ahandrewh has a cv

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) Chair

September 2021 to August 2022, ongoing since May 2023

To support and direct curricular change.

As UCC chair, I directed the committee through the external review process. This has included:

• Interviewing faculty on curricular concerns (summary available online).
• Organizing and planning focus groups for student curricular concerns (summary available online).
• Planning, releasing, summarizing a survey for student, faculty, and alumni.
• Writing the undergraduate section of the self-study document.

I have also directed the concentration proposal process:

• Leading the concentration retreat to garner feedback on proposals.
• Providing a recap of the process for faculty.

The role of UCC chair also regularly reviews student course appeals, reports to the director and associate director as well as the FCAT UCC. In spring 2022 I also participated as an evaluator for the first cohort of project-based masters students.

Monster Jam

October 2023

To engage local high-school students in a preview of what SIAT is.

An event is for high school students who were looking to explore the design world and practice their design skills. Participants learned about some design basics from current SIAT students and worked in small teams to propose a unique branding solution in this one-day event.

Infrastructure Chair

January 2019 to August 2019

To help support faculty and student infrastructure needs.

As the chair of the Infrastructure Committee, I led the committee to help support instructor needs when transitioning to remote teaching during the pandemic. In collaboration with Carman Neustaedter (then department chair) developed a protocol for on-campus work and booking system for coming to campus.

Building Better Project Outlines

Sept 2019 to Nov 2020

To build a 'better' project outline — one more understandable by a broader range of language proficiencies.

One of five SFU faculty members selected for the Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching and Research (CELLTR) "Inquiring into Your Multilingual Classroom: An Integrated Seminar Series and Grants Program."

As part of the program I have attended a series of seminars and am developing a grant application to complete research around the development of better project outlines for students. Given my sabbatical in 2019, results of this research will likely be available in 2020.

SIAT Content Guide

2017 to 2018

To help guide the reworking of content for the SIAT website.

As the chair of the Communications Committee, I led the committee as well as students, staff and faculty through various exercises to help develop and inform a content strategy/guide for SIAT.

Communications committee

2014 to 2018

I sat on the Communications committee for SIAT from 2014-2018. In September 2017 I became the committee chair. Since starting as chair I led the committee through the following:

• Proposing and rolling out standardized email addresses for the department.
• With direction from fellow faculty and staff, developing a content guide to build better and more consistent website content.
• Restructuring and rewriting the department website to better serve our audiences. Live at www.sfu.ca/siat as of January 2019.

Tenure & promotion committee

2017 to 2018

Member of the SIAT committee reviewing tenure and promotion cases for 2018.

Teaching assistant training

2009 to 2017

To mentor potential future instructors to improve their own practice, as well as the experience for the students they teach.

Exploring mentorship and improving teaching quality is important to me, both personally and for my team. These are issues I have continued exploring since the 2009 SIAT TA Training, where I presented on preparing labs and facilitating discussion in the classroom with Ben Unterman (SIAT, PhD Candidate). My involvement in TA training has continued with the Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 Burnaby TA/TM Days where I presented on the use of technology in the classroom. When our TA training became integrated with SFU at large (2013), I turned to developing a guide for my own TAs to review common TAing concerns when first starting out.

In 2014 I worked with Sarah Louise-Turner (Educational Consultant, TLC) to develop a workshop around software facilitation, a gap we identified in the SFU-wide TA training that was especially evident in SIAT. The workshop ended up serving both our TA's as well as the student-led TechBytes software mentorship program.

As there has been renewed interest in SIAT-focused TA training, I have worked with Chantal Gibson (Senior Lecturer, SIAT), Sarah Louise-Turner (Educational Consultant, TLC), and Paul Brokenshire (MEd Candidate, SFU) as one of the organizers and facilitators for the Fall 2016 and 2017 SIAT TA Training. My role involved developing the Facilitating a Lab session in addition to preparing a Canvas package for all SIAT TA-related materials.

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Member

2014 to 2017

Work as part of the committee has included being the educational goals facilitator for the programming proficiency group as well as working with Carman Neustaedter and Alissa Antle on recommendations for reworking SIAT's capstone course.

Educational Goals Facilitator for Programming Proficiency

2015 to 2017

To develop and test a rubric for evaluating the programming proficiency of our students at a program level.

As part of my time on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, I have been the facilitator for our department's educational goals rubric development process. My role involves organizing and facilitating meetings between key 'programming proficiency' stakeholders to try and design a rubric for testing the programming proficiency outcomes for our program.

First-year Portfolio

2015 to 2016

To help guide students into effective reflective practice through the development of their own portfolio.

As part of ensuring our first-year students are prepared to critically reflect on their own work and the work of others, Chantal Gibson (Senior Lecturer, SIAT) and I took on a Teaching and Learning Development Grant to integrate portfolio practice across two of our first year-courses — Graphic Design and Design Communication & Collaboration. We developed a portfolio activity that had students engage in design thinking and reflective practice through a process analysis of their work. Our work included the development of shared instructions and grading criteria that explicitly integrated the design and writing principles taught in both courses.

Work on the First-year Portfolio project was presented at the SFU Symposium on Teaching & Learning (May 2016).

SIAT Design Jam

2014 to 2016

To challenge students to propose solutions for a future-looking conceptual problem.

Started with former SIAT students Rowan Weismiller and Scott Horsfall, the SIAT Design Jam presents students with a different challenge than that of the mixer; resolve a given design problem given tight time constraints and with a variety of people you likely do not know. It offers students an ability to practice employing ideation, prototyping and presentation skills. The event website is available at siatjam.ca

SIAT Mixer

2012 to 2018

To give undergraduate students an opportunity to hear what life outside of SIAT is like from alumni and members of industry.

As one of the lead organizers of the SIAT mixer, we — Andrea Barbera (Student Affairs Coordinator, SIAT), Stephanie Greaves (Co-op Coordinator, SIAT), SIAT Advising, and myself — have managed to annually bring out students, alumni, and industry to enjoy an evening of sharing ideas and experiences. It offers current students the opportunity to practice 'soft skills' such as networking and discussion that are so key to their future employment success. The event website is available at siatmixer.ca

Maker Faire Booth Organizer

2016

To ensure SIAT is represented at the Vancouver Mini Maker Faire.

Working with Andrea Barbera (Student Affairs Coordinator, SIAT), Ken Zupan (Senior Lecturer, SIAT) and SIAT Advising, I helped organize undergraduate and graduate student presenters for the SIAT booth at the Maker Faire to help showcase what our students do, as well as what our program covers.

10th Anniversary Emcee

2013

To officiate events for SIAT's 10th anniversary.

Was in charge of keeping the evening moving along in a timely manner while introducing different speakers and evening events.

Creative of the Year Judge

2013

To help coordinate with the other judges to select a best project.

The SIAT 10th Anniversary introduced a one-time Creative of the Year event for which I was asked to judge. As the only faculty member representative on the judging committee, I helped to provide feedback on presentations like the other judges but I also acted as a facilitator for the final deliberations.

Program Advisory Committee for Interaction Design Diploma

January 2023 to January 2025

To provide advice regarding industry demands/trends and curriculum development.

Invited to join the Program Advisory Committee for Capilano University's Interaction Design Diploma for which I was originally an external reviewer.

External Reviewer for Capilano University Diploma

November 2021

To provide an external critique of a new diploma proposal.

Invited to provide critique on a new diploma proposal by Christina Lee Kim Koon of Capilano University. Reviewed the proposed curriculum with Christina and provided critique of areas of concern and posed questions to help direct next steps in their diploma proposal.

Judge for the Game of Apps

May 2020

To help provide constructive critique to a local competition.

Provided constructive critique on projects in the competition and helped decide on the winners of each category.

Board Member at Art for Impact

2012 to 2017

To help celebrate art's capacity for social change.

A member of the board of Art for Impact (AFI), a non-profit focused on holding interdisciplinary art events for the benefit of other grassroots non-profit organizations. My role has me taking on a variety of tasks from managing their web presence to helping run tech at their events. It is quite an entertainingly varied position.

Dance + Technology Workshop

2013

To provide an introduction and lead a discussion on technological options in performance.

The Dance + Technology Workshop was hosted by the Mocean Dance Company and the CineFlux Research group of the Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design (NSCAD). It offered local professionals and academics an opportunity to encounter, tinker with, and discuss technology relating to theatre performance. At it I presented some of my technological work with Mocean Dance on their piece Body Abandoned.

Activity Coordinator at Surrey Children's Festival

2010 to 2013

To help students engage with technology in a creative fashion.

A workshop held for the Surrey Children's Festival and Burnaby Discovery Day to introduce kids to Scratch, a simple programming language for children. Kids between the ages of 8 to 13 took part in a half-hour digital media workshop to create interactive stories using the program, offering them another creative outlet when at the computer.

Linguistically Responsive Classroom Series

January 2021 to March 2021

To extend my understanding of multilingual learners in my classes.

Attended series of workshops to try and improve the design of IAT-339 to ensure it supports multilingual learners as best as possible. A certificate of participation was provided on completion of the workshop series.

Tools for Well-being in the Classroom

September 2021 to December 2021

To improve student well-being in the classroom.

Participated in the Tools for Well-being in the Classroom, SFU Healthy Campus Community Research and Student Experience project for Fall 2021. A thank-you letter was provided for participation.

CELLTR-ISTLD Seminar Series and Grant Program

October 2018 to November 2019

To design better project descriptions for students.

One of five SFU faculty members selected for the Centre for English Language Learning, Teaching and Research (CELLTR) "Inquiring into Your Multilingual Classroom: An Integrated Seminar Series and Grants Program."

As part of the program I attended a series of seminars focused on the challenges multilingual learners face in the classroom. This not only helps inform my focus for the grant — on better project outlines — but also how I can better deliver content to support a variety of linguistic abilities.

Completed Completed an ISTLD grant to look into project briefs in IAT-235.

TLC Teaching & Learning Symposium

2012, 2015 & 2016

To share and find out about innovations in teaching around SFU.

As part of attending the TLC Teaching and Learning Symposiums I have presented on my own work — iClicker Games (2012), first-year portfolios, and Parti (2016) — and also had opportunity to see and hear about how others are innovating within their own programs. Most recently, the work being done on Universal Design for Learning was beneficial to thinking about my own approaches to designing accessible learning.

BC Festival of Learning

2016

To share and find out about innovations in teaching around BC.

In attending the BC Festival of Learning I not only spent time presenting Parti (2016), but also spent time in a workshop on re-considering what can be considered a 'learning space'. The event was also useful for forming connections, as it is where I met Chad Leaman of the Neil Squire Society with whom I worked on further industry/course integrations.

EdMedia Protege Program

2013

To improve my use of media and technology within the classroom.

Within the program I worked through developing a custom slide deck system allowing for easy HTML-based delivery of slides including features such as like live-code editing and sketching within the slide deck. It is a tool I continue to improve upon and use to this day as part of my online course content.

Rethinking Teaching Workshop

2013

To better understand effective course design and development.

In attending the workshop, I specifically worked on revising (then) IAT-381 — Web Design & Development — for the Summer 2013 term while progressing through the workshop. The purposes for the redevelopment as well as the process are detailed further in my details on designing the course.

Web App Accessibility

Feb 2024

To specialize further in web accessibility and testing.

Workshop to help me improve my understanding and application of web accessibility both within my course materials and teaching.

Frontline Ethics Masterclass

November 2022

To further explore ethics and ethical practices in design research.

Workshop for better understanding how to approach ethically challenging situations in research.

Deep Dive on Accessibility Testing

April 2022

To specialize further in web accessibility and testing.

Workshop to help me improve my understanding and application of web accessibility both within my course materials and teaching.

Design & Content Conference

July 2020, 2021

To get a review of the 'state-of-the-domain' in content design.

Have been regularly attending the conference since 2020 to keep up with what are best practices at the intersection of design and content.

Game UX Summit

Sept 2018

To broaden my understanding of user experience into game design.

Attended a number of the talks at the 2018 Game UX Summit hosted by EA in Vancouver to help explore another angle of user experience design which our students may be exploring.

Field Research Masterclass

Nov 2017

To better understand field research principles and practice.

A one-day workshop of running international field research projects. Useful to help inform my teaching practice for current industry standards, as well as different approaches to design research.

To Be Designed — online conference

Apr 2017

To get a review of the 'state-of-the-domain' from important design figures.

Online, one-day conference with presentations by Cennydd Bowles, Carla Diana, Giles Colborne, John Maeda, Mike Kuniavsky, Liza Kindred and Chris Noessel focusing on the 'near future' of design. A useful series of talks to keep up with how the discipline of design is evolving and changing.

User Research for Everyone Conference

2016

To get a review of the 'state-of-the-domain' from important figures in user research.

The User Research Web-conference offered the unique opportunity to hear figures such as Erika Hall, Leah Buley, Nate Bolt, Julie Stanford, Abby Covert, and Cindy Alvarez speak to their knowledge of user research, as well as current best practices within the field.

UX Futures Conference

2014

To get a review of the 'state-of-the-domain' from important figures in UX.

The UX Futures Web-conference offered the unique opportunity to hear figures such as Jesse James Garrett, Margot Bloomstein, and Steve Krug speak on their views of the domain of user experience, its definition and where they see the domain heading in future.

SmashingConf + Responsive Design Workshop

2014

To update my knowledge of current web design and development standards and best practices.

As a well-regarded resource for web development and design advice, Smashing Magazine holds a collection of conferences on current best practices. Since the conference was held at Whistler, it offered an easily accessible opportunity to attend the conference. As well as attending the conference, I also partook in a Responsive Design Workshop lead by Vitaly Freidman.

Emotional Resilience Masterclass

May 2021

To gain a better understanding of what emotional resilience is and how to manage it.

Attended the masterclass with Jonny Miller focusing on building resilience, managing resilience, and supporting yourself and others in your emotional resilience.

InstructureCon

2016

To explore in more depth how I can use Canvas as a teaching tool.

Though I was invited to InstructureCon to present on my work on Parti, the conference also offered an opportunity to develop my knowledge and understanding of Canvas further. In addition to attending a variety of talks at the conference, I also participated in two pre-conference workshops focused on how to integrate and create your own additional tools in Canvas.

Visual Facilitation Workshop

2013

To explore how I can better integrate sketching and visuals in my practice as an instructor.

This two day workshop lead by Michelle Laurie and Nancy White helped give me a toolset of approaches and concepts to help create materials that can be interpreted by more than text alone. These workshops and their practice has made an appearance in my teaching assistant introduction materials as well as the first-year portfolio project.

Body Abandoned

2013 to 2015

Another collaboration with Sara Coffin for which I helped design the projections and their presentation in the piece. This piece was done in collaboration with Sara's associates at Mocean Dance exploring the corporeal self in a digital world. Presented at Dancing on the Edge (2015) and in the Mount Allison University Performing Art Series (2015).

An introductory clip of the piece is available for viewing.

Dark Room

2012 to 2013

In a piece exploring photography meeting dance, I brought in a live-projection and audience interaction component to my collaboration with the Body Narratives Collective. The piece was performed at the The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (2012) and later restaged at The Roundhouse (2013).

"Seven Principles and Recommendations for Developing an Effective Design Thinking Curriculum in the Context of Secondary Education" (Co-author)

2019

Primary authors Leila Aflatoony & Ron Wakkary.

Accepted manuscript for publication in Form Akademisk (Research Journal of Design and Design Education).

"Loopo: a tangible programming game for kids" (Co-author)

2014

Primary authors Paulina Mun-Yee Lam, Carlo Ka-Ho Lai, Yeseul Tracy Choi, Brianna Jean Huxtable & Jan Rainier Castro and co-author Carman Neustaedter.

Accepted in the CHI 2014 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems.