The Importance of My Curriculum Career and Special Projects
In the ever-evolving landscape of education and digital learning, the role of leadership, management, and strategic planning in curriculum development is crucial. My career has been dedicated to shaping innovative learning experiences through the integration of cutting-edge technology, effective team leadership, and strategic project management. By providing clear direction in digital content creation—ranging from scriptwriting and video production to web development and UX-centered design—I have helped drive impactful learning solutions that enhance student engagement and institutional success.
Special projects serve as a cornerstone of my work, allowing for the exploration of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and responsive web applications. These initiatives not only push the boundaries of digital learning but also ensure accessibility and inclusivity through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Additionally, managing high-budget projects, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, and developing streamlined processes for curriculum prioritization have played a vital role in aligning educational goals with institutional strategy.
Beyond technology-driven initiatives, I have also contributed to the preservation and sharing of cultural knowledge. One significant project was leading the publication of Listening to Elders, Telling Stories, Sitting in a Circle: An Oral History by Walter Bonaise. This initiative focused on capturing the oral traditions of the Plains Cree, ensuring the stories of Indigenous Elders were documented and shared with a wider audience. Through this work, I built relationships with the federal government (Canada Council for the Arts) and deepened my understanding of Canada’s Indigenous communities, reinforcing the importance of cultural preservation in education.
By leading with a focus on innovation, accountability, and collaboration, I have contributed to a more dynamic and responsive educational environment. Whether through strategic negotiations, partnerships with global institutions, implementing new design methodologies, or advocating for the preservation of cultural narratives, my work continues to shape the future of curriculum development and digital learning.
Publication of aboriginal Book focusing on cultural Stories and oral History
Listening to Elders, Telling Stories, Sitting in a Circle:
An Oral History By Walter Bonaise
Working with NAIT’s Aboriginal elder Walter Bonaise, I lead an initiative to publish a book capturing the rich oral traditions of the Plains Cree. As the project manager, I was responsible for gathering the stories, securing an editor and translator of the written content, gathering historical photos, capturing new images and supervising the visual design of the publication.
Through this project, I developed relationships with the federal government (Canada Council for the Arts), as well as increased my understanding of Canada’s aboriginal communities and the diversity they bring to Canada’s multicultural fabric.
Cultural Development and Preservation
HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing Systems Virtual House
Virtual House is an online tool by which a house is built to code and allows the house to be viewed at various stages of construction. The user will be able to toggle on or off HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing systems at the various stages of construction. This digital asset will allow the instructor to show the various intricacies of the related trades and how they influence each other on the development of a residential home. As well each trade can use this asset to be able to feature specific trade- related topics.
Persona
The end user is for an instructor who is comfortable in the gaming environment and Google street view navigation. Our initial use interviews discovered that the majority played video games with a strong familiarity with using Google online tools such a Street View.
Leverage and experiment on at the time cutting edge virtual technologies. NAIT digital design team Created an in-house a VR experience of an Iron Worker walking across a beam to help demonstrate to first-year students the environment of a steel structure. The program wanted to help demonstrate what it was like to be a steel worker. First year atricition rates were high and the digital studio created this digital learning objects
This asset was used to demonstrate various beam walking techniques by instructors. Subsequently, students can practice at a safe location the methods shown without the danger of significant injury. The following videos show the first person view then the observer view of the same experience.
Persona
First year apprentices who have no experience walking on a construction site beam. This digital object mimics the experience of walking across the beam so instructors can more easily demonstrate and assess students. Subsequently students have a stronger orientation to the beam-walking experience prior to moving on to the exact real steel structure in the yard used by the students for assemble, disassembly and walkabout training.
