychology Student Journal, 2, 14-14.
Rusticus, S. A., Wilson, D. Casiro, O., & Lovato, C. Y. (2020). Evaluating the quality of health professions learning environments: Development and validation of the Health Education Learning Environment Survey (HELES). Evaluation and the Health Professions, 43(3), 162-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163278719834339
Gorvine, B., Rosengren, K., Stein, L., Biolsi, K., & Rusticus, S. (2020). Research methods in psychology: From theory to practice (Canadian edition). Oxford.