Meet CTL's New Team Members, Alex Lomas, Andrea Menard, Bryan Braul, Dalbir Sehmby and Gian Marco Visconti

Alex Lomas

Educational Technologist

Alex (he/him) has been working at the University of Alberta since 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in Computing Science and a Bachelor of Education (BEd) with a focus on secondary Computing Science education. In his previous role at the Faculty of Extension, he assisted both instructors and students to maximize the educational value of eClass and other online learning applications. His passions focus on making education and technology beneficial and accessible at the post-secondary level. At CTL, he works closely with educational developers and instructional designers to create multimedia content.

Andrea Menard, LL.B, LL.M

Lead Educational Developer, Indigenizing Curricula and Pedagogies

Andrea Menard, LL.B, LL.M (she/they/wiin) is Métis from the abolished Red River Settlement. Andrea has over twenty years of experience relationship-building with Indigenous Nations across Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 as well as the Métis Homeland regions across Alberta, and with Indigenous Nations in the unceded lands of British Columbia. Andrea has worked for various organizations that range from academic, government, Treaty-making, and legal non-profit and legal regulatory work, and teaches Reconciliation and Lawyers at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law as well as In Search of Reconciliation Through Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School. As a Lead Educational Developer at CTL, Andrea focusses on situating Indigenous methodologies and centering Indigenous knowledges in epistemology, laws, and in academic research, teaching, and learning, as well as utilizing Indigenous ethics and engaging with Indigenous communities in reciprocal and respectful manners.

Bryan Braul, MEd, BPE, BEd

Lead Educational Developer, Educational Technology Instruction and Strategy

Bryan joins CTL from the Faculty of Extension where he worked for 22 years in roles ranging from English Language Instructor, eLearning Developer, Educational Administrator, and Team Lead at the Learning Engagement Office.

While at Extension, I was given opportunities in a number of different roles but perhaps the ones listed above are representative of my experience there. For example, my official title when I started at LEO was eLearning Developer but when our instructional designer positions were cut, I filled that role when needed. I've also worked on curriculum/program design, served on several committees, ran an ESL summer program and was part of the Micro Credential/Digital Badging pilot project at the U of A.
 

Dalbir Sehmby, PhD

Educational Developer, Writing and Multimodal Communication Pedagogies

An award-winning instructor with over 20 years of experience across multiple fields, Dalbir Sehmby (PhD, Comparative Literature and Film/Media Studies) views teaching as a skill that requires continual practice and classrooms as spaces that alter with each cohort. As an Educational Developer, Dr. Sehmby does not adhere to one methodology but mixes established and contemporary approaches while seeking insights from instructors, guidance from learning outcomes, and advice from students. A TEDx speaker and the University of Alberta’s 2016 Last Lecturer, Dalbir values clear communication as a common denominator in composing across curricula and multimodal media. Dalbir has innovated learning via the “Stresstival” methodology, which privileges student-centred skill building, emotional self-awareness, and life-work balance. Dalbir believes it is possible for instructors and students to be a responsible team of holistic learners who can laugh and learn while cooperating to create a healthy campus community of champions.
 

Gian Marco Visconti, MLIS, MPlan, BA

Educational Technologist

Gian Marco (he/him) is a librarian and urbanist (MLIS, University of Alberta; and MPlan, University of Calgary) with a passion for podcasting and open education. He also brings his experience as an audio storyteller at CJSR-FM and the Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP). Prior to joining the CTL Team, Gian Marco supported the design and delivery of online continuing education programs at the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta. At CTL, he’s involved in creating multimedia content to partner with instructors toward improving their teaching.