Meet the Team

Deanna Davis, PhD

Executive Director
deanna.davis@ualberta.ca

Deanna is an alumna of the University of Alberta’s Augustana and North campuses and has a longstanding affiliation with the institution. Known for her ability to bring people together, she has played a key role in uniting faculty and staff across campus to develop award-winning educational initiatives.

Her leadership has influenced U of A’s teaching and research landscape, including roles in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Organizational Development, HRHSE. She was instrumental in implementing Canada’s first Professional Development Requirement, enhancing career planning and readiness for graduate students. Her contributions also include leading the curricular redesign of the Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement, with a focus on integrating EDI and Indigenous perspectives.

As the architect of the structural and curricular redesign of the multi-tier Graduate Teaching and Learning Program (GTLP), Deanna taught pedagogy and course design, drawing on over two decades of teaching experience across various levels and departments, including the Department of Music. Her expertise in pedagogical strategies and curriculum design, combined with certifications in EQi 2.0/360, Serious Lego Play, and coaching, enriches her contributions to the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Deanna's impact has been recognized through numerous awards, including the APO Recognition Award (2023), underscoring her exceptional service to the U of A community.

Cosette Lemelin, PhD

Associate Director
cosette.lemelin@ualberta.ca

Cosette has 20+ years of experience in faculty, sessional instructor, educational developer, and leadership roles within the U15 Canada. Her Master of Education (2003) and a PhD in Education (2016) focused on adult and post-secondary education, specifically, teaching and learning within health professions education. Cosette is the 2019 recipient of the University of Alberta Excellence in Learning Support Award and received the award again in 2020, along with the CTL Team, as part of their COVID-19 Response. She serves as the Chair of the Educational Developer Network of Alberta (EDNA), a Board Member for the Legal Education Society of Alberta (LESA), and a Member of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Canada Executive.

Jay Summach, PhD

Associate Director
jsummach@ualberta.ca

Jay earned a Master’s degree at the University of Alberta and a PhD in music theory at Yale University. His teaching and research focused on the potential for musical structure to afford meaning, alongside features like melody and lyrics. Jay’s area of interest is 20th-century pop music, both as an academic and performer. 

While at Yale, Jay was a Coordinator at the Yale Graduate Teaching Centre, where he led support programs in curriculum design, peer review of teaching, and student writing. In the years following, Jay was Associate Director of First-Year Writing at Duke University, where he had the opportunity to experiment with a variety of modalities in his teaching — including project- and community-based learning — and he supported cohorts of new instructors through semester-long programs in backwards course design, student assessment, academic integrity, et cetera.

Returning to Alberta in 2015, Jay broadened his experience as an educator to include workforce learning (Director of Education, Edmonton Construction Association), digital strategy for the public sector (Director of Delivery, Yellow Pencil), and applied artificial intelligence (Key Account Manager, Amii). He joined the U of A as a Manager in the Centre for Teaching and Learning in 2025, where he looks forward to learning and contributing alongside a new team of enthusiastic, creative colleagues.

Elder Evelyn Day

CTL Elder 

Elder Evelyn Day is a member of the Tahltan Band from Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, and has made Edmonton her home for more than 30 years. Entrusted with the traditional wisdom of her Ancestors from a young age, she has long supported the healing journeys of Indigenous Peoples and communities.

A Residential School Survivor, Elder Evelyn pursued education later in life, completing her Grade 12 education, studying American Sign Language, and working for over a decade as a Health Care Aide. She has also shared Indigenous perspectives through community initiatives, including in Jasper, where she operated her own business. Today, she continues to play an active role in education, health, and community, offering teachings and guidance across diverse settings.

Elder Evelyn is a member of the National Indigenous Elders Council of the United Church of Canada and frequently facilitates KAIROS Blanket Exercises and other educational programming with the Edmonton Public School Board and the University of Alberta. 

Lia Daniels

lia1@ualberta.ca

Lia Daniels is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. She currently holds a McCalla Professorship in recognition of the integration of her research and teaching about classroom assessment and wellbeing. She teaches undergraduate courses on classroom assessment and graduate courses on research methods and human motivation.

Lia is a quantitative researcher by training but has applied a wide range of methodologies in her research on motivation and emotions. Her PhD was in social psychology from the University of Manitoba and she continues to rely on robust psychological theories to frame educational problems and potentials. Currently she is focused on two main research projects. First, she is using self-determination theory to revise classroom assessments to better support student wellbeing. Second, she is co-investigator on an international study to understand teacher emotions through self-report, sentiment, and facial expression.

Carrie Demmans Epp

demmanse@ualberta.ca

Carrie Demmans Epp is a Killam Fellow and Associate Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, where she teaches courses on human-computer interaction, natural language processing, and the use of artificial intelligence in educational applications. She is also a fellow with the Alberta machine intelligence institute (Amii). Before moving to Alberta, Carrie held a joint postdoctoral researcher position with the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Learning Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh.

Her core research has two streams. One focuses on using analytics and other methods to understand how people use educational technologies so that these technologies and their use can be improved. The other focuses on developing adaptive educational technologies and reporting systems to support learning across a variety of contexts.

Christopher Laursen, PhD

Senior Consultant, Curriculum Innovation
christopher.laursen@ualberta.ca

Christopher brings 7+ years of pedagogical expertise specializing in accessibility, Generative AI, decolonization, and wellness. At the Centre for Teaching and Learning, he supports curriculum innovation to meet evolving student needs, to advance institutional commitments to truth and reconciliation, access, community, and belonging, and to respond to the opportunities and challenges integrating GenAI into curriculum.

After studying journalism at MacEwan University, he embarked on a 14-year career in print and broadcast media that took him from the Kootenays in B.C. to downtown Toronto. Christopher completed a BA at Carleton University, an MA at the University of Guelph, and a PhD at the University of British Columbia – all in History – studying how people explore the boundaries of what is known about the natural world and human consciousness.

He designed and taught in-person, online, and hybrid interdisciplinary humanities courses at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he received the 2018 Excellence in eLearning Award for innovative experiential course design. Returning to the University of Guelph in 2022 as an Educational Developer, he led the development of GenAI guidance for faculty and pedagogical wellness initiatives, and he organized the annual Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference. Born and raised in amiskwicay (Beaver Hills), he returned home in 2025 to support our University of Alberta campus community.

Velvalee Georges, PhD

Senior Consultant, Indigenous Pedagogies and Curricula
velvalee@ualberta.ca

Velvalee Georges was born and raised in Ile-a-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, a community with a significant Métis history. She is Métis and speaks some Northern Michif.   

Velvalee completed a Ph.D in Elementary Education with a focus on Language and Literacy at the University of Alberta.  Her specializations include Indigenous language revitalization, teacher education, inclusive education, educational assessment, decolonization and Indigenization. She was involved in three Indigenous language research projects, most recently the Supporting Indigenous Languages Revitalization (SILR) Project at the University of Alberta, where she collaborated with Elders and knowledge keepers to explore the role of language in promoting wellness and began developing educational resources to share that wisdom.

With over ten years of post-secondary teaching experience, Velvalee has taught in the areas of Indigenous education, Assessment, Inclusion, Multilingualism and Literacy. She has developed, expanded and refined courses to better prepare teachers theoretically and for the practical realities of contemporary classrooms.

Prior to consistent engagement at the post-secondary level, Velvalee had an extensive career that spanned over two decades in the Nursery to Grade 12 school system as a teacher, curriculum development support, administrator and education leader. Her approach to teaching, research, and learning has always been in service to broadening and illuminating pathways between disparate knowledge systems, benefiting both present and future generations.

Richard Li, PhD(c)

Senior Consultant, Natural and Applied Sciences
richard.li@ualberta.ca

As a Senior Consultant, Richard guides instructors and academic units in the Natural and Applied Sciences disciplines in advancing inclusive, evidence-informed, and context-specific approaches to teaching and learning. He also supports the professional development of instructors and collaborates with partners across disciplines to foster community and capacity building.

Richard started his career in Educational Development in 2017. Prior to joining the U of A, he worked at the University of Waterloo (UW)’s Centre for Teaching Excellence as a Faculty Liaison where he supported teaching and learning priorities within the Faculty of Engineering as well as teaching development programs across campus. He led UW’s Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) and the ISW Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW) programs in his capacities as an ISW Facilitator, FDW Trainer, and the ISW Network’s Local Representative for UW. He also contributed to UW’s holistic teaching assessment processes through his involvement in developing the peer review of teaching reviewer training program.

Richard brings a deep commitment to anti-racist pedagogies, indigenization, and inclusive education, along with a collaborative and relational approach to educational leadership. He has contributed to various teaching and learning communities in Canada through his roles as Vice-Chair (Conferences) of the Educational Developers Caucus, Co-Director of the Educational Development Community in Canada, Co-Chair of the ISW Network’s Resources Working Group, and currently Co-Chair of the Teaching in Practice Special Interest Group within the Canadian Engineering Education Association.

Richard has an academic background in Geosciences and Geological Engineering. He was a PhD Candidate (ABD) in Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo. He holds a Master of Applied Sciences and a Bachelor of Engineering in Geosciences and Geological Engineering, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English. Outside his academic life, Richard is a certified Fitness Coach and Yoga Instructor. He embraces an active lifestyle and enjoys motivating others to practice self-care.

Isabelle (Izzy) Laurin, MA

Consultant, Bilingual Pedagogies and Learning Technologies
ilaurin@ualberta.ca

Isabelle (Izzy) Laurin brings over a decade of expertise in language education and teacher training, with a diverse background in teaching English and French across online and in-person platforms. She holds a diplôme d'études collégiales in Modern Languages (Cégep de Drummondville), a B.A. with a Specialization in Translation (English to French and certification in terminology) from Concordia University, and an M.A. in Linguistics with a focus on Language Didactics from Université Laval. She has earned multiple certificates in teaching, modern languages, and linguistics. During her time at Université Laval, Izzy contributed as a research and teaching assistant for courses in Sociolinguistics and Norms and Usages of French, and she also lectured on ESL Pedagogy.

Izzy relocated to Edmonton in 2020, drawn by its vibrant and diverse culture. Her professional focus lies in content development for Learning Management Systems (LMS), the design of pedagogical workshops, and adapting educational content for online platforms. She is particularly passionate about teaching beginners, ensuring that learning is engaging and accessible. Izzy thrives in collaborative environments, prioritizing excellence, human connections, and inclusivity.

Olivia Murray, MEd

Consultant, Strategic Initiatives and Cohort Programming
omurray@ualberta.ca

Olivia Murray is an experienced educator and educational developer with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Adult, Community, and Higher Education and serves as a Principal Instructor in the Faculty of Education. She also holds certification from the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW).

With over 10 years of experience, Olivia has worked across K–12 and postsecondary contexts in teaching, curriculum development, and faculty support. She began her career with Edmonton Public Schools before joining the University of Alberta as Curriculum Coordinator for the Alberta School of Business. In that role, she led a team of 26 undergraduate teaching assistants, collaborated with instructors and subject-matter experts to design new courses, developed learning outcomes and assessments, and implemented effective course-management processes. She also conducted needs assessments and engaged stakeholders to guide curricular enhancements and professional development initiatives aligned with faculty and institutional priorities.

As a Consultant, Strategic Initiatives and Cohort Programs at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Olivia develops and leads cohort-based programming and strategic initiatives that strengthen teaching practice across disciplines and career stages. Her work focuses on creating practical, evidence-informed opportunities for instructors to reflect, learn with and from one another, and engage with evolving teaching contexts. She collaborates across the Centre for Teaching and Learning and with partners throughout the university to translate institutional priorities and teaching and learning frameworks into sustainable programming that builds teaching capacity, peer learning, and community.

Abril Alvaro Muñoz, MSc

Learning Design Support Specialist,  Canvas
alvaromu@ualberta.ca

Abril is deeply connected to the University of Alberta, both as a student and now as a professional contributor. She brings over a decade of experience in academic administration, project management, curriculum and program design, process improvement, and academic accreditations, with a strong focus on creating student-centred and service-oriented solutions. Most recently, she supported Mechanical Engineering’s transition to Canvas here at the University of Alberta. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at the Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, including Director of Academic Logistics and Study Abroad Programs and Manager of the Student Service Centre, where she oversaw student-focused administrative services across multiple campuses.

She holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Alberta, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a Master of Science in Quality and Productivity from Tec de Monterrey. Her contributions to teaching have been acknowledged with the Graduate Student Teaching Award and the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship. Abril also brings professional certifications in Management Skills, Project Management, and Black Belt Certification in International Lean Six Sigma, further strengthening her expertise in strategic planning, continuous improvement, and change management. And a certificate on Learning Service, Transversal Citizenship, and Transversal Competences.

Rukiyah Ghani, PhD

Instructional Designer, Accessibility (on leave)
rukiyah@ualberta.ca

With a BA in Disability Studies and an MA in Critical Disability Studies, Rukiyah has expertise in accessible, inclusive, and adaptable education, including designing and delivering post-secondary courses. As the Instructional Designer for Accessibility, Rukiyah supports equitable teaching and learning practices across diverse learning settings, bridging the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the Student Success and Experience in making Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility principles tangible in the classroom.

Rukiyah collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to advance learner access in the primary stages of instructional design and delivery, particularly for those with diverse learning needs and disabilities. As an individual consultant to teaching staff and faculty, Rukiyah also facilitates professional development workshops, sharing the innovative and practical tools available to ensure all learning materials and teaching strategies meet the highest standards as the UDL and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Amanda Magnan, BSc

Instructional Designer, UX and Programming
aschwank@ualberta.ca

In her 15 years at the University of Alberta, Amanda has played a vital role in optimizing the effective use of educational technology by developing instructional materials and workshops, as well as promoting the thoughtful adoption of new and emerging educational technologies across our university community. In her work with the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Amanda continues to support the creation of exceptional teaching and learning experiences at the U of A through her involvement in CTL event planning and educational technology projects dedicated to furthering the CTL mission.

Karen Seto-Wagg, BComm

Coordinator (Executive and Operations)
setowagg@ualberta.ca

Karen Seto-Wagg (BComm, University of Saskatchewan) has lived in Edmonton since graduating from post-secondary education. She brings a strong knowledge of office administration and analyzing procedures to her role at CTL. Her love of learning combined with an approachable attitude contributes to a positive mark in roles that she takes on. Karen's current role at CTL is providing executive and operational support as well as assisting with CTL programming initiatives.

Bradon Valgardson, MA
(on secondment)

Data Analyst

Bradon Valgardson (MA, University of Southern Mississippi) is a data analyst for the CTL. Bradon analyzes institutional data and prepares educational resources, documentation, and reports related to teaching and learning. His past work has focused on the influence of adverse conditions on health and well-being. His research has involved examining data from nationally representative samples and collecting data from various groups, including university students, prison inmates, correctional officers, and domestic violence service providers.

Hande Gür

Graduate Teaching Assistant, AI-Enabled Learning
gur@ualberta.ca

Hande is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the U of A, where her research explores spirituality, gender, and new social movements. She has been involved in the university's teaching and learning community since 2021, beginning as a TA and student mentor coordinating the Anthropology Help program, and now serving as an Assistant Lecturer and member of the CTL team.

Trained in pedagogy, course design, and community-engaged teaching, Hande's work on combining community-based and research-based learning in university classrooms has been showcased at the 2024 Atlantic Universities Teaching Conference and the 2025 University of Alberta Teaching Festival. Her teaching philosophy centers on student well-being, equity, and agency. She values flexible course designs where students voices, identities, and experiences are recognized, and she approaches education as a means to foster agency rather than just convey knowledge. In recognition of her contributions to teaching, she has received the Graduate Student Teaching Award, the Faculty of Arts Graduate Student Teaching Award, and the GSA Principal Instructor Teaching Award.

As a researcher and educator, Hande focuses on engaging students and fostering learning that is meaningful, transformative, and inclusive.

Malina Ram

Graduate Teaching Assistant, AI-Enabled Learning
mram@ualberta.ca

Malina Ram is a graduate student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta. Her interests include student motivation, assessment design, and the thoughtful use of generative AI in higher education and mental health support. Through her work with the Centre for Teaching and Learning, she enjoys helping instructors navigate new technologies and develop practical strategies that promote student learning, engagement, and success.

Harvey Ngoe Kolle

Graduate Teaching Assistant, AI-Enabled Learning
kolle@ualberta.ca

Harvey Ngoe Kolle is a PhD student in the Department of Computing Science. His research looks at how AI can support teaching and learning, with a focus on making AI-generated feedback helpful for student learning. As a Graduate Assistant at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, he helps instructors bring AI into their teaching in ways that support their students and improve how they learn.

Before coming to Alberta, Harvey earned a joint master's in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in Europe and a software engineering degree in Cameroon. He has worked as a software engineer, built an education technology platform now used in schools in Cameroon, taught high school math, and supported undergraduate computing students as a teaching assistant. That mix of research, teaching, and building real tools shapes how he helps instructors figure out where AI can actually add value in their classrooms.

Kristen Mineault, BEd

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Indigenous Pedagogies and Curricula

Originally from Treaty 10, Sakawiyiniw, Kristen Mineault holds a BEd and is currently pursuing her Master of Education, with research focused on how school policy can support partnerships with Elders, families, and community leadership to honour Indigenous philosophies and strengthen culturally grounded, inclusive education. Her approach to teaching and learning is relational, reflective, and rooted in reciprocity.

Over the past twelve years, she has been weaving an Indigenous framework of miyo pimâtisiwin (good life) by working with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and cultural advisors on the sacredness of wahkohtowin (relationship), and on a qualitative method for decolonizing curriculum, resources, and assessment for First Nation students. She has worked as a researcher in the Faculty of Native Studies, led the Aboriginal Student Council, supported Inspire, and served as a manager with the Rideau Hall Foundation, where she led work to Indigenize teaching and learning through treaty education, history, ceremony, culture, language, and oral traditions. Kristen brings together her experience as a classroom teacher, her graduate studies in education, and her commitment to honouring Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing within education.

Kristen’s work is grounded in the belief that education is strengthened when Indigenous knowledge systems, relationships, languages, histories, cultures, and community voices are respected and meaningfully woven into learning environments. Her interests include decolonizing education, Indigenous pedagogies, inclusive education, and creating stronger relationships among schools, families, Elders, and communities.

Kidden Gore

Student Program Assistant
kidden@ualberta.ca 

Kidden Gore is an undergraduate student studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Alberta. As a Student Program Assistant, she works closely with the CTL team to coordinate and deliver events such as the Green + Gold Teaching Showcase. She has developed her event coordination skills through her work with UA WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) and iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition).

Kidden's perspective as a current undergraduate student provides a critical lens, supporting the development of resources that give instructors practical tools to improve their teaching.