After three decades focused on effective teaching and learning, I’ve developed a keen sense for when technology genuinely enhances educational experiences. As Associate Director of Learning Technologies & Design at the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute, I lead teams of experts who work at the intersection of pedagogies and technologies, navigating the complex ways they influence and shape each other.
My recent PhD work explored how video game design principles can improve our understanding of teaching and learning—an approach that reflects my interest in bridging disciplines to solve educational challenges. I currently co-chair committees on learning technologies and serve on working groups wrestling with generative AI policy, all while remaining thoughtfully conflicted about most new educational technologies.
Background
My journey into educational technology began somewhat accidentally in the 1990s, with degrees in Zoology and Education from the University of Calgary. What started as curiosity about how digital tools might support learning has evolved into decades spent watching educational technology promises cycle through hype, implementation, reality, and eventual replacement by the next promising solution.
I returned to graduate school mid-career, completing my Master’s in Educational Technology in 2013 with research comparing online discussion environments in WordPress and Blackboard. This work introduced me to the complexities of how platform design influences learning interactions—a theme that would continue throughout my career. A decade later, I completed my PhD in Computational Media Design, exploring how human-computer interaction principles could inform our understanding of effective teaching practices.
Career Evolution
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working on projects that span the evolution of digital education: from building some of western Canada’s first online university courses in the 1990s, through the rise and fall of learning object repositories, to implementing enterprise learning management systems and, most recently, navigating institutional responses to generative AI.
Key projects have included leading our campus implementation of D2L Brightspace, establishing comprehensive video content management with YuJa, and coordinating the rapid transition to remote learning during COVID-19. I’ve also contributed to smaller-scale innovations, like creating TIDraw, a browser-based whiteboard tool designed specifically for active learning classrooms.
Current Work
At the Taylor Institute, my portfolio encompasses both the Digital Learning Platforms and Teaching Supports groups. This role puts me at the centre of campus conversations about educational technology strategy, from evaluating new platforms to developing policies around AI use in education.
I co-chair the Learning Technologies Advisory Committee and serve on various working groups wrestling with questions about microcredentials, learning analytics, and institutional AI policies. These committees give me a front-row seat to watch institutions grapple with rapidly changing technological landscapes while trying to maintain focus on educational quality and student success.
Research and Philosophy
My research interests centre on understanding how design decisions—whether in software interfaces, physical learning spaces, or instructional approaches—influence teaching and learning effectiveness. My dissertation work adapted methods from video game user research to study teaching practices, reflecting my belief that educational challenges often benefit from interdisciplinary approaches.
This perspective shapes my approach to educational technology leadership: remaining curious about emerging tools while maintaining healthy scepticism about vendor promises, recognising the complex interplay between pedagogical goals and technological capabilities, and understanding that successful educational technology implementation requires as much attention to human factors as technical specifications.
Looking Forward
Over the years, I’ve learned that the most important questions aren’t about which technologies to adopt, but how to create conditions where teaching and learning can flourish. Sometimes that involves sophisticated digital platforms; sometimes it means knowing when simpler approaches work better.
I remain fascinated by the potential of thoughtfully implemented educational technologies while continuing to advocate for approaches that recognise how pedagogy and technology are fundamentally entangled—each shaping and being shaped by the other in complex, interdependent ways. In a field prone to breathless enthusiasm for the next big thing, I try to bring the perspective that comes from having seen many promising technologies come and go—and from understanding that lasting educational change happens through patient, thoughtful work rather than revolutionary technological leaps.
For a complete list of publications, presentations, and service activities, see my full curriculum vitae.