George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
How can we help you today?
If you can't find what you're looking for in the topics list on the right, please email us at tlx@georgebrown.ca.
We're looking forward to supporting you!
TLX Teams Channel
Join the TLX Teams page, a place for GBP employees to share ideas, ask questions, and discuss all things related to teaching and learning.
TLX Leadership
Heidi Marsh, Associate Vice President, Teaching & Learning
An academic leader in higher education, with experience in the college and university sectors. Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and excellence in teaching and learning among the professoriate and across the institution, with a commitment to evidence-informed approaches. A natural collaborator who empowers individuals and teams to do their best work, with an emphasis on quality, productivity, and fun. Experienced in educational research and development, with areas of interest including 21st century learning environments and faculty development. A demonstrated track record of success with academic publishing, both as an author and an editor, in the fields of educational research and cognitive psychology.
Contact Heidi:
heidi.marsh@georgebrown.ca
Jason Inniss, Director, Teaching Excellence
Jason (he/him) joined the George Brown Polytechnic community in 2012 as a faculty member in the Faculty of Business, Creative Industries, and Culinary Arts. Since then, he has taken on a variety of roles across the college—including professor, coordinator, chair of College Council, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) facilitator, TLX associate, and chair of the Values Refresh Steering Committee.
As Director of Teaching Excellence in the Teaching and Learning Exchange (TLX), Jason works with an incredible team that supports faculty and academic leaders to create meaningful faculty learning experiences that inspire great teaching and support student success. He leads signature initiatives such as the New Faculty Academy, evolvED (the annual TLX Conference), and the development of new programs and resources, including micro-credentials and responsible approaches to integrating emerging technologies like generative AI that support of George Brown's Academic Plan and institutional priorities.
Jason is committed to fostering a culture of curiosity, innovation, and belonging that helps educators thrive.
Contact Jason:
jinniss@georgebrown.ca
Joanna Friend, Manager of Universal Design for Learning and Accessible Pedagogy
Joanna develops and leads a wide range of faculty support and training programs with a strong focus on promoting equity and inclusion. With a background that includes roles as a professor, curriculum developer, accessible learning consultant, and learning strategist, she brings a diverse reservoir of experience to her work. She’s passionate about combining her expertise in adult learning theory with e-learning tools to design training programs that are engaging and effective for diverse audiences. Central to Joanna’s work is her commitment to equity and disability justice. She strives to break down barriers and create truly inclusive spaces in higher education, where every learner has the opportunity to succeed.
Contact Joanna:
jfriend@georgebrown.ca
Leslie Wexler, Manager Indigenous Pedagogy
Leslie is a Métis educator, writer, and bridge-builder between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. Rooted in the lands and waters of the Great Lakes, she is a guest on these lands and works respectfully with Indigenous communities and scholars sharing story, circle practice, and community engagement to nurture spaces of reciprocity and respect.
Leslie’s scholarship in early modern English literature informs her sensitivity to language and silence, while her commitments in Indigenous education focus on curriculum transformation, truth-telling, and relationship-building. She honours the mentorship of Elders and the teachings of land as living teacher. Her work invites learners to walk slowly, reflect deeply, and engage in good ways.
Contact Leslie:
leslie.wexler@georgebrown.ca
Michelle Lee, Operations Manager
Michelle manages the day-to-day operations of the office, file management, note taking, evidence gathering, etc. Acts as a liaison with other administrative departments, such as HR and Finance. Oversees the human resources and payroll processes, such as hiring contract employees and students, submitting timesheets to payroll, and is the lead for HR tools, such as the HRMS (i.e., Cornerstone). Oversees departmental programming calendar and schedule, including internal team meetings and events, TLX programs for faculty, and external activities, such as conferences. Also, Oversees the departmental budget and associated purchasing processes, including inter-departmental chargebacks, and is the lead for Financial tools, such as Millennium FAST, Chrome River, and Concur. Manages the day-to-day activities within the office including supporting the on- boarding of new staff.
Contact Michelle:
mmilee@georgebrown.ca
Jen Porter, Manager of Curriculum Development
Jen Porter, M.ADS, Ed.D is an experienced curriculum leader and educator with nearly two decades of expertise in curriculum design, quality assurance, and post-secondary teaching. In both her Faculty Curriculum Specialist role within the Office of Academic Excellence and her teaching role in the Behavioural Science programs at George Brown Polytechnic, Jen has contributed to program and curriculum development, course design across delivery modalities, and Work-Integrated Learning initiatives, helping ensure alignment between academic learning, applied practice, and institutional priorities. She holds a Doctor of Education in Distance Education from Athabasca University, where her research led to the development of the Contextually Grounded Decision-Making Theory, a framework for understanding instructional and design choices in online and blended learning. This work reflects her strength in evidence-informed decision-making and systems-level thinking in curriculum development. Her professional contributions include peer-reviewed, research-informed contributions to interprofessional practice and gender and language equity in knowledge production; work on Ontario’s Micro-credential Toolkit; leadership on committees focused on inclusive learning design and online education; and active involvement with the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis, including service on its Board of Directors. Across all her work, Jen is committed to inclusive and accessible curriculum design, strong academic foundations, and the development of learning experiences that foster critical thinking and applied understanding.
Danny Smith, Manager, Special Projects Advisor, AI Academic Integration
Contact Michelle:
Danny.Smith@georgebrown.ca
Digital Learning Team
Educational Technology and Digital Content Specialist support faculty and coordinators in academic learning design, helping them design clear, engaging, inclusive, and accessible online and blended learning environments. They provide guidance on online pedagogy, assessment design, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessibility, and course organization, and collaborate on the design and development of learning activities, learning objects, multimedia, and interactive content for web-enhanced, hybrid, and fully online courses. They also support course quality and continuous improvement through the application of evidence-informed design principles and institutional quality standards.
Educational Technology Specialist, and Immersive Specialist assist faculty in selecting and applying educational technologies to enhance learning outcomes and support instructional goals. They engage in ongoing research, experimentation, and innovation to explore emerging tools, immersive learning environments, and creative approaches to teaching. In collaboration with faculty, they design interactive and engaging learning experiences that leverage technology to support active and experiential learning. They also design and facilitate workshops and training sessions that introduce new technologies and support their pedagogical application in teaching practice.
Instructional Technology Specialist support faculty through facilitated and self-paced training on Brightspace and MS Teams and provide guidance on using platform features and functionalities to support effective course delivery. They offer individualized assistance to help faculty integrate instructional technologies into their courses, maintain consistent course organization, streamline instructional workflows, and create reliable and positive student learning experiences.
Evelyn Chan, Educational Technology and Digital Content Specialist
Evelyn joined George Brown in 2015, specializing in educational technology, accessibility, and digital learning.
She supports faculty with:
- Course Design & Digital Learning: Designing and enhancing web-enhanced, hybrid, and online courses through Brightspace integration, interactive H5P learning content, instructional video, digital content development, and pedagogical consultation.
- Accessibility & Quality: Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility principles to digital learning, while serving as a Quality Matters (QM) Certified Master Reviewer and Team Chair, leading course reviews to support quality online course design. She also has specialized ASL training for accessibility and first responders.
- AI, Research & Scholarship: Providing expertise in generative AI literacy and AI transparency in higher education. Evelyn is the Principal Investigator of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project examining student agency and responsible AI use, and is the author of open-access Pressbooks resources supporting inclusive digital pedagogy.
Read Evelyn's full bio.
Contact Evelyn:
evelyn.chan@georgebrown.ca
Rocio Conde, Educational Technology Specialist
Rocio joined George Brown in 2023. She supports faculty with choosing and using Educational Technology tools to support learning outcomes and instructional goals. She enjoys researching, experimenting, and creating innovative learning experiences with technology and helping faculty create authentic and effective learning experiences for their students. She is passionate about faculty development. Additionally, Rocio can provide support on Universal Design for Learning, Accessibility of Digital Documents and learning materials, and XR in education.
Contact Rocio:
rocio.conde@georgebrown.ca
Gian Michele Pileri, Immersive Technology Specialist
Gian joined George Brown in 2023 and he provides Instructional Design Assistance (consultation about course layout, online pedagogy, how to support learning using the Brightspace tools and environment).
Contact Gian Michele:
gianmichele.pileri@georgebrown.ca
Safia Azadzoi, Instructional Technology Specialist
Safia provides Brightspace trainings to all faculty in phases throughout the spring and summer and provides trainings sessions on how to use MS Teams.
Contact Safia:
safia.azadzoi@georgebrown.ca
Operations Team
The Operations Team is responsible for the effective management, planning, and delivery of administrative and operational processes for the TLX (Teaching and Learning Exchange) department, ensuring that all processes are aligned with College and Academic Division strategic priorities, directions, and institutional policies.
Willow Wang, Digital Communications and Events Coordinator
Willow manages the TLX’s digital communications, including newsletters, social media channels and the design and production of collateral materials such as catalogues and annual reports. She also coordinates and schedules TLX professional development training, conferences and events. If you have any questions regarding communications or upcoming events, please feel free to contact her.
Contact Willow:
Willow.Wang@georgebrown.ca
Curriculum Team
The Curriculum Team supports curriculum development and renewal through collaboration, the development of digital solutions, and alignment with academic and institutional goals.
Mitra Mahmoudzadeh, Multimedia Specialist
Mitra is a UX and visual designer at TLX who creates meaningful, visually compelling, and user-centered design solutions. Her work focuses on interface design, visual systems, and interaction patterns that enhance clarity and usability in teaching and learning environments.
Contact Stella:
Mitra.Mahmoudzadeh@georgebrown.ca
Associates
A faculty associate contributes significant services to a college or department in the form of limited instruction, supervision, or other assistance.
Ryan Morrison
Ryan Morrison is a cross-appointed faculty member within CPLS, and he holds an Master’s of Education with a focus on Information Technology. Since 2019, his research interests have focused on the intersection of academic integrity and large language models.
Contact Ryan:
- Faculty of Community Services and Interdisciplinary Studies
Silvia Caicedo
Silvia Caicedo’s (she/ella/elle) work includes teaching, curriculum development, instructional design, and educational technology. She prioritizes learner-centred teaching strategies informed by Outcomes-Based Learning (OBL), Active Learning, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She is also interested in the integration of soft skills into teaching and learning to equip students with essential interpersonal and professional abilities. Silvia works to create inclusive learning spaces free of judgment, blame, and shame to foster trust and meaningful growth, while remaining passionate about the role technology can play in enhancing teaching and learning. With an extensive experience in higher education and international development, Silvia is excited to contribute to teaching excellence, building capacity, promoting accessibility, and empowering diverse learners.
Contact Silvia:
- Faculty of Community Services and Interdisciplinary Studies
- Faculty of Business, Creative Industries, and Culinary Arts
Kay-Ann Williams
Kay-Ann Williams PhD. has been a faculty member at George Brown Polytechnic with the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 2016. She continues to learn and apply pedagogically sound techniques in teaching with technology, and course design including outcomes-based, constructively aligned assessments across in-person, online, and hybrid modalities, built on a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) foundation. Over the past decade, she has co-created and adapted courses, participated in anti-racism and equity work and has been a Principal Investigator in multi-stakeholder research. Building on the skills and expertise developed through the completion of her PhD in Geography at Queen’s University, she recently completed the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Proposal Development Series (2025), where she received training in SoTL research and practice. She also completed the Course on Research Ethics based on the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2: CORE 2022).
Contact Kay-Ann:
Linda Gillis
Dr. Linda Gillis is a Professor of Nutrition at George Brown Polytechnic’s Chef School, where she has taught since 2016 following a 20‑year career as a clinical Registered Dietitian, Assistant Clinical Professor and Childhood Obesity Researcher. She designs authentic assessments that engage students with the broader community, providing meaningful opportunities to learn directly from industry and community partners beyond George Brown. These experiential assessments allow students to develop transferable skills and generate tangible accomplishments that can be highlighted on their resumes. Through a thoughtful combination of formative and summative assessment strategies, she supports students' academic growth throughout each course, fostering continuous skill development, reflection, and achievement. She describes herself as a lifelong learner who actively engages in professional development opportunities through TLX. By completing micro-credentials in Generative AI in Education, Teaching in Culturally Diverse Spaces, and Universal Design for Learning, she has further enhanced her assessment practices and teaching strategies. These learning experiences have strengthened her ability to create inclusive, innovative, and student-centered learning environments that support learner success.
Contact Linda: