Teaching

A deep investment in how community can activate and influence academic knowledge has led to the development of a dedicated Community Engaged Learning course, VISA 375 “Artists in Society”.  Over the last three years this course has been in various stages of development, but has partnered over 60 students with various artistic community institutions in Vancouver.  I am undergoing fundamental research of experiential learning in Visual Arts education, expanded by a Research Ethics Approval to enable further (ethical) study of the effects of this type of learning.

A large part of my role in the department is foundation/first year level teaching of large classes consisting of lectures and teaching assistant conducted studio labs.  This specific foundation course has been expanded to the Coordinated Arts Program and is part of the first year curriculum for the new Bachelor of Media Studies degree. In my years teaching this course, I continuously integrate innovative and interactive teaching practices and curriculum design for effective first year student personal epistemology and learning, towards student success and ultimately high retention. A large part of this role depends on the facilitation and co-ordination of teaching assistant training, support and mentorship, advocating habits of reflection in their ongoing process of learning best practices of how to teach.

Over the years at UBC I have taught full course loads and sometimes more, of six to seven courses per year.  I teach in a variety of areas and types of classes, from large Foundation level studio in both material and immaterial practices, to studio theory courses and am able to teach various medium specific classes in-between. Overall, teaching in Visual Arts encapsulates more than distribution of knowledge.  When teaching, it is imperative that I create environments wherein vulnerability, self-reflection and a larger epistemological understanding of how one knows and functions in relationship to meaning and ideologies and ways to execute productively, is a large part of my process.

In 2012, agency was given to allow my position to participate on advisory committee’s to MFA graduate students.  I have advised one to two graduate students each year since, towards developing individual research skills of artistic theoretical application and practice. Within the last five years I have co-taught two courses with Marina Roy, a colleague in the department, wherein we conducted studies in Venice Italy in conjunction with the last two Venice Biennale International Art Exhibitions as a GoGlobal program.  The course consisted of graduate and undergraduate visual arts students, graduate art history and graduate curatorial students. Teaching abroad has given tangibility and exposure to a global scale of critical art discourses and functions.

Additionally, I have a special interest in digital media and emerging technology, and have integrated various blended learning, online peer evaluation and ePortfolio components in my classrooms.  I have activated developer certificates towards the creation of art applications on tablets, curated online class content or work through blogs and wiki’s and expanded this to the Vancouver community at large by organizing the Vancouver chapter of the Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at the University of British Columbia with the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, as well as the Emily Carr University Library, Western Front Gallery, Belkin Art Gallery and the Vancouver Art Gallery Library. I am interested in how to transform and activate different types of learning through technology, as it informs the content of my courses as well as the process of learning.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet