Welcome to my website

I am an Assistant Professor in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta. My area of specialization is adult education. I teach courses in adult learning, the foundations of adult education, and the community practice of adult education. I have also taught adult education at Athabasca University.

In my program of research, I explore the learning dimension of social movements, an area that has not previously been well studied. In my doctoral research, entitled Between Hope and Despair: Social and Political Learning in the Women’s Movement in Chile, I documented the learning and educational processes within the women’s movement in the city of Arica in northern Chile. For my master’s thesis, entitled The Experience of Consciousness-raising in Abused Women, I collaborated with women in an abused women’s drop-in centre who were anti-violence activists in Edmonton, Alberta. In both cases, what motivated me was understanding how women learn their way out of victimization and violence to become advocates or oppositional agents. I have found that a key component is the development of a critical and gendered consciousness.

Since 1990, I have been a researcher in many projects on a variety of topics, such as, the needs of families with children with disabilities, university teaching philosophies, counseling program evaluations, and services used by women who use substances.

I am most interested in research, education, and learning for social change. My interests include social movements, qualitative research, feminist and critical pedagogy, and women’s issues. I invite you to contact me if you have any questions about my work and/or would like to discuss mutual interests.

In solidarity,