The creation of the College SIG within STLHE was the culmination of a year's work on the part of a small group of people, including me, and the start of a wonderful opportunity for Canadian college sector educators. It has long been a dream of mine to develop a network of peers wherein we can explore what it is to be a professional educator in the non-university postsecondary environment. The colleges (and their equivalents) across Canada have continually transformed themselves in response to the needs of our communities in the past decades, and we continue to face new challenges and demands; the need for high quality teaching/learning among us has never been so high. Our membership has already grown exponentially, and the group has the potential to become a resource, networking hub, source of professional development, and national voice for college-sector educators. We are making plans to continue the processes we have used to this point, to collectively determine our direction forward. What shall we do together? I am eager to find out, through dialogue and the harnessing of the tremendous energy already in evidence among the membership and the executive members/ regional representatives.
My almost thirty years in the college sector as a faculty member, teaching/learning and curriculum specialist have provided the opportunity to develop a breadth of skills in postsecondary teaching and learning. The positions I have held in a variety of provincial and national committees (most recently as elected Secretary to the Educational Developers Caucus) have developed the organizational, communication, facilitation/change management, and leadership skills that proved helpful in the creation of this new SIG. I look forward to having the chance to apply these skills and develop them further in the service of Canadian college educators as your Chair.
I'm the faculty developer at Cambrian College, in Sudbury, Ontario. I have been in the position since May 2007, and without exaggeration, this has been my best job to date.
At the time I took on my position, one of my priorities was to enhance the networking that had been begun by my predecessor, and to gain more opportunities to share experiences with colleagues across not only the province, but the entire country and beyond. To that end, I am delighted to be actively involved in groups such as the STHLE College Sector Educators Community and the STLHE organization as a whole.
I believe there is strength in numbers. As a group of professionals who are often isolated or working in very small teams, efforts to make changes that will positively impact our work and the work of the faculty that we support are going to be only so successful. Opportunities to come together as a group to discuss and act on those topics and issues that are of common interest and present similar challenges only serve to strengthen our efforts to make positive change.
I'm frequently inspired by the wisdom and insights of my colleagues on campus. In the context of my conviction that there is nothing to be gained by re-inventing the wheel, I also strongly endorse any activity that allows the collective wisdom of our peers to be shared and enhanced.
Given these basic tenets of my philosophy on faculty development, I feel that the CSEC website has the potential to be an excellent medium through which wise practitioners may connect, sharing resources, ideas and techniques.
I encourage any and all members to pass along to me any of your ideas, wishes or interests regarding the content of this site.
Outside of faculty development, I continue to hone my skills as a 3rd degree black belt in karate, in piano, and in singing, when I'm not busy with my husband and two teenaged kids, or at the gym.
Margaret Wilson is the Coordinator of Faculty Development at NorQuest College, Alberta's largest community college. Margaret joined NorQuest's Centre for Innovation and Development two years ago as an educational developer and is responsible for leading a strategic to team that developed a model and sustainable plan for faculty development at NorQuest. Margaret's passion for teaching and love of learning have served her well in her position as she is now involved in the implementation of the faculty development plan for the College; work that includes the development and delivery of programs to enhance teaching, training of a team of peer consultants, and leading a Task Force on Teaching Excellence.
Prior to NorQuest, Margaret taught within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and was managing Director of University Teaching Services at the University of Alberta. Over her career, her primary responsibilities have been teaching (clinical and didactic) and administration for the disciplines of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene. For the past 10 years her focus has been educational development.
Margaret served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for over five years as Conference and Events Coordinator. She is currently an editor for CELT Volume III and secretary for CSEC.
Margaret is Chair of the Alberta Network of Professional and Organizational Development (ANPOD) and actively involved with the ISW Facilitators of Alberta.
Outside of the office you will likely find Margaret at her cabin or biking, hiking, golfing, or skiing with her husband and sons.
Tim Loblaw is an instructor in career communications at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary, AB. He has worked at SAIT for the past 12 years both as an instructor and faculty development coordinator. As a faculty member, Tim has taught technical writing, oral presentations, marketing and advertising; as a faculty development coordinator, his portfolio included active learning, cooperative learning, instructional design, and problem-based learning
Tim is the current Western Canadian representation for the College Sector Educators' Community, representing college sector institutions within BC, Yukon and Southern Alberta. Tim has also served as the Western Canadian representative for the Canadian Society for Professional and Organizational Developers. He is a member of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education and the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education.
Like many in the college sector, Tim has a diverse academic background. He has a Master in Education, specializing in educational technology, from the University of Calgary, a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Linguistics from the University of Victoria, and a diploma in radio broadcasting from SAIT Polytechnic. Tim is currently a postgraduate research student at the University of Nottingham, working toward a professional doctorate (Ed. D.) in lifelong education; his research interests concern human capital and social capital theory, particular as these theories relate to continuing professional development.
Annemarieke Hoekstra is a Teaching and Learning Specialist at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). An important part of her job at NAIT is to foster a culture supportive of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). As such she facilitates and supports learning communities and SoTL projects and coordinates NAIT's SoTL Grant program. In addition, she offers workshops to NAIT instructors and leads academic projects related to fostering research activities at NAIT.
Annemarieke came to Canada in 2007 after finishing her PhD in Education from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. In 2008, after teaching one year for NAIT's School of Businessj, she started working for the Department of Teaching and Academic Development. Her research interests focus on teacher professional development, informal workplace learning and educational research methods.
In her spare time Annemarieke sings and performs in a choir called Umoja. This choir sings world music and raises funds for people in need in the Edmonton area and worldwide.
Janice MacMillan is the Manager of Faculty Development at Durham College, and has worked there for the past 20 years as a professor, program coordinator, student success and professional development facilitator before assuming her role as a manager in the Human Resources Department. As a faculty member, Janice taught computer and office administration skills in the School of Business. She is currently responsible for new faculty and academic coordinator development, the faculty and staff handbooks, and representing Durham College as a member of the Eastern Region College Committee on Human Resource Development (CCHRD). She is also a member of the planning teams for Eastern Ontario regional development programs for faculty. In addition to her work at Durham College, Janice also is a facilitator for Brock University's Bachelor of Adult Education program.
Janice is the current Chair of the Eastern Region College Committee on Human Resources Development (CCHRD). She coordinates the Eastern Region Aligning and Building Curriculum (ABC) program and the Leadership in Academic Excellence Program. In addition, she has been a member of many college committees and currently co-chairs a number of task groups working towards enhancing the orientation of new faculty at Durham College. Janice also serves on the Executive Committee of the Educational Developers' Caucus of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) as its Treasurer.
Janice holds an Honours Degree in Administration and Information Management and a Certificate in Training and Development from Ryerson University. She also is a graduate of the Central Michigan University Master of Arts in Adult Education program. Away from the college, Janice enjoys traveling, golfing, curling, singing in her church choir, and spending time with her two daughters, grandson, and friends.
Taralee Hammond is a Curriculum Consultant with the Nova Scotia Community College. In this role, Ms. Hammond supports faculty in the development and renewal of programs and courses for the Community College. Ms. Hammond co-delivers the Assessment & Evaluation component of the community college education diploma program, as well as numerous professional development related workshops for faculty and staff. Ms. Hammond has 20 years experience as an educator in Primary to Post-secondary working with a diverse range of learners from youth at risk to senior government bureaucrats. As an on-line faculty member, Ms. Hammond teaches Mathematics in the School of Business, which allows her to continue her teaching practice while staying current with emerging virtual tools for use in education.
As a member of the International Association of Facilitators, Ms. Hammond is an Internationally Certified Process Facilitator and brings this expertise to the college enabling change to be disseminated through intentional process design. She also is currently serving her third year on the IAF North American Conference steering team.
Ms. Hammond holds a Bachelor in Physical Education, a Bachelor in Education with a specialization in Science Education, a Masters Degree in Curriculum Studies, and additional studies at a doctoral level in education, an Advanced Certificated in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation from St. Mary's University and has recently completed the Nova Scotia Community College Education Diploma Program.
Ms. Hammond's community work includes coaching minor level Basketball, facilitating youth development workshops for Sport Nova Scotia, serving on her community Residence Association and the Parent School Association.
But most importantly her 9 year old daughter and 11 year old son say she is SuperMom!