Teaching & Learning Exchange support
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If you can't find what you're looking for in the topics list on the right, please email us at tlx@georgebrown.ca.
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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.
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Jason Inniss, Director, Teaching Excellence
Jason (he/him) joined the George Brown College community in 2012 as a faculty member at the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Over the years, he's worn many hats – professor, coordinator, chair of college council, UDL facilitator, TLX associate, and most recently, chair of the Values Refresh steering committee.
Jason will oversee the ongoing Professional Learning programming within the TLX, including the New Faculty Academy, the annual TLX conference, and other keystone programs. He will also lead the development of a new suite of micro-certificates in the coming months, as well as supporting the implementation of the Academic Plan.
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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.
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Anita Acai, Director, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Dr. Anita Acai (she/her) joined the Teaching and Learning Exchange at George Brown College in 2024. In this inaugural role, Anita will be supporting the College in deploying a SoTL strategy, fostering faculty development through skills training and communities of practice, and managing funding and dissemination efforts for SoTL across the institution.
Anita previously worked as an assistant professor and education scientist at McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where she helped faculty, staff, and learners develop their skills in education scholarship and led a program of research in health professions education. Anita serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), coordinates the 3M National Student Fellowship (3MNSF) Program, and is involved in editorial roles for both The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and the Canadian Medical Education Journal. She also helped establish the International Journal for Students as Partners as a founding member of its International Advisory Group.
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Leslie Wexler, Manager Indigenous Pedagogy
Digital Learning Team
Learning Technologies Specialists are e-learning specialists who work with faculty and other members of the GBC community to design online and blended learning environments. We work with faculty and coordinators to develop online learning activities for all kinds of courses: web-enhanced, hybrid and fully online. They develop multimedia components for online course content creatively exploring the use of copy, visuals, video content, and reference articles, to guide users through learning and habit-building experiences. They also design and deliver presentations on technology, as well as prepare/create original materials to facilitate one-on-one training and workshops. They also can help with strategies for transitioning from on-campus teaching to off-campus, including the re-design of lesson plans, fostering engagement and exploring alternative assessment options.
Educational Technology Specialist, and Immersive Specialist assist faculty in selecting and utilizing educational tools to enhance learning outcomes and achieve instructional goals. Through ongoing research, experimentation, and a dedication to innovation, we collaboratively create engaging learning experiences that leverage technology's full potential.
Instructional Technology Specialist supports faculty through facilitated and self-paced training for Brightspace and Zoom and provides guidance in using new functionalities to maximize positive student learning experiences.
Evelyn Chan, Learning Technologies Specialist
Evelyn joined George Brown in 2015 and specializes in educational technology, providing recommendations and advising faculty and coordinators. She collaborates on developing online learning activities across various course formats, including web-enhanced, hybrid, and fully online.
She plans project scopes to create digital content and interactive learning objects, utilizing tools like HeyGen AI, Camtasia, Vyond, Visme, Articulate/Rise e-learning modules, H5P, video production, and podcasts. Additionally, she provides instructional design support, including course layout consultation, online pedagogy guidance, application of Quality Matters Standards, and effective use of BrightSpace tools.
Evelyn works closely with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in course materials. She has contributed to the development of UDL 3.0 materials and accessible PDF documents. Through one-on-one training and workshops, she supports faculty in implementing UDL strategies to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
Contact Evelyn
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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.
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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
gianmichele.pileri@georgebrown.ca
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Noelle Paredes-Plaza, Instructional Technology Specialist
Noelle joined the TLX team in 2023. In her role, she supports faculty through facilitated and self-paced training for Brightspace and Zoom and provides guidance in using new functionalities to maximize positive student learning experiences. As a post-secondary educator, Noelle is experienced in designing and delivering technology-enhanced lessons grounded in UDL and adult learning principles.
CONTACT NOELLE
noelle.paredes-plaza@georgebrown.ca
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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.
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.
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Sorsha Youzeir, Events Coordinator (Mat Leave)
Sorsha joined George Brown in 2023 and is responsible for the coordination and scheduling of all TLX professional development training, conferences, events and communications. If you have any questions regarding training or upcoming events, please feel free to contact her.
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Faculty Facilitators
Faculty Facilitators at the TLX are teaching and learning specialists who support the ongoing professional development of all faculty groups across the college. In addition to offering a variety of education-related workshops and seminars, they are also available for individual and small group coaching or consultations. They also support faculty in the creation and facilitation of learning circles and book clubs, collaborate on special projects, and can be invited to provide department specific workshops or seminars related to teaching and learning, including the use of appropriate technological tools to support student learning.
Anna Bartosik
Anna Bartosik’s (she/ona/elle) work spans across teaching, language learning research, instructional design, tech ethics, and teacher training/facilitation. Anna’s course development focuses on digital accessibility, representation, open education resources, and creating opportunities for students to direct their own learning. Anna is looking forward to new challenges as she begins a secondment with the Teaching and Learning Exchange.
Contact Anna
Centre for Business
Centre for Arts, Design & Information Technology
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Laz Simeon
Lazaros Simeon’s work includes orienting and on-boarding new contract faculty, enhancing online course development and facilitation skills, and implementing educational technology.
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Patricia C. Robinson
In addition to facilitating the New Faculty Academy, Patricia supports contract and permanent faculty in the application of learner-centered teaching strategies for online, blended, and face-to-face learning environments through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She provides workshops, and small group/individual consultations related to teaching practice, curriculum development, reflective practice, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Patricia has led Faculty Learning Circles (FLCs) and Book Clubs (BCs) and assists faculty in the development of their own FLCs and BCs. She is also a Certified Instructional Skills Workshop Facilitator (ISW). Her area of research focuses on teacher development and reflective practice through the use of narrative and arts-based methods.
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Associates
A faculty associate contributes significant services to a college or department in the form of limited instruction, supervision, or other assistance.
Elena Chudaeva
Elena Chudaeva, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a TLX Associate. She has expertise in instructional design, development and teaching of online and blended courses, and development and using Open Educational Resources for teaching and learning. Elena has been actively involved in various projects related to STEM educational technology curriculum integration and Universal Design for Learning research and practice.
Contact Elena
Centre for Community Services & Health Sciences
Centre for Construction & Engineering Technologies
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Griffin Epstein
Griffin epstein (they/them) is a community-engaged researcher, mental health and harm reduction practitioner, and full-time faculty member in the Social Service Worker department. They are passionate about creating accessible, disability justice-oriented teaching and learning communities and supporting movements for justice within and outside the classroom.
Contact Griffin
Centre for Community Services & Health Sciences
Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies
Griffin.Epstein@georgebrown.ca
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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.
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School of ESL
CPLS
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Sharmaine Itwaru
Sharmaine Itwaru is a professor in the CPLS division at the School of ESL with extensive experience in curriculum development and higher education pedagogy. She holds a Doctor of Education degree in Adult Education, and her current research focuses on decolonizing post-secondary teaching spaces. Sharmaine is passionate about collaborating with College faculty and is strongly committed to inclusive, social-justice-oriented education
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SCHOOL OF ESL
CPLS
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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.
- CENTRE FOR HOSPITALITY & CULINARY ARTS
- CENTRE FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Email: silvia.caicedo@georgebrown.ca
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Stephanie McKean
Stephanie McKean (she/her) is a TLX Associate and a full-time professor in Academic Upgrading. She is passionate about teaching and learning mathematics, and is dedicated to faculty development. Stephanie deeply respects her students and peers and believes strongly in the connections we develop as an agency for change. With a MA in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning, and over 10 years at the college, Stephanie emphasizes growth mindset, intrinsic motivation, accessibility and inclusivity in her teaching. She is also the organizer and cofounder of Math Teachers Making Math Work (MTMMW) here at George Brown.
Contact Stephanie
Centre for Arts, Design & Information Technology
Centre for Continuous Learning
