Teaching Excellence and Innovation

Alongside the Teaching Excellence and Innovation team, I work with faculty, graduate students and staff across the university to support a thriving culture of reflective, scholarly and inclusive teaching and learning at Laurier.

In collaboration with faculty and colleagues, I develop and facilitate responsive, research-informed pedagogical resources, workshops and opportunities for learning and sharing, particularly in areas of inclusive teaching and experiential learning. I support instructors at all levels of their careers and in diverse teaching contexts through individual consultations, facilitated group discussions, teaching observations, dossier development, and communities of practice.

In my connections with faculty, I appreciate the opportunity to listen and reflect on teaching approaches, challenges and experiences to build on good practices and inform new directions that lead to realizing personal and professional goals in higher education. My working relationships are grounded in empathy, relevance, and humility to foster trusting relationships that support possibilities, problem-solving and transformations in teaching and learning.

I earned a BA from Huron University College (Political Science and Anthropology), an MA from McMaster University (Canadian Politics), and pursued doctoral studies (ABD) at McMaster University in Comparative Public Policy (Social, Employment and Labour Policy). My research work has focused on policy impacts on relationships of work and family – bringing ethnographic studies of lived experiences to public policy analysis and collective advocacy for social change.

I have taught for over 15 years in Canadian politics, public policy, labour studies and qualitative methods and currently teach in Sociology and the Master's of Applied Politics program in the Faculty of Arts at Laurier. I embed experiential education in my courses and am a practitioner and learner of inclusive and student-centred teaching in my own practice. Before joining our team as an Educational Developer in 2020, I worked as the Manager of Community and Workplace Partnerships, part of Experiential Learning and Career Development at Laurier.

Areas of special interests include:

• Inclusive Pedagogical Approaches (resource on Connect)
• Experiential Learning and Reflection as Assessment (resource on Connect)
• Course Design, Instructional Strategies and Alternative Assessments
• Teaching Awards and Dossier Support

As an educational developer, I collaborate with individual faculty (both full-time and contract teaching faculty), academic departments, graduate instructors and larger campus units on a variety of teaching and learning activities. Supports range from one-on-one consultations, collaborations with departments to create tailored workshops, information sessions, as well as structured discussions. I am trained in facilitating the Instructional Skills Workshop and have facilitated two Communities of Practice focusing on decolonization in the classroom. Whether you are looking for personal supports or departmental level assistance, we can work together to determine the most appropriate pathway. I approach my work through relationality, utilizing a decolonial lens to support pedagogical development.

I enjoy working collaboratively with other members of the Teaching Excellence and Innovation team as well as across the Laurier community and with external partners to support teaching and learning at Laurier.

I received my Master of Education with a focus on the social and cultural context of education from Brock University in 2017. For almost 10 years, I worked at the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, where I created and taught courses focusing on Canadian history through the perspective of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. I currently co-instruct in the Leadership program on the Brantford campus using decolonial and co-created learning opportunities, not only for students, but for instructors as well.

I have been involved in several research projects investigating the state of Indigenous education in Canada. During my research, I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of engaging with Indigenous cultures, for both my own people’s sense of self within mainstream education as well as for the benefit of non-Indigenous people. I have been an outspoken advocate of including Indigenous content throughout all levels of education. Since 2017, I have been working with faculty, staff, students and community members in the Kitchener and Waterloo area to create learning and growing opportunities for all.

Shirley (she/her) has been engaged as an Educational Developer and a Curriculum Developer at Wilfrid Laurier University over the past decade. As an Educational Developer, Shirley has worked closely with faculty interested in the pursuit of teaching excellence, advising them on best practices for course design, pedagogical innovation, and learner-centred approaches to teaching and learning. Shirley has over 16 years of teaching experience in Higher Education, teaching in Landscape Architecture and User Experience Design, with a keen passion for creative endeavours. Shirley holds both a Bachelor and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph and is pursuing a PhD in Human Geography on a part-time basis at Laurier. Shirley has contributed to the educational development field by participating in local, national, and international conferences and events, and is actively involved in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as a pathway for enhancing the quality of teaching and learning across all sectors of the institution. Shirley continues to seek new colleagues in an exciting and advancing field, where we engage the heart and mind to create meaningful connections, foster community, and build rich relationships. Along with her colleagues Mercedes Cardella (Yorkville University + Toronto Film School) and Christopher Laursen (University of Guelph), Shirley is currently Co-Chair Elect for the Council of Ontario Educational Developers. COED Executives – Council of Ontario Educational Developers (COED) (coedcfpo.ca)

I support instructors from the practical development of course activities and assessment to the conceptualization and realization of teaching methods and strategies in their courses. I support faculty through individual consultations, workshops, and programming opportunities. At the graduate level, I support pedagogical development through teaching certificates and workshops. Through helping instructors prepare internal and external award packages and develop teaching dossiers, I promote research-informed and evidence-based teaching and learning practices.

I work collaboratively with partners across the institution to lead with best practices in inclusive and engaged teaching. I’m also interested in and excited to help bridge the gap between one’s research and one’s teaching to foster the dissemination of knowledge in an authentic and learner-engaged way.

I earned a BA (honours) in history & political science from the University of British Columbia, and a MA and PhD in history from McGill University. My research interests include 19th and 20th century Indian migration & diaspora, British imperial responsibilities (or the lack thereof), and decolonization. My dissertation is titled “Imperial Responsibilities: Britain’s destitute Indians and questions of (un)belonging, 1834-1914” and this research has been published in in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History: “‘England Failed to do her Duty towards Them’: The India Office and pauper Indians in the metropole, 1857-1914” (2018).

I have over ten years of teaching experience, having previously taught courses at McGill, Dawson College, and UBC (Okanagan Campus) before joining Laurier. I’ve also worked in public history at the Dalnavert Museum in Winnipeg where I supported the museum’s educational programming. Both my research and teaching interests have been inspired and motivated by my own journey as a first-generation Indo-Canadian student. As an educator, I am mindful of issues of equity and accessibility in higher education and am committed to finding diverse and inclusive ways to engage learners in higher education.

Areas of special interest include:

• Teaching awards and dossier support (resource on Connect)
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
• Inclusive pedagogical approaches

I am excited by opportunities to craft spaces that weave pedagogy throughout space design and technical functionality to create classrooms where students can thrive. I help support faculty in leveraging spaces in ways that help bring their ideas to life. I gather feedback and ideas from faculty and students about how classrooms and instructional spaces can better support learning today and looking toward the future.

I have the privilege of helping to celebrate faculty and student teaching award winners; produce the annual Teaching Excellence Conversation Series and awards recognitions; administer Teaching and Learning’s faculty travel and project grants; develop and curate web resources; and support faculty throughout their career lifespans.

My career at Laurier began in the Dean of Arts office in 2008 and, since then, I've been fortunate to work with faculty, students and administrators from across Laurier in a variety of roles. I joined Teaching and Learning in 2012 and am proud to continue supporting and celebrating the work of our faculty.

I am passionate about learning space design and helped support the design and development of some of Canada's first active learning classrooms. I am excited by the opportunity to continue developing spaces that support the innovative pedagogy of our faculty and contribute to enhancing teaching and learning at Laurier through learning space design.

• The Laurier Teaching Podcast helps shape exceptional learning experiences for students by supporting and developing teaching excellence. Our podcast celebrates incredible teaching, tells stories about impactful educational experiences, and provides insight and a deep look at critical avenues of higher education.
• Teaching Excellence: A Laurier Conversation Series features discussions between Mary Wilson, Laurier’s vice-provost: Teaching and Learning, and recent teaching award winners. Their conversations cover inclusive education, research mentorship, experiential and engaged teaching practices, and the future of higher education.
• The Guide to Remote Teaching, Learning, and Assessment goes through the “how” and the “why” of navigating a virtual classroom with compassion, creativity and flexibility, all while maintaining a clear connections to student learning outcomes and academic success.