Speakers | D2L Fusion 2020
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D2L Fusion 2020

Speakers

As with any big mission, 18 days of Fusion required a heroic team effort. Our program was jam-packed with epic sessions led by a diverse squad of learning superheroes—from our inspiring customers to your friendly neighborhood D2L experts.

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Featured Speakers

John Baker Photo

Keynote speaker

John Baker

President and CEO, D2L

Gregory W. Fowler, Ph.D. Photo

Guest speaker

Gregory W. Fowler, Ph.D.

President, Global Campus- Southern New Hampshire University

Tiana Brown Photo

July Guest speaker

Tiana Brown

Student at Southern New Hampshire University

Mahadeo Sukhai Photo

July Featured speaker

Mahadeo Sukhai

Chief Accessibility Officer, CNIB

Laura Herring Photo

July Featured speaker

Laura Herring

Coordinator of Technology Integration, Gwinnett Online Campus

Nick Oddson Photo

Solutions spotlight

Nick Oddson

Chief Technology Officer, D2L

April Oman Photo

Solutions spotlight

April Oman

Senior VP Customer Experience, D2L

David Koehn Photo

Solutions spotlight

David Koehn

Senior VP Product Management, D2L

Maya Reis Photo

July Guest speaker

Maya Reis

Student at Sir Edgar Bauer Catholic Elementary School

Carlos Rivers Photo

Aug Featured speaker

Carlos Rivers

Operations Research Analyst, Texas A&M Commerce

George Swindell Photo

Aug Featured speaker

George Swindell

Assistant Professional Faculty, Texas A&M Commerce

Chelsie Dubay Photo

Sept Featured speaker

Chelsie Dubay

Internet Program Support Coordinator, East Tennessee State University

Jeremy Auger Photo

Keynote speaker

Jeremy Auger

Chief Strategy Officer, D2L

Angela Reid Photo

Oct Featured speaker

Angela Reid

Instructional Designer, University System of Georgia eCampus

Christine Voelkner Photo

Nov Featured speaker

Christine Voelker

Director, K12 Program, Quality Matters

Laura Osborne Photo

Dec Featured speaker

Laura Osborne

Faculty Training & Certification Coordinator, Stephen F. Austin State University

Barry Dahl Photo

Host

Barry Dahl

Teaching and Learning Advocate, D2L

D2L Excellence Award Winner Speakers

James Birks Picture

James Birks

Production Manager
(ISC)2
Daniel Dube Picture

Daniel Dube

Educational consultant and Brightspace adminisatrator
CAVLFO
Stacy Mantzaris Picture

Stacy Mantzaris

Manager, Professional Development
(ISC)2
James Medway Picture

James Medway

Learning Management System Consultant / Teacher
SNP STEAM Academy

Dan Nelmes-Love Picture

Dan Nelmes-Love

Web Application Developer
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura)

Tina Parscal Picture

Tina Parscal

Associate Vice Chancellor for CCCOnline and Academic Affairs
Colorado Community College System

Sarah Sinai Picture

Sarah Sinai

Digital and Graphic Designer
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura)

Speakers

Gary Abbott Picture

Gary Abbott

D2L

Sheridan Adams Picture

Sheridan Adams

Center of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) at the University of Maine

Tracy Adkins Burge Picture

Tracy Adkins Burge

Georgia State University

Mfon Akpan Picture

Mfon Akpan

Savannah College of Art and Design

Sheena Allen Picture

Sheena Allen

D2L

Matthew Alvarez-Rysvay Picture

Matthew Alvarez-Rysvay

Colorado Community College System

Michael Amick Picture

Michael Amick

Pima Community College

Restiani Andriati Picture

Restiani Andriati

Ryerson University

Humberto Aquino Picture

Humberto Aquino

D2L

Jackie Araujo Picture

Jackie Araujo

Waterloo Region DSB

Dayna Armstrong Picture

Dayna Armstrong

D2L

Andrew Atkinson Picture

Andrew Atkinson

D2L

Jeremy Auger Picture

Jeremy Auger

D2L

Christine Austin Picture

Christine Austin

Gwinnett Online Campus

John Baker Picture

John Baker

D2L

Beverly Bastness Picture

Beverly Bastness

South Island Distance Education School (SIDES)

John Bayerl Picture

John Bayerl

Minnesota State College Southeast

Courtney Beach Picture

Courtney Beach

University of Virginia

Patrick Beh Picture

Patrick Beh

D2L

Rob Belliveau Picture

Rob Belliveau

Halifax Fire

Howie Bender Picture

Howie Bender

D2L

Alex Benedict Picture

Alex Benedict

Regis University

Steve Bentley Picture

Steve Bentley

University of Huddersfield

Ana Maria Berruecos Picture

Ana Maria Berruecos

Norman Bier Picture

Norman Bier

Carnegie Mellon University

Andrew Bieronski Picture

Andrew Bieronski

Waterloo Region DSB

Heidi Blair Picture

Heidi Blair

Regis University

Robin Bloomfield Picture

Robin Bloomfield

D2L

Thor Blount Picture

Thor Blount

Vanessa Bono Picture

Vanessa Bono

Accenture

Brady Boswell Picture

Brady Boswell

Indiana Wesleyan University

Bettyjo Bouchey Picture

Bettyjo Bouchey

National Louis University

Martin Bradley Picture

Martin Bradley

Concord

Angela Brodsky Picture

Angela Brodsky

Martin Broughton Picture

Martin Broughton

Course Merchant

Cary Brown Picture

Cary Brown

IMS Global Learning Consortium

Tiana Brown Picture

Tiana Brown

Southern New Hampshire University

Patrick Brunet Picture

Patrick Brunet

D2L

Ellen Buck Picture

Ellen Buck

University of Suffolk

Melody Buckner Picture

Melody Buckner

University of Arizona

David Burnham Picture

David Burnham

SIDES

Aaron Burrell Picture

Aaron Burrell

University of Suffolk

Tanessa Busch Picture

Tanessa Busch

enSYNC

Kathleen Callahan Picture

Kathleen Callahan

Southern New Hampshire University

Flavio Camargo Picture

Flavio Camargo

D2L

Rodrigo Capelato Picture

Rodrigo Capelato

Carrie Carr Picture

Carrie Carr

Accenture

Sambhavi Chandrashekar Picture

Sambhavi Chandrashekar

D2L

Joseph Chapman Picture

Joseph Chapman

D2L

Ken Chapman Picture

Ken Chapman

D2L

Mike Condon Picture

Mike Condon

D2L

Patrick Cool Picture

Patrick Cool

Ghent University

Rebecca Cooper Picture

Rebecca Cooper

Georgia Gwinnett College

Juliano Costa Picture

Juliano Costa

Michael Cottam Picture

Michael Cottam

American Public University System

Cesar Cruz Picture

Cesar Cruz

Jeff Cummings Picture

Jeff Cummings

Wellington Catholic District School Board

Erin Czerwinski Picture

Erin Czerwinski

Carnegie Mellon University

Barry Dahl Picture

Barry Dahl

D2L

Chef Ilona Daniel Picture

Chef Ilona Daniel

Holland College

Holly Davis Picture

Holly Davis

Pima Community College

Erica Dawson Picture

Erica Dawson

Gwinnett County Public Schools

Robert Day Picture

Robert Day

Integrity Advocate

Mark Deans Picture

Mark Deans

West Bridgford School

Bianca Del Vecchio Picture

Bianca Del Vecchio

D2L

Stacy Denunzio Picture

Stacy Denunzio

D2L

Ginger Dewey Picture

Ginger Dewey

ReadSpeaker

Richard Dietzel Picture

Richard Dietzel

Keiser University

Kimberly Dillon Picture

Kimberly Dillon

Aspen University

Nick Dingle Picture

Nick Dingle

D2L

Tricia Donovan, Ph.D. Picture

Tricia Donovan, Ph.D.

Nova Scotia Community College

Emily Douwes Picture

Emily Douwes

Bayfield Design

Chelsie Dubay Picture

Chelsie Dubay

East Tennessee State University

JP Dunn Picture

JP Dunn

Southern Illinois University

Henry Ecker Picture

Henry Ecker

Piedmont Technical College

Dan Ehrlich Picture

Dan Ehrlich

D2L

Wayne Elliott Picture

Wayne Elliott

Monmouth University

John Englander Picture

John Englander

VHS Learning

Wynand Espach Picture

Wynand Espach

Agricolleges International

Katrina Espanol-Miller Picture

Katrina Espanol-Miller

McMaster University

Michelle Fach Picture

Michelle Fach

University of Guelph

Michael Feldstein Picture

Michael Feldstein

E-Literate

Allison Fitzgibbon Picture

Allison Fitzgibbon

Sheridan College

Howard E. Fooksman, Sr. Picture

Howard E. Fooksman, Sr.

Purdue

Dr. Gregory W. Fowler, Ph.D. Picture

Dr. Gregory W. Fowler, Ph.D.

Southern New Hampshire University

Daniel Franklin Picture

Daniel Franklin

Ryerson University

Kari Frisch Picture

Kari Frisch

Central Lakes College

Crystal Fulton Picture

Crystal Fulton

University College Dublin

Monica Gaertner Picture

Monica Gaertner

D2L

Ernesto Garnica Picture

Ernesto Garnica

Scott Gasper Picture

Scott Gasper

Kelly Gatewood Picture

Kelly Gatewood

Keiser University

Paul Gebb Picture

Paul Gebb

Oklahoma City University

Jeff Geurts Picture

Jeff Geurts

D2L

Eric Gibbs Picture

Eric Gibbs

Ouriginal

Rebecca Gidjunis Picture

Rebecca Gidjunis

Eastern University

Cristina Gimenez Picture

Cristina Gimenez

Laura Girard Picture

Laura Girard

Gwinnett County Public Schools

Ted Girard Picture

Ted Girard

D2L

Ivy Gregory Picture

Ivy Gregory

D2L

Neil Griffin Picture

Neil Griffin

Spartanburg Community College

Tim Groves Picture

Tim Groves

Vanderbilt University

Matt Hadgis Picture

Matt Hadgis

Qwickly

Karen Hahn Picture

Karen Hahn

Saint Leo University

Neil Hair Picture

Neil Hair

Rochester Institute of Technology

Elizabeth Hanna Picture

Elizabeth Hanna

PwC

Gretchen Hanson Picture

Gretchen Hanson

TurnItIn

Wendy Hanwell Picture

Wendy Hanwell

Southern New Hampshire University

David Harpool Picture

David Harpool

Northcentral University

Douglas Harrison Picture

Douglas Harrison

University of Maryland Global Campus

Shari Harrison Picture

Shari Harrison

Northern Lights College

Celso Hartmann Picture

Celso Hartmann

Scott Haselwood Picture

Scott Haselwood

Oklahoma City University

Dereck Haskins Picture

Dereck Haskins

IMS Global Learning Consortium

Carin Headrick Picture

Carin Headrick

D2L

Chayla Heath Picture

Chayla Heath

New Brunswick Community College

Esteban Hernandez Picture

Esteban Hernandez

Eastern University

Eliana Herrera Picture

Eliana Herrera

D2L

Laura Herring Picture

Laura Herring

Gwinnett Online Campus

Devin Hillenius Picture

Devin Hillenius

CodeGrade

Kevin Ho Picture

Kevin Ho

D2L

Christopher Hookway Picture

Christopher Hookway

Southern New Hampshire University

David Horne Picture

David Horne

D2L

Roxanne Hotte Picture

Roxanne Hotte

CSC MonAvenir

Rachel Hudish Picture

Rachel Hudish

EdTech Solutions, LLC

Phil Ice Picture

Phil Ice

Analytikus

Brian Jacobsen Picture

Brian Jacobsen

Bongo

Ian Jaffe Picture

Ian Jaffe

Accenture

Mani Jagadeesan Picture

Mani Jagadeesan

Shufflelabs

Gabriele Janes Picture

Gabriele Janes

CMA

Luke Jankovic Picture

Luke Jankovic

EMSI

Laura Janusek Picture

Laura Janusek

D2L

Paul Janzen Picture

Paul Janzen

D2L

Neil Jensen Picture

Neil Jensen

Workday

Danny Jerman Picture

Danny Jerman

Janison

Christina Johnson Picture

Christina Johnson

MU

Robert Karmelich Picture

Robert Karmelich

WIRIS

Lexi Keast Picture

Lexi Keast

New Brunswick Community College

Rob Kershaw Picture

Rob Kershaw

Algonquin College

Kim Knab Picture

Kim Knab

Bongo

David Koehn Picture

David Koehn

D2L

Melissa Koenig Picture

Melissa Koenig

DePaul University

Margaret Korosec Picture

Margaret Korosec

UDOL

Matt Koss Picture

Matt Koss

Michigan State University

Kevin Kowal Picture

Kevin Kowal

SAIT

Joshua Kozinski Picture

Joshua Kozinski

enSYNC

Charles Kroger Picture

Charles Kroger

MinnState

Jon Kruithof Picture

Jon Kruithof

McMaster University

Brent Lacy Picture

Brent Lacy

Janison

Emma Laing Picture

Emma Laing

Southern New Hampshire University

Danielle Lamothe Picture

Danielle Lamothe

CSAE

Karen LaPlant Picture

Karen LaPlant

Metropolitan State University

Jennifer Lasater Picture

Jennifer Lasater

Purdue University Global

Jacques Le Normand Picture

Jacques Le Normand

McGill School of Continuing Studies

John Leh Picture

John Leh

Talented Learning

Marlena Leon Mendoza Leon Mendoza Picture

Marlena Leon Mendoza Leon Mendoza

Cristina Lima Picture

Cristina Lima

Carol Linton Picture

Carol Linton

Northeastern Technical College

Justin L'Italien Picture

Justin L'Italien

Southern New Hampshire University

Patrick Liu Picture

Patrick Liu

CSC MonAvenir

Fred Lokken Picture

Fred Lokken

Truckee Meadows Community College

Jennifer Long Picture

Jennifer Long

Harvard Business Publishing

Carlos Longo Picture

Carlos Longo

Shane Lovelletter Picture

Shane Lovelletter

TechSmith

Khara Lukancic Picture

Khara Lukancic

Center for Teaching Excellence, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Rosemary Lundberg Picture

Rosemary Lundberg

D2L

Kim Lynch Picture

Kim Lynch

Minnesota State

Angela MacFarlane Picture

Angela MacFarlane

Holland College

Ron MacLean Picture

Ron MacLean

Harvard Business Publishing

Matias Marabotto Picture

Matias Marabotto

D2L

Colin Marlaire Picture

Colin Marlaire

Northcentral University

Dra. Ana Maria Mass Picture

Dra. Ana Maria Mass

Jane Mathers Picture

Jane Mathers

D2L

James Matthews Picture

James Matthews

University College Dublin

David McGeary Picture

David McGeary

D2L

Colleen McIlroy Picture

Colleen McIlroy

Saint Leo University

Emily McLellan Picture

Emily McLellan

Bongo

Jeannette McNamara Picture

Jeannette McNamara

D2L

Mike Mendendall Picture

Mike Mendendall

Indiana Wesleyan University

Sandy Millar Picture

Sandy Millar

Waterloo Region DSB

Plamen Miltenoff Picture

Plamen Miltenoff

SCSU

Dr. Kara Mitchelmore Picture

Dr. Kara Mitchelmore

CPLED

Gregory Moore Picture

Gregory Moore

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Mike Moore Picture

Mike Moore

D2L

Colin Moran Picture

Colin Moran

Irish Rugby Football Union

Cali Morrison Picture

Cali Morrison

American Public University System

Kyle Motsinger Picture

Kyle Motsinger

University of Central Oklahoma

Ruth Mullen Picture

Ruth Mullen

D2L

Kristin Mulligan Picture

Kristin Mulligan

PowerED by Athabasca University

Emilio Munaro Picture

Emilio Munaro

Amy Nadeau Picture

Amy Nadeau

Southern New Hampshire University

Trent Nebelung Picture

Trent Nebelung

National Education Partners

Jeremy Negrey Picture

Jeremy Negrey

PartsSource

Jacqueline Nelles Picture

Jacqueline Nelles

D2L

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Loretta Neufeld VandeSande

Waterloo District School Board

Sharon Newmaster Picture

Sharon Newmaster

Waterloo District School Board

Patricia Nunally Picture

Patricia Nunally

Southwest Tennessee Community College

Tom OConnor Picture

Tom OConnor

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

Nick Oddson Picture

Nick Oddson

D2L

Bruno Oliveira Picture

Bruno Oliveira

April Oman Picture

April Oman

D2L

Emma O'Neill Picture

Emma O'Neill

University College Dublin

Jennifer Oquist Picture

Jennifer Oquist

Southern New Hampshire University

Laura Osborne Picture

Laura Osborne

Stephen F. Austin State University

Meredith Painter Picture

Meredith Painter

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

Jeferson Pandolfo Pandolfo Picture

Jeferson Pandolfo Pandolfo

Carli Parsons Picture

Carli Parsons

Waterloo Region DSB

Lena Paulo Kushnir Picture

Lena Paulo Kushnir

University of Guelph

Stuart Pedley-Smith Picture

Stuart Pedley-Smith

Kaplan

Sasha Perkins Picture

Sasha Perkins

D2L

Alan Peterka Picture

Alan Peterka

Kirkwood Community College

Jack Pinette Picture

Jack Pinette

D2L

Michelle Piper Picture

Michelle Piper

D2L

David Pletsch Picture

David Pletsch

Waterloo Region DSB

Sadaf Qayumi Picture

Sadaf Qayumi

D2L

Carolin Radtke Picture

Carolin Radtke

University of the Highlands and Islands

Angela Reid Picture

Angela Reid

USG eCampus

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Tonya Riney

IntelliBoard

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Kristin Rivedal

CCCOnline

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Carlos Rivers

Texas A&M University

David Robinson Picture

David Robinson

Georgia Gwinnett College

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Scotty Robinson

D2L

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Steve Rogalsky

D2L

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Jeff Rubenstein

Kaltura

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Carol S. Spalding, Ed.D.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Greg Sabatine Picture

Greg Sabatine

University of Guelph

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Suad Sakalli Gumus

Saint Mary of the Woods College

Jeff Salin Picture

Jeff Salin

D2L

Mario Sanchez Picture

Mario Sanchez

D2L

Alberto Sancho Picture

Alberto Sancho

Michel Sandri Lima Picture

Michel Sandri Lima

D2L

Jen Sands Picture

Jen Sands

USG eCampus

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Karen Sasaki

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Juliana Scarpa

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Suzanne Schlangen

Minnesota State colleges and universities

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Valerie Schreiner

TurnItIn

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Barrett Schwarz

The University of Memphis

Cara Scott Picture

Cara Scott

Dematic

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Jessica Scott

Athabasca University

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John Scott

Ally

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Amanda Scott Born

Watermark Insights

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Dan Semi

D2l

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Rebecca Seoane

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Christopher Sessums

D2L

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Eugenio Severin

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Lara Shantz

Waterloo District School Board

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Katie Sharpe

The University of Memphis

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Kimiko Shibata

Waterloo District School Board

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Stephanie Shipley

Pellissippi State Community College

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Joe Sisco

D2L

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Kannan Sivaprakasam

St. Cloud State University

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Jill Skene

D2L

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Brandon Smith

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

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Tiffany Snyder

Indiana Wesleyan University

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Kristin Sokol

Gwinnett Online Campus

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Karen Somerville

American Nurses Association

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Jonathan Sorrenti

Midlands Technical College

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Arie Sowers

Respondus

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Erin Steed

D2L

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Ian Stephenson

PowerED Athabasca University

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Jeff Stevenson

D2L

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Sheri Stover

Wright State University

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Randolph Streich

D2L

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Danyelle Stuckart

Southern New Hampshire University

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Dr. Alastair Stutt

West Bridgford School

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Mahadeo Sukhai

CNIB

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Maria Fernanda Suss

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George Swindell

Texas A&M University

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Phil Tallman

Harmonize by 42 Lines

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Patrick Tangredi

Portland Community College

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Stephanie Taylor

Accenture

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Amrita Thakur

D2L

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Peterson Theodorovicz

D2L

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Sue Tischendorf

Normandale CC

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Jennifer Tisdale

D2L

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Lisa Toland

Piedmont Technical College

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Jason Tyszko

US Chamber of Commerce Foundation

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Sheila Unwin

Aspen University

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José Valdez Cotera

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Fernando Valenzuela

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Joshua van Wijk

D2L

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Scott Vann

University of Memphis

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Fausto Vasco

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Dessi Vasevski

Oakton Community College

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Christine Voelker

Quality Matters

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Betina von Staa

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Carolyn Vos

DePaul University

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Kim Vossen

Minnesota State colleges and universities

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Helena Wahlstrom

Southern New Hampshire University

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Megan Walker

D2L

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Storie Walsh

VHS Learning

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Amy Waters

The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

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Craig Weiss

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Lori Wendt

Parkland College

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Julie Wenz

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Karen Wenz

Minnesota State colleges and universities

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Jonathan Werth

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

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Amber West

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Warren White

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Stephanie Wickman

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Heather Williams

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Nadiya Wilson

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Steven Woodard

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Kathy Wright

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Sue Yavor

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Ian Zakharov

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Nathan Zehr

Waterloo Region DSB

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Fiona Zhang

D2L

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Fueling up:

Upskilling to grow careers

Name: Zaria
Age: 27

Policy prescriptions: Invest in a Learning-Integrated Life; Transform the learning of today with new partnerships; Accelerate the shift to skills-based learning and hiring

Zaria has five years of work experience and is ready to change jobs and enter a field that has high growth potential in her region. The national government has been investing in collecting better skills-based labour market information for years and has developed a public platform to offer individuals specialized tools to assess their skills against current market needs, and to locate employers that are currently hiring.

On the employer side, the human resources team is closely examining a recent internal skills audit done at their organization and determines that the organization needs additional digital marketing specialists. They initiate a search for individuals with the skills they will soon need and spot a strong candidate in Zaria who requires only light training on regulatory issues regarding the sale of electric vehicles, along with some formal skills development courses on social media marketing strategy. After a successful interview, Zaria is offered the job.

Upon joining, Zaria will receive an educational benefits stipend from the company, and access to a company-provided platform of curated programs for skills building from approved providers. Upon completion of a set of courses, Zaria will receive a credential from a company approved program verifying her technical knowledge and marking the end of her probationary period at the company. To ensure she continues to build her skills, she will move into a formal mentor program with one of her colleagues to receive continual peer-to-peer feedback on her demonstration of skills and knowledge. information

This affordable and accessible learning through employer-funded training has enabled Zaria to begin working while also upskilling to ensure her long-term success in the company and growing industry. The employer is investing in its employees, and company leaders are thinking further into the future about the skills the company needs, and the types of job candidates who will succeed. This match, based on skills potential, was made possible because of government investment in high-quality labour market information and a national platform that matches job candidates with career opportunities based on the candidates’ skills and the identified skill needs of a given job.

Taking the road less travelled:

A networked postsecondary education

Name: Sam
Age: 18

Policy prescriptions: Transform the learning of today with new partnerships

Sam is a prospective postsecondary student who has always been interested in pursuing a global and interdisciplinary education. Sam’s siblings have all instilled in her the importance of studying abroad, having spoken fondly of their academic exchange semesters, field research trips, and intensive language immersion programs. She is inspired, but unsure whether this pathway will be available if she chooses not to complete a four-year degree at one institution.

Sam is interested in understanding how emerging technologies can be used to modernize and improve government services—an area in need of talent not only in her home country of Canada but also abroad. She could take on a general political science, public administration, engineering, or computer science degree at the university close to her home, but none of those degrees feels like the right fit to build the skills she needs to pursue this career interest.

While researching options, Sam learns of a new degree completion pathway that allows students to take courses from a network of universities, colleges, and polytechnic institutions throughout Canada and stack them for skills-based  credentials that are recognized by major Canadian employers. A set of four of these credentials grants an individual a degree-equivalent endorsed by each institution. Sam identifies the skills and knowledge she wants to work towards and charts out four credential pathways:

  1. Service delivery design
  2. Change management
  3. Applications of emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence)
  4. Machinery of government

With this customized learning pathway, Sam has full flexibility to decide how she wants to structure her courses, the institutions within the network she will study at, and the format and model of courses she prefers—whether live in-class instruction or online courses.

Cost flexibility is built in as well—students pay a standard fee based on the number of competencies they intend to learn rather than the normal standard of ‘credit hours’. The province in which Sam lives has endorsed this networked model of  postsecondary education and adjusted its financial assistance program to better support students. Grants and other non-repayable assistance take into consideration the number of courses the student is taking across all institutions when assessing financial need. Previously, Sam would have been required to be a full-time student at every institution to receive support.

Sam also has the option of starting with foundational courses or applying for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) information so her existing knowledge and skills can be tested and she can move on to more advanced topics.

Sam completes her first three credentials in three years and uses her certifications to apply for a one-year work-integrated learning experience with the federal government in Germany where she can learn first-hand about the applications of artificial intelligence in government. When she returns home, she applies for PLAR to certify her learning on the machinery of government and is granted a degree acknowledging her four-part customized education.

The collaboration between universities, polytechnics, and colleges to create a networked approach to degree completion, and its endorsement by the provincial government, allowed Sam to graduate as an alumnus of multiple postsecondary education institutions. Her exposure to different thought spaces and networks was highly valuable for ensuring she was engaged throughout her education and set up for post-graduation success. In the rapidly evolving field she has chosen, she understands how important it is to continuously upskill, and is prepared to return to formal education for more stackable credentials as she continues throughout her career.

Route guidance:

Personalized professional development

Name: ZheYuan
Age: 33

Policy prescriptions: Prepare teachers for their own lifelong learning journeys; Accelerate the shift to skills-based learning and hiring

ZheYuan is about to join Marama’s school as a new secondary school teacher. He completed his professional teacher education a decade ago, and teaching looks a bit different today than it did when he was studying. With the incorporation of learning technologies in the classroom, and expectations of teachers delivering competency-based education information, he needs personalized professional development to feel comfortable and supported in this new opportunity.

The school district has been on its own learning journey since shifting to a competency-based education model, and has had some growing pains. Over time, the district has come to recognize that success depends on school administrators working closely with teachers to co-create systems of instruction, and pathways to professional development. The district has its own online learning management system (LMS) for teacher professional development, with a catalogue of content covering a range of subjects including:

  • Strategies for student-centred instruction
  • Design thinking—how to prototype and iterate on solutions to test new approaches
  • Online content—using learning management systems to advance competency-based education
  • Data analysis—interpreting student progress

ZheYuan is excited that he can take on professional learning to suit his needs on his own schedule. He recalls an earlier time when he had to spend nine hours a month in-person taking the same professional development courses as his peers who were teaching very different subjects and had varied skill levels and pedagogical needs than him, which was less than effective.

ZheYuan can also take advantage of his teacher community in the LMS, connecting both in asynchronous chats and in live discussions with other teachers and experts from across his region to ask questions and share his experiences. He sees some upcoming dialogues hosted by his school district to share learnings and signs up for those sessions, knowing he will get a valuable peer perspective from other teachers. ZheYuan is thankful that his school leaders recognize and value professional learning and provide the supports and the time needed for improvement.

D2L Whitepaper Contributors

Lead Authors:
Malika Asthana, Manager, Strategy and Public Affairs
Joe Pickerill, Senior Director, Strategy and Public Affairs, International

Contributors:
Jeremy Auger, Chief Strategy Officer
Mark Schneiderman, Senior Director, Future of Teaching and Learning
Brendan Desetti, Senior Director, Strategy and Public Affairs, United States
Mike Semansky, Senior Director, Strategy and Public Affairs, Canada
Nia Brown, Senior Manager, Strategy and Public Affairs

In the driver’s seat:

Owning the personalized learning journey

Name: Marama
Age: 14

Policy prescriptions: Prepare teachers for their own lifelong learning journeys; Accelerate the shift to skills-based learning and hiring

Marama is enrolled in a school with a competency-based education model information. Students are responsible for owning the personalization of their learning pathways, making choices alongside their teachers in how and when they learn.iii Teachers play a central role in guiding and validating all learning, regardless of where it takes place—offering formative assessments to evaluate a student’s mastery of skills and knowledge. Teachers use data from these assessments, gathered through an online learning management system (LMS), to differentiate instruction and provide targeted supports so that all students progress toward graduation. As a student diagnosed with a learning disability, Marama is supported in her education by this personalized learning pathway.

All students complete an assessment in ninth grade to identify their natural strengths as a learner. Their teachers use the results as inputs to design tailormade educational pathways with learning materials and activities that suit the individual students’ learning needs. In Marama’s case, this includes:

  1. Supplementing lecture-based teaching with structured but independent reading
  2. Shadowing professionals who work on the concepts she is learning about
  3. Taking the stories and lessons she’s learned and sharing it back with classmates by designing a creative and interactive presentation

Over the course of the school year, Marama spends a third of her time in live lectures (sometimes online) with her teacher alongside other classmates—but the rest of her time is spent learning in the ways that suit her best. She can log into her online LMS from her mobile device to access her school resources and complete on her own schedule before the assigned deadline. When Marama finds a concept that interests her, she can ask her teachers and counsellor for support in finding a working professional to speak to, or work alongside for a couple weeks, from the network her school has curated over time. And when she has learned something, she is encouraged to reinforce her learning by applying her skills and developing content to share back with her classmates.

Marama’s personalized learning journey empowers her to own her education by learning in ways that are effective for her, with the support that allows her to be successful. Her teachers have high-quality data about student strengths and performance they can share with her parents to show them how she is mastering specific skills, and where she may need extra support. Her school experience empowers her to embrace her subject interests very early on, and she advances to deeper topics quickly as she submits evidence of learning that demonstrates her proficiency. She graduates having cultivated a mindset for self-directed learning early in her education.