I specialize in online teaching and learning across the lifespan and the design of learning experiences on student engagement. My research area has broadened during the pandemic as I have shifted toward understanding online learning and educational technologies from a lifespan approach. Given the attention to (educational) technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic in school-aged children, I am taking time to explore how the targeted use of particular educational technology combined with online learning design can support a child’s social development. This interest is sparked by my 5-year-old daughter’s anxiety around online learning with her peers. It is something that has come up in conversations with other parents and given the body of literature on anxiety and online learning in adolescence and adults, it feels like an ideal moment for me to explore this area. My previous work focuses mainly on higher education but continues to inform how I will approach this new area by considering online learning as an established practice and using best practices from this body of literature to provide points of entry into developing engaging experiences for younger school-aged children.

Over the years I have worked with faculty to develop over 60 courses and programs that were originally offered in face-to-face into online offerings. I enact much of my academic research as a faculty member at OISE, University of Toronto.

Current Roles 

• Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Online Pedagogy in Applied Psychology and Human Development Department, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
• Contracted online learning specialist
• Instructional Designer
• Senior PeppeR Researcher
• Faculty consultant for the OISE Online Teaching and Learning website

Courses

• APD1294 – Technology, Psychology and Play
• APD1235 – Technology, Play and Social Media in Adolescence
• CTL1624 – Instructional Design of Online Courses
• APD5036 – Special Topics: Online Pedagogy

Degrees

• PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto
• Master of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto
• Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Toronto
• Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto

Research Interests 

• Online pedagogy across the lifespan
• Social interaction in online learning environments
• Technology and play in education
• Educational technology
• Design of online learning environments
• Educational mobile applications