Eileen O'Connor

Professor Eileen O’Connor is an associate professor in the School of Human Kinetics. Her teaching focuses on leisure programs and evaluations, the history of sport and physical activity, Olympic studies, women and sport, and (in graduate seminars) socio-cultural studies in sport. Her research seeks to understand inclusive practices in leisure, sport and physical activity, and effective practices in experiential learning. 

She has been actively involved in a number of grants and initiatives to support research on leisure knowledge and participation, women’s health and wellness, and strengthening campus–community partnerships. She has also worked with partners to directly apply the results of her research in the community and the classroom. 

Professor O’Connor is passionate about teaching and has received an Award of Excellence in Teaching from the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2007, the uOttawa Community Service Learning Award for Outstanding Achievement (Professor) in 2009, a Capital Educators’ Award from the Ottawa Network for Education in 2010 and a uOttawa Excellence in Education Prize in 2016.

Professor O’Connor is accepting new students for thesis supervision.

• Leisure, health and well-being
• Women, sport and health from contemporary and historical perspectives
• Experiential learning, and scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

Professor O’Connor is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in leisure, health and well-being; experiential learning; SoTL; and women, sport and health from contemporary and historical perspectives. She is the principal investigator on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant project that examines leisure for immigrant women. She was also a co-academic lead on the SSHRC Partnership Grant project Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE).

Professor O’Connor was a visiting professor at Brazil’s Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in 2024, held a uOttawa Chair in University Teaching from 2017 to 2021 and was interim director of the Research Centre for Sport in Canadian Society at uOttawa from 2014 to 2015. In addition, she has served as an invited speaker in the field of experiential learning and was a member of the advisory board on the work-Integrated learning toolkit supported by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO 2024, 2nd edition).

O’Connor has published in the International Journal of Sport and Society, the Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure, the Canadian Bulletin of Medical History and the Journal of Emergency Management.

Peer-reviewed articles

• Letícia de Borba, B.*, Fernandes da Silva, C., Defaveri Begossi, T., & O'Connor, E. (2025). Media, gender, and physical education: Analyzing 'Jornal das Moças' and its impact on Brazilian society (1930s - 1960s). Sport, Education and Society.
• Cai, Y.*, & O’Connor, E. (2025). Enhancing health, harmony and cultural traditions: Contextualizing the development of Tai Chi associations in Ottawa. History and Philosophy of Medicine, 7(2), 1–9.
• Cai, Y.*, & O’Connor, E. (2025). Exploring the practice and meanings of Tai Chi among Chinese-speaking practitioners in Ottawa, Canada. International Journal of Sport in Society, 16(2), 1–24.
• O’Connor, E., Marcogliese, E.*, Anis, H., Faye, G., Flynn, A., Hayman, E., & Stambouli, J. (2023). Adapting experiential learning in times of uncertainty. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 8(4), 49–56.
• O’Connor, E., Cianciotta, J.*, & Crete, D. (2021). Exploring student satisfaction in experiential learning at the University of Ottawa. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2021(167), 23–32.
• Nzindukiyimana, O.*, & O’Connor, E. (2019). Let’s (not) meet at the pool: A Black Canadian social history of swimming (1900s–1960s). Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure, 42(1), 137–164.
• McCarroll, L.*, O’Connor, E., & Garlough, J. (2019). Breaking barriers: Using open data to strengthen pathways in community-campus engagement for community action on environmental sustainability. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 4(2), 87–94.

Invited talks

• International-Brazil (2024). Leisure as Pathway to Well-being: Supporting Immigrant Women’s Leisure through a Newcomer Settlement Service Organization in Ottawa, Canada, Universidad Federal de Brasil, Santa Catarina, UFSC, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• International FISU World University Games (2023). Students, Sport, Community Development: Enhancing University-Community Partnerships for Experiential and Engaged Learning, Invited speaker. FISU World University Games Congress, Chendgu Sport University, China.
• Keynote lecture: Mentoring students on their academic journey in the classroom and in the community / Mentorat des étudiant(e)s dans leur cheminement scolaire en classe et dans la communauté. Invited by VP Academic, Academic Success Services, uOttawa mentoring orientation training for all new and returning uOttawa mentors, August 31, 2022.
• Invited talk in TLSS Keynote Lectures (2022). Adapting experiential learning in times of uncertainty: Challenges, strategies and recommendations moving forward. TLSS Keynote lectures, Spotlight Series on Teaching, University of Ottawa.
• Invited panelist (2019). TLSS Annual Perspectives Symposium. Panel on Transformational Teaching, University of Ottawa.
• Keynote lecture: Integrating Work-Integrated Learning into your Courses with Success, (TLSS) 2017-2018 New Professor Orientation, launch of TLSS Teaching Chair.

Academic conferences

• Cai*, Y., O’Connor, E. (2025) Exploring the History of the Development and Practice of Tai Chi in Ottawa. Annual Convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Canadian Museum of History, Quebec. May 26-29, 2025.
• Bozzetti*, J., Fernandes da Silva, C., O’Connor, E. (2025) Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and Gender Performativity: Clothing and Subjectivities of Brazilian Women Athletes on Instagram. Annual Convention of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH), Canadian Museum of History, Quebec. May 26-29, 2025.
• O’Connor, E., Abu-Zahra, N., Wills, E., Ambrosio, L., El-Mohtadi*, J. PAND Settlement Services (2024), Co-Developing Inclusive Leisure for Farsi-speaking Immigrant Women in Ottawa, Canada: Adopting a Community-Campus Approach with a Local Settlement Service Organization, Poster and presentation, Leisure Studies Association Conference, University of the West of Scotland UWS Paisley, Scotland, July 2024, pp 202-205.
• O’Connor, E., Nikoobin*, N., Hadidi*, M., and PAND Settlement Services (2023) Reflections on the Process of Co-developing Community-based Leisure Activities for Farsi-speaking Immigrant Women in Ottawa (2023), Canadian Congress Leisure Research Conference, uOttawa, 2023.

Knowledge mobilization

• O’Connor, E., et al (2022). Students as partners: Reflecting on attitudes towards learning during Covid-19 from the viewpoint of students and faculty. In L. Masengo et al (Eds.), Scaffolding a transformative transition to distance and online learning. Chapter 3: Showcasing reintegrated practices and examples of action research. eCampus Ontario Open Library Pressbooks.
• O’Connor, E., & McCarroll, L. (2018). A greater view of the landscape: Co-creating a brokering tool for community-campus engagement.
• O’Connor, E. (2017). Webinar: Students in the Community. Models of Student Community Engagement : Enhancing work-integrated learning (WIL) at the University of Ottawa Enrichir l’apprentissage intégré au travail à l’Université d’Ottawa.