People

Deanna Davis, PhD, MA, BA (Hon), BA (Spec)

Executive Director
dcdavis@ualberta.ca

Dr. Deanna Davis is an alumnus of the Augustana and North campuses and has a longstanding affiliation with the University of Alberta. She is known as a “convenor” of people, bringing together faculty and staff from every corner of campus to develop award-winning educational initiatives. Her leadership roles have spanned many aspects of U of A’s teaching and research enterprise, including in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Organizational Development, HRHSE. She was pivotal in implementing Canada’s first Professional Development Requirement, which supported career planning and readiness for U of A’s graduate students. Dr. Davis also led the development of numerous institutional and educational initiatives, including the curricular redesign of the Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement, integrating EDI and Indigenous perspectives. She led the structural and curricular redesign of the multi-tier Graduate Teaching and Learning Program, where she also taught pedagogy and course design. With more than two decades of teaching experience across different levels and departments, including the Department of Music, Dr. Davis brings a multifaceted perspective to the Centre for Teaching and Learning and expertise in pedagogical strategies and curriculum design. Her certifications in EQi 2.0/360, Serious Lego Play, and coaching add further to her diverse skill set. Dr. Davis has received numerous awards, including the APO Recognition Award (2023), highlighting her contributions to the U of A community.

Cosette Lemelin, PhD, MEd

Assistant Director
cosette.lemelin@ualberta.ca

Cosette has 20+ of experience in adult and post-secondary education at three universities (the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Alberta). She has a Master of Education (2003) and PhD in Education (2016) focusing on adult and post-secondary education. Cosette’s unique specialities include educational leadership in higher education, teaching within health professions education (with a focus on clinical practicum teaching and learning), and varying aspects of interpersonal communication in teaching and learning. Cosette calls herself a “Teaching Coach” for university instructors and faculty members striving to improve their teaching one class, one activity, or one interaction at a time. She is the Chair of the Educational Developer Network of Alberta (EDNA). Cosette is the 2019 recipient of the University of Alberta Excellence in Learning Support Award, and received the award again in 2020 with the CTL Team as part of their COVID 19 Response.

Karen Seto-Wagg, BComm

Coordinator, Executive and Operations
setowagg@ualberta.ca

Karen Seto-Wagg (BComm, University of Saskatchewan) has lived in Edmonton since graduating from post-secondary education. She brings a strong knowledge of office administration and analyzing procedures to her role at CTL. Her love of learning combined with an approachable attitude contributes to a positive mark in roles that she takes on. Karen's current role at CTL is providing executive and operational support as well as assisting with CTL programming initiatives.

Lily Lai, BDes

Coordinator, Programs and Partnerships
llai@ualberta.ca

Lily Lai (BDes, University of Alberta) is responsible for the coordination of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)’s programs, initiatives, and partnerships to champion innovations in teaching and learning. As part of the CTL team, she assists in creating visual concepts that support instructor-facing communications, she coordinates CTL’s e-newsletter and workshops, and she leverages her 10+ years of experience in our CTL to help build and sustain pedagogical partnerships of all kinds.

Brad Ambury, PhD (ABD), MA, BA (Special), BA

Lead Educational Developer, Assessment and Evaluation
bjambury@ualberta.ca

Brad brings to his role with the CTL team over 15 years of experience working as a lecturer in four post-secondaries (the University of British Columbia, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of Alberta). Brad also has 8 years of direct experience working as a Lead Educational Developer at a polytechnic (NAIT) where he undertook a wide range of project work that included both curriculum development and faculty support. His expertise and experience is in building teaching and learning resources, exploring issues related to Writing-Across-the Curriculum, and leading academic program (and course) mapping projects, including their design and development. As a Lead ED with CTL, Brad’s principle areas of interest include (but are not limited to): finding impactful ways to better align curriculum outcomes with meaningful assessment practices; supporting the development of assessment practices to enhance students' learning experiences; and collaborating with faculty to weave relevant assessment processes and practices into the contexts of individual programs and courses.

Dalbir Sehmby, PhD

Educational Developer, Writing and Multimodal Communication Pedagogies
dsehmby@ualberta.ca

An award-winning instructor with over 20 years of experience across multiple fields, Dalbir Sehmby (PhD, Comparative Literature and Film/Media Studies) views teaching as a skill that requires continual practice and classrooms as spaces that alter with each cohort. As an Educational Developer, Dr. Sehmby does not adhere to one methodology but mixes established and contemporary approaches while seeking insights from instructors, guidance from learning outcomes, and advice from students. A TEDx speaker and the University of Alberta’s 2016 Last Lecturer, Dalbir values clear communication as a common denominator in composing across curricula and multimodal media. Dalbir has innovated learning via the “Stresstival” methodology, which privileges student-centred skill building, emotional self-awareness, and life-work balance. Dalbir believes it is possible for instructors and students to be a responsible team of holistic learners who can laugh and learn while cooperating to create a healthy campus community of champions.

Bradon Valgardson, MA
(on secondment)

Data Analyst

Bradon Valgardson (MA, University of Southern Mississippi) is a data analyst for the CTL. Bradon analyzes institutional data and prepares educational resources, documentation, and reports related to teaching and learning. His past work has focused on the influence of adverse conditions on health and well-being. His research has involved examining data from nationally representative samples and collecting data from various groups including university students, prison inmates, correctional officers, and domestic violence service providers.

Mandy Penney, MA, BSc, BA (Hon)

Lead Educational Developer, Digital Pedagogies and Access
argeorge@ualberta.ca

Mandy (she/her) is a queer settler and scholar and an experienced educator originally from Newfoundland. Holding degrees in both the sciences and the humanities (BSc, BA(Hon), and MA), she is passionate about digital pedagogies, writing instruction, accessibility, and communities of practice/care. She has worked as both faculty and academic staff (i.e., parafaculty), including as a coordinator of a writing and learning centre. Mandy advocates for equitable, values-driven, and relationship-based practices in teaching and learning: practices that can be approached through digital and writing-based community-building. She is an active member of the Canadian Writing Centres Association and the International Writing Centres Association, as well as a co-editor of a special conference edition of Discourse and Writing / Rédactologie. Mandy aims to collaborate with the University of Alberta community toward (re)imagining teaching and learning possibilities at this important and challenging global moment.

Rukiyah Ghani, PhD (c), MA, BA

Instructional Designer for Accessibility
rukiyah@ualberta.ca

With a BA in Disability Studies and MA in Critical Disability Studies, Rukiyah has expertise in accessible, inclusive, and adaptable education in the design and delivery of courses at the post-secondary level. As the Instructional Designer for Accessibility, Rukiyah supports equitable teaching and learning practices across diverse learning settings, bridging the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the Dean of Students (DoS) in making Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility principles tangible in the classroom.

Rukiyah collaborates with multidisciplinary teams in advancing learner access in the primary stages of instructional design and delivery, particularly for those with diverse learning needs and disabilities. As an individual consultant to teaching staff and faculty, Rukiyah also facilitates professional development workshops, sharing the innovative and practical tools available to ensure all learning materials and teaching strategies are meeting the highest standards as the UDL and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Sara Szabo, MSc, BKin

Training and Resource Development Coordinator
sszabo@ualberta.ca

Sara is an alumnus of the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation at the University of Alberta, with a Bachelor of Kinesiology in Adapted Physical Activity (2019) and a Master of Science in Physiology (2023). Sara participated in various experiential learning opportunities throughout her studies, including completing a Certificate in Community Service Learning. This knowledge was beneficial as she transitioned into graduate teaching roles, which involved supervising students in experiential learning settings such as laboratories or community service-learning placements. Following graduation, Sara brought her experience in studying and teaching in experiential learning contexts to the Vice Provost-Learning Initiatives team, where she worked to develop content for a centralized online experiential learning hub to improve awareness and navigability of experiential learning across the University of Alberta. Sara's knowledge of the experiential learning landscape at the University of Alberta will help the Centre for Teaching of Learning to build a portfolio of resources on this topic that can help instructors facilitate exciting, hands-on learning opportunities.

Andrea Menard, LL.B, LL.M 

Lead Educational Developer, Indigenizing Curricula and Pedagogies
ammenard@ualberta.ca

Andrea Menard (she/they/ᐃᐧᔭᐋᐧᐤ wiyawâw) is Métis from the abolished Red River Settlement. Andrea has over twenty years of experience relationship-building with Indigenous Nations across Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 as well as the Métis Homeland regions across Alberta and with Indigenous Nations in the unceded lands of British Columbia. Andrea has worked for various organizations that range from academic, government, Treaty-making, and legal non-profit and legal regulatory work, and teaches “Reconciliation and Lawyers” at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law as well as “In Search of Reconciliation Through Dispute Resolution” at Osgoode Hall Law School. As a Lead Educational Developer at CTL, Andrea focuses on situating Indigenous methodologies and centering Indigenous knowledges in epistemology, laws, and in academic research, teaching, and learning, as well as utilizing Indigenous ethics and engaging with Indigenous communities in reciprocal and respectful manners.

Lori Ireland, BA

Educational Developer, Indigenous Curriculum and Pedagogy
lori.ireland@ualberta.ca

Abenanes - Greetings! Lori Ireland (she/they) is from Xeni Gwet’in First Nation and grew up in Tŝilhqot'in and Secwepemc territory in the interior of what is now colonially called British Columbia. The lands in which Lori calls home (Xeni Gwet’in) did not enter into Treaty negotiations, and their Aboriginal Title was federally acknowledged in 2014. Lori has been a guest on Treaty 6 territory and the homelands of the Métis peoples for more than 10 years. Lori has 15 years experience working with various Indigenous peoples within numerous capacities, including for the purposes of building community as well as for supporting and sustaining Indigenous ways of knowing, teaching, learning, and being. As an Educational Developer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Lori focuses on the development and integration of Indigenous ways of knowing into teaching resources, strategies, and academic, personal, and professional development of instructors and instructional teams at the University of Alberta. Sechanalyagh - thank you.

A. Graeme Pate

Lead Educational Developer, Instructional Practice and Academic Development
graeme.pate@ualberta.ca

Graeme has over 30 years of experience integrating effective teaching methodologies and educational technology with impactful course design. He has been an Educational Developer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning for 5 years and was instrumental in our Centre’s response to pandemic needs in teaching development, particularly in self-directed online resources, events, and course development.

He spent 28 years in Scotland in education, eighteen of which were at the University of Glasgow (School of Education and School of Interdisciplinary Studies), where he was the Programme Director for the B.Ed (Hons.) and MA Primary Education degree programmes. Graeme was presented with three Excellence in Teaching awards by the University of Glasgow for course design, implementation of teaching methods and the use of technology to enhance learning and teaching. He also received the University of Alberta Excellence in Learning Support Award in 2020 with the CTL Team as part of their COVID-19 response.

Graeme’s experiences and expertise will allow the CTL Leadership to explore the possibilities of planned and scaffolded approaches to instructional practice and academic development at the University of Alberta.

Anita Parker, MEd, BSc, BEd

Lead Educational Developer, Online and Hybrid Instruction and Strategy
aparker@ualberta.ca

Anita brings two decades of science teaching in in-person, online, and hybrid secondary and post-secondary classrooms to her educational development portfolio at CTL. She is also experienced in leading professional development workshops and individual coaching for instructors with a focus on maximizing student engagement with authentic activities and assessments. Since 2015, Anita has worked closely with instructor teams from across the University with their blended and online learning resources and projects. This includes helping build course frameworks on eClass, planning student-centred learning experiences, and storyboard creation for pre-recorded lecture video content.

Anita enjoys being part of a team that supports teaching and learning excellence in online, hybrid, blended, and face-to-face environments.

Laura L. Velazquez, PhD, MA, MA, BA

Learning Design and Technology Training Specialist
lauralet@ualberta.ca

Laura brings over 15 years of postsecondary teaching experience at institutions such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Wuhan University, Central China Normal University, and the University of Alberta, where she also earned her PhD in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies. Her professional journey has included roles as an Artificial Intelligence language specialist working for one of the Big Five American tech companies and as an educational developer for various edtech companies and online schools. Her professional focus has centered on incorporating gamification and digital strategies to enhance language and literature learning experiences. Additionally, she has played an active role in various initiatives aimed at adapting traditional curriculum to blended and online learning environments.

As CTL’s Learning Design and Technology Training Specialist, Laura applies her expertise in instructional design and learning management systems to develop innovative educational experiences. She is particularly focused on integrating cinematic techniques, storytelling, and cultural elements to create immersive, technology-enriched learning environments that are both engaging and meaningful.

Isabelle (Izzy) Laurin, MA, BA

Learning Design and Technology Training Specialist
ilaurin@ualberta.ca

Isabelle (Izzy) Laurin brings over a decade of expertise in language education and teacher training, with a diverse background in teaching English and French across online and in-person platforms. She holds a diplôme d'études collégiales in Modern Languages (Cégep de Drummondville), a B.A. with a Specialization in Translation (English to French and certification in terminology) from Concordia University, and an M.A. in Linguistics with a focus on Language Didactics from Université Laval. She has earned multiple certificates in teaching, modern languages, and linguistics. During her time at Université Laval, Izzy contributed as a research and teaching assistant for courses in Sociolinguistics and Norms and Usages of French, and she also lectured on ESL Pedagogy.

Izzy relocated to Edmonton in 2020, drawn by its vibrant and diverse culture. Her professional focus lies in content development for Learning Management Systems (LMS), the design of pedagogical workshops, and the adaptation of educational content for online platforms. She is particularly passionate about teaching beginners, ensuring that learning is engaging and accessible. Izzy thrives in collaborative environments prioritizing excellence, human connections, and inclusivity.