About the Authors
Amanda Baker Robinson, Humber College and Canadore College
After completing her B.A. and M.A. in English, Amanda Baker Robinson began working as a post-secondary professor in 2008. Within a few years, she developed a fascination with online teaching and learning. She noticed that drop rates were much higher in online courses and students frequently struggled to stay on track. She wanted to know why, and what she could do to combat these challenges. After gaining her certification in Online Design and Development, she became an instructional designer for Humber College and subsequently Canadore College. For the past five years, Amanda has thrived in this role, invigorated by the constant stream of technological innovations that can be creatively leveraged to address the challenges, and exploit the strengths, of online instruction and learning. To date, she has worked on over 80 online course builds at Humber College and Canadore College in a wide variety of disciplines. Amanda also continues to teach online part-time, as she feels teaching helps her to be a better designer.
Brandon Carson, Durham College, and Ashley Marshall, Durham College
Lead investigator, Brandon Carson, is an experienced educator with a passion for staying up to date on the most current trends in education and technology. His experience as a Learning Technology Specialist at Durham College’s Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment puts him in close proximity with LinkedIn Learning and its uses, which further informs his expertise on the benefits of professional development, just-in-time learning, and institutional support for all members of the college community. As a professor at Durham College, he meets the need to design and deliver curriculum that is engaging and accessible, and addresses the needs of all learners. As a lifelong learner, Brandon recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education and Digital Technology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Learning and Technology program at Royal Roads University (RRU), completing thesis work on open educational resources. Outside of his roles at Durham College, he is currently working in the Faculty of Education at UOIT to develop curriculum for the Educational Studies and Digital Technology program to provide students with the opportunity to complete an experiential learning exit pathway from the program.
Ashley Marshall in a Professor of Communications at Durham College, M.A. English, B.A. Hons English and Cultural Studies/Critical Theory both from McMaster University. Ashley has valuable experience designing and delivering robust content surrounding liquid modernity, and engaging students to live more critically. By dissecting public intellectualism and critical pedagogy, Ashley recognizes and explains the conjunctures that produce and reproduce systems of alienation, as well as opportunities for democratization, especially in her former role as a contract faculty member for UOIT’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. She guides students to become change agents to forms of control, consumption, and identity-formation. Ashley’s thesis work has been supervised by Susan Searls Giroux and she worked as a Research Assistant to Henry A. Giroux. Notably, in 2018 Ashley was also invited to present original research at Harvard University’s Hutchins Centre for African and African-American research.
Both professors of Durham College, Ashley and Brandon have collaborated on various projects. They each earned scholarships offered by eCampusOntario to attend and participate in Digital Pedagogy Lab 2019. While all sections are a collaborative effort, Brandon bestowed his expertise in Educational Technologies in specific sections by performing primary research and compiling evidence for the section Observations of Past Employee Development and all sections of participant feedback. Meanwhile, Ashley added content elaborating on critical pedagogy in the sections pertaining to the Background, Pedagogical Reflections, and Opportunities for Expansion.
Kevin Gingerich, York University, and Erik Nevland, York University
Kevin Gingerich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at York University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (2017) from the University of Windsor. His research interests include transportation network modelling, freight transportation, GIS spatial analysis, and discrete choice modelling. He is the advising faculty member for the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) York University Student Chapter.
Erik A. Nevland is an M.A.Sc. civil engineering student at York University and a transportation planner at the Region of Peel. He obtained a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering (2018) and a Certificate in Professional Communication (2017) at the University of Saskatchewan. Nevland is also registered as an Engineer in Training (EIT) with Professional Engineers Ontario. Nevland is the founding and current president of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) York University Student Chapter. In addition, he is the graduate student representative on the Lassonde Technology-Enhanced, Experiential, and Active Learning (TEAL) Committee.
Chris Kosloski, Canadore College
Chris Kosloski is a Professor of Digital Cinematography and Program Coordinator for the Digital Cinematography and Post Production Programs at Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario. He has also taught in the Film Production Program at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Chris is a practising documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and media artist, and worked in the film industry for over a decade as a technician and editor.
Jennifer Rouse Barbeau, Canadore College
Jennifer Rouse Barbeau has been a program coordinator and professor in the Advertising and Marketing Communications (ACM) program at Canadore College since 2006. The two-year ACM program builds business, creative writing, and design skills. In her private life, Jennifer is a published author and illustrator and a small imprint publisher of what she calls “artisan” books — unique, well-crafted stories with individualized print runs. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and a fellowship degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design (formerly OCA, now OCADU).
Sheida Shahi, University of Waterloo, and Moien Giashi, University of Toronto
Sheida Shahi is a Ph.D. student and Mitacs Accelerate Fellow in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She earned her B.A.S. and M.Arch. from the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture and is a recipient of Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Green Building Council Scholarship for Sustainable Design and Research for her graduate research. Sheida is currently a researcher at School of Architecture’s Living Architecture Systems Group, Civil Engineering’s Adaptive Reuse Group, and Parcel Developments Inc. in Toronto, where she focuses on adaptive reuse of affordable housing developments.
Moien Giashi is a Ph.D. Candidate and Vanier Scholar in Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto. He earned his B.Sc. in Polymer and Material Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic University and his M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. He is currently a researcher in Eugenia Kumacheva’s Group and his work focuses on the application of microfluidics and 3D printing for generating new classes of materials. Moien is a business consulting enthusiast actively engaged with University Consulting Group and the Graduate Management Consulting Association at the University of Toronto.
Brittany Starkman, York University
Brittany Starkman is an educator, award-winning multimedia producer, and educational technologies enthusiast from Toronto, Ontario. Alongside her career in media, Brittany is passionate about teaching and inspiring students. She is an Ontario Certified Teacher who is currently completing a Master of Education degree and will be starting a doctoral degree in September 2019. Brittany has taught at Ryerson University in the RTA School of Media, leading lessons and workshops in courses such as Sound Production, Multi-Camera Production, Sport Media, and Sound Synthesis. She has also facilitated webinars and workshops on multimedia tools and educational technologies for faculty and staff at York University. With strong passions for education and media production, Brittany is fascinated by the evolution of online learning and aspires to be on the forefront of revolutionizing this movement.
