John Bigstone is a Cree Elder who resides in Wabasca, a community situated in North-Eastern region of Alberta. He speaks the Cree and English language fluently and is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation. His Cree ancestry has many generations of leaders and ceremonial holders. Following the legacy of his proud heritage, John is also a traditional knowledge keeper and ceremonial holder.

His professional background includes a bachelor of social work degree from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. He was instrumental in the development and management of the Mental Health Program for the Bigstone Cree Nation. He was a mental health counsellor for many years; he has a background in individual, family and group counselling. He has spent many years training as a healing & wellness workshop facilitator; he has extensive experience working within First Nations Communities.

John is also a Reiki Master practicing the art of energy healing. He is also a member of an Elders Committee for the Bigstone Cree Nation Restorative Justice program.

John is a Residential School Survivor; at the age of six he entered the St. Martin Residential School where he was a resident for the next seven years. While in this institution he was mentally, physically, and emotionally abused. Following the trauma of this experience he led a life of self-destructive behavior.

Thirty years ago, John went on a quest to find his Woodland Cree identity. His search led him back to his traditional Cree land teachings and ceremonies. As he began to heal his childhood emotional wounds and traumas as he learned about his place in creation and the sacredness of all life. John is passionate about his teachings and cares deeply about mother earth and all that dwells upon her. He walks his life journey based on the spiritual principles of love, kindness, compassion, respect, humility and courage; the teachings that he shares reflect this philosophy.

John's Cree spirit name is Osow Kihew (Golden Eagle) osow kihew   ᐅᓱᐤ ᑭᐦᐁᐤ

Alex (he/him) has been working at the University of Alberta since 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in Computing Science and a Bachelor of Education (BEd) with a focus on secondary Computing Science education. In his previous role at the Faculty of Extension, he assisted both instructors and students to maximize the educational value of eClass and other online learning applications. His passions focus on making education and technology beneficial and accessible at the post-secondary level. At CTL, he works closely with educational developers and instructional designers to create multimedia content.

Andrea Menard, LL.B, LL.M (she/they/wiin) 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 focusses 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.

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.

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.

Bryan joins CTL from the Faculty of Extension where he worked for 22 years in roles ranging from English Language Instructor, eLearning Developer, Educational Administrator, and Team Lead at the Learning Engagement Office.

While at Extension, he was given opportunities in a number of different roles but perhaps the ones listed above are representative of his experience there. For example, his official title when he started at LEO was eLearning Developer but when the instructional designer positions were cut, he filled that role when needed. He has also worked on curriculum/program design, served on several committees, ran an ESL summer program and was part of the Micro Credential/Digital Badging pilot project at the U of A.

Chris Borger (BEd, University of Alberta) is an educator and performer based in Edmonton. Joining the CTL team in 2020, Chris is a driving force behind CTL's website content. Combining his passions for performance and education, Chris has worked for both the Telus World of Science (Edmonton) as well as Science World (Vancouver) in roles that ranged from performing in Science Shows to managing teams. He has also worked for Rapid Fire Theatre as a professional improviser and educator since 2011, and as well produces video content for the CBC Comedy website in addition to the Nation Network (Oilersnation) media group.

Cosette has 17 years of experience in Educational Developer roles in a 20-year career 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 teaching within health professions education (with a focus on clinical practicum teaching and learning), classroom management, 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. 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.

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.

Everett Igobwa, PhD (ABD), MA, BEd has over 19 years experience as an educator in contexts ranging from K-12 to post-secondary education, including roles supporting faculty and graduate students at Queen’s University, York University, Yukon University and University of Alberta.

Everett is interested in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI), critical pedagogies, decolonization, indigenization, developing and co-facilitating the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) training, course design and redesign, student-centred pedagogy, professional development for faculty, online, hybrid and blended pedagogy.

Collaborating with instructors to demystify teaching and learning is rewarding and meaningful to Everett.

Gian Marco (he/him) is a librarian and urbanist (MLIS, University of Alberta; and MPlan, University of Calgary) with a passion for podcasting and open education. He also brings his experience as an audio storyteller at CJSR-FM and the Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP). Prior to joining the CTL Team, Gian Marco supported the design and delivery of online continuing education programs at the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta. At CTL, he’s involved in creating multimedia content to partner with instructors toward improving their teaching.

Graeme Pate has substantial experience with integrating effective teaching methodologies and educational technology. Graeme spent 28 years working in Scotland in education, eighteen of which were spent at the University of Glasgow, developing innovative instructional materials as well as designing and modelling innovative TEAL (Technology-Enhanced Active Learning) approaches such as flipped teaching (blended learning), backchannel discussions, advanced use of Moodle (eClass) as well as using Twitter & online voting systems during lectures and tutorials to engage learners. He was the Programme Director for the MA Primary Education and the B.Ed (Hons) degree programmes and was presented with three Excellence in Teaching awards by the University of Glasgow for design, implementation of teaching methods and the use of technology to enhance learning.

One of Graeme's specialties is supporting instructors who wish to be more confident and competent in their use of technology to enhance their planning, facilitation, and/or assessment of student learning.

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.

Mike Robertson (Bachelor of Film and Media Studies, University of Alberta) is a filmmaker and performer based in Edmonton. Mike works with CTL as a multidisciplinary media editor, creating most of the videos, graphics and podcasts that the Center for Teaching and Learning creates. His previous employment entailed creating MOOCs for the University of Alberta, including shooting and editing on Indigenous Canada, Mountains 101 and Black Holes.

Tommy (he/she/they) is a scholar, professional, and academic drag queen with a background in diverse teaching and instructional facilitation in academia as well as industry. As a sought-after speaker on the topics of “Gender Pronouns and Cultures of Respect” as well as visual pedagogies and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, Tommy has presented their scholarship and research findings nationally as well as internationally, in places such as Oxford, Washington DC, Tokyo, and Honolulu. They strive to embody and model decolonial, anti-racist, and equity-driven intersectional visions and leadership.

Tommy was a SSHRC Doctoral Fellow during their PhD work and is also a recipient of the University of Waterloo’s Award for Exceptional Teaching. They are co-editor of the book RuPedagogies of Realness: Essays on Teaching and Learning with RuPaul's Drag Race (McFarland 2022), and they serve as a founding incorporator and director of a new not-for-profit organization for educational development across this nation we now call Canada.