David Trumpower

Education

Other Titles: Associate Professor
Office: EME3101
Phone: 250.807.8106
Email: david.trumpower@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Concept maps; Conceptual knowledge; Assessment Cognitive and learning theories; Mathematics and sciences; Statistical reasoning

Biography

Dr. David Trumpower is an associate professor at the Okanagan School of Education. His main research interest is how principles of learning can be applied in educational settings. His interest in statistics education and alternative assessment methods have become focal points of his research as he aims to demystify challenging subjects and provide meaningful learning experiences. Specifically, he is interested in the development of non-traditional techniques of assessing conceptual knowledge for the purpose of formative feedback and instructional design (i.e., to improve learning rather than to simply rank students).

In 2006, Dr. Trumpower joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa after teaching for three years at Marshall University. In 2019, he became the Teacher Education Program Director. While at the University of Ottawa, his contributions were instrumental in re-envisioning the program and guiding it through a successful re-accreditation with the Ontario College of Teachers. He has also been an advocate for inclusion, playing a pivotal role in advancing Indigenous education, inclusive education, and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion through workshops and courses.

Outside of academia, he enjoys snowboarding, trail running and rock climbing.

Degrees

PhD in Cognitive/Learning Psychology, University of New Mexico, U.S.A (2003)
Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology, Towson University, U.S.A (1995)
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Towson University, U.S.A (1991)
Associate of Arts in Education, Hagerstown Junior College, U.S.A. (1989)

Research Interests & Projects

Dr. Trumpower’s current project involves using a structural assessment technique (similar to concept mapping) to visually represent students’ and teachers’ domain knowledge, and then using the results to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and to guide instruction

Selected Publications & Presentations

Ng-A-Fook, N., Crowe, T., Trumpower, D., & Phillips, P. (2022). Reconceptualizing teacher education at the University of Ottawa: Equity, diversity, and inclusion beyond times of a pandemic.  In Kitchen, J. & Petrarca, D. (Eds.). Initial teacher education in Ontario: The four semester teacher education programs after five years, 349-373. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE).

Trumpower, D. (2019). Learning styles: Why teachers should forget about them and instead focus on differences that matter, Education Review, 6(2), 11-15.

Schmitz, C. C. , Radosevich, D. M., Jardine, P. Colla, MacDonald, J., Trumpower, D. & Archibald, D. (2017). The Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS): A replication validation study, Journal of Interprofessional Care, 31, 28-34.

Trumpower, D.L. & Vanapalli, A.S. (2016). Structural assessment of knowledge as, of, and for learning. In J. Michael Spector, Barbara B. Lockee, & Marcus D. Childress (Eds.) Learning, Design, and Technology: An International Compendium of Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 1-22. New York: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_23-1.

Trumpower, D.L. (2015). Aspects of first year statistics students’ reasoning when performing intuitive analysis of variance: Effects of within- and between-group variability. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 88(1), 115-136. DOI: 10.1007/s10649-014-9574-y.

Taylor, M.C., Trumpower, D. & Purse, E.R. (2015). The role of work-related learning in the identity transformation of Canadian workers with low literacy skills, International Review of Education, 61, 815–833.

Sarwar, G.S., Trumpower, D. (2015). Effects of conceptual, procedural, and declarative reflection on students’ structural knowledge in physics, Educational Technology Research and Development, 63, 185–201.

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

Canadian Assessment for Learning Network