Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference 2021 Presenters

A distinguished researcher and innovative educator, Dr. Gwen Chapman joined the University of Guelph in 2016 as dean of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS), where she directed development of a transformative strategic plan that led to significant growth in Indigenization and internationalization as well as research and pedagogical innovation. Recently appointed as Provost and Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Chapman holds responsibility for all academic programming, recruitment and retention of faculty and other academic staff. She also oversees the recruitment of students (undergraduate and graduate), and is responsible for alignment of the allocation of our budget resources with our academic mission and vision. Dr. Chapman initiated the Provost's Task Force on Pedagogical Innovation, whose objective is to position U of G as a continued leader in post-secondary education in the Post-COVID environment.

Cate Dewey is a Professor in Population Medicine and the Associate Vice-President (Academic). She oversees content, administration and delivery of all undergraduate programs. She supervises the review of new programs and ongoing quality of existing programs. She is also the Director of the One Health Institute.

Dr. Cara Wehkamp (mixed European, settler and Algonquin ancestry) is the Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Guelph. Cara is dedicated to enhancing the access and support for First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners in postsecondary education. She advises and supports institutional initiatives focused on the advancement of reconciliation and decolonization at the University of Guelph.

Martin Williams is the Director of the Office of Teaching and Learning. He provides leadership and vision to OTL in its role supporting the development, delivery and evaluation of outstanding teaching and learning across all colleges and units. In addition, he holds a faculty position in the Department of Physics, where he continues to teach courses and has an active research programme in the department. He is the immediate past president of the Division of Physics Education of the Canadian Association of Physicists.

Dale Lackeyram is the Associate Director in the Office of Teaching and Learning. In this role, Dale provides leadership in the development, implementation, evaluation and advancement of the mission and vision of the Office of Teaching and Learning. He collaborates with faculty, staff, community members and national and international partners to promote evidence-informed pedagogical approaches that enhance the success of our instructors and learners. Dale’s previous experience in curriculum development, student learning, mentoring, facilitative leadership, learning outcomes assessment and inclusive design principles spans two decades at the University of Guelph. In advancing his research in education and student learning outcomes, he draws on both his disciplinary physiology background and his educational development expertise. Ultimately, his contribution to the teaching and learning landscape is guided by the transformative power of education and educational experiences as an act of reconciliation and inclusion.

Indira Naidoo-Harris is a trusted public leader, policy-maker, journalist, and advocate. She is considered an expert in education, equity, diversity, inclusion, women’s issues, immigration, economic recovery, and COVID-19 supports. Currently serving as the Associate Vice-President of Diversity & Human Rights at the University of Guelph, Naidoo-Harris is working to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging for students, faculty, and staff. She is a former Member of Provincial Parliament for Halton and has held several cabinet posts, including Ontario’s first every Minister of the Status of Women, and Minister of Education. Naidoo-Harris has developed and worked on policies, strategies and frameworks that have changed lives including Ontario’s Renewed Early Years and Childcare Policy Framework, the Strategy to Deliver Free Preschool Childcare for Children in Ontario, Ontario’s first Comprehensive Dementia Strategy, Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, anti-human trafficking legislation, Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategy and the Strategy for Gender-Based Violence. Before entering politics, Naidoo-Harris was an award-winning journalist in Canada and internationally with outlets including NBC, PBS, CBC, OMNI, TVO and CTV.

Joseph Pazzano (he/him) is the Training, Education, and Inclusion Officer in the Office of Diversity and Human Rights. He also teaches UNIV*2010 – Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Oppression. Joseph provides training related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and supports departments in the creation of inclusive learning opportunities. Prior to joining the University of Guelph, Joseph earned his MA in Legal History from York University and his Juris Doctor from the University of California-Berkeley School of Law. He also practiced law in California and has lectured extensively at a number of Ontario universities on topics related to human rights, law, sexuality, and deviance.

Dr. Lynne Mitchell has been working in international education for over 25 years. She is Director of the Centre for International Programs (CIP) and International Liaison Officer for the University of Guelph and is well known across Canada for her contributions to the international education profession. Lynne is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and regularly facilitates workshops aimed at enhancing intercultural competency for higher education staff, faculty and students.

Mike Lafleur serves as the Education Abroad Advisor (EAA) with the Centre for International Programs. As an EAA, Mike coordinates the inbound and outbound exchange programs for science and engineering students, a role that encapsulates his passion for travel and experiential learning. With a background in international development and teaching, Mike has worked, studied, and travelled in over 60 countries.

Elaine Fenner is the Director of Experiential Learning at the University of Guelph. She was instrumental in advancing and expanding work-integrated learning programming and curriculum at Seneca College. Elaine has 25 years of post-secondary experience in student success, co-operative education and work-integrated learning.

As Indigenous Graduate Educational Developer, Jess works with Indigneous Initiatives and the Office of Teaching and Learning to support the decolonization and Indigenization of pedagogy and curriculum at the University of Guelph. Jess is a Two Spirit Cree/Scots Métis land defender, scholar, and activist focused on decolonizing knowledges, relationships, institutions, and systems. Their PhD research uses the Indigneous Methodology Decolonial Co-Resistance to understand the ways in which women cultivate and mobilize decolonial love toward liberation/decolonization, including to address settler/colonial violence as genocide, land theft, mass incarceration, and collective punishment.

Anna Johnson (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in the department of Sociology and Anthropology and works as a research assistant for Indigenous Initiatives. Anna is committed to the indigenization and decolonization of the academy. Her PhD research utilizes Indigenous methodologies to examine the incorporation of Indigenous views of justice in Indigenous Peoples Courts. Anna also works as a Gladue Writer for Tyendinaga Justice Circle.

Barry Praamsma-Townshend is the Manager of Student Accessibility Services. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Guelph), and a Master of Social Work (Toronto), and has lectured in large classrooms (600+) and taught small seminar classes. He has also worked at multiple Ontario universities, and has about 20 years of professional experience on the Guelph campus in a variety of roles.

Justine (Tina) Hobbins (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in the department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, conducting research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Her doctoral research focuses on documenting and evaluating the authenticity of assessments in classroom-based curricula. Tina values an evidence-based approach to curriculum and assessment design and works to bring this perspective to her role as a member of the Provost’s Task Force on Pedagogical Innovation.

Glen Pyle is a Professor of Molecular Cardiology and an Associate Member of the IMPART Team Canada Network at Dalhousie Medicine. He is a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada/Health Canada Senior Career Investigator for Women's Heart and Brain Health. Glen's teaching efforts have been recognized with the UGFA Distinguished Professor Award for Innovation in Teaching, and he is an advocate for science education in the public domain in his roles as a founder of the COVID19 Resources Canada "Science Explained" initiative and member of Royal City Science.

The Provost’s Task Force on Pedagogical Innovation has been working since January 2020 to identify teaching and learning initiatives and develop plans to promote and support the implementation of those initiatives. Four working groups have been established: Alternative Forms of Assessment and Evaluation, Cross-Disciplinary and Transdisciplinary Teaching and Learning, Experiential and Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning, and Supporting Diverse Learning Environments. Each working group will be presenting updates on the development of their initiatives and plans.