New Leadership for ETUG

The Educational Technology Users Group (ETUG) story began in 1994, and today marks the start of a new chapter for this grassroots community.

At a small ceremony in the Victoria office of BCcampus, we thanked co-chairs Janine Hirtz, Senior Educational Consultant in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and Jason Toal, Interaction Specialist in the Teaching and Learning Centre at Simon Fraser University, for the leadership and direction they’ve provided ETUG over the past two years.

Post by BCcampus’ editorial team

Pictured (l-r) Keith Webster (RRU), incoming Vice-Chair, Jason Toal (SFU), outgoing Co-Chair, Terri Bateman (NIC), incoming Chair, Janine Hirtz (UBC-O), outgoing Co-Chair, Clint Lalonde (BCcampus), Community Steward, and Emily Schudel (Camosun), incoming Vice-Chair

“Jason and I had much to learn when we first took over the team,” shared Janine. “We’d both been members for years but were new to the chair/co-chair role and had much to figure out, but we were enthusiastic and were able to guide the group to where we are today. One of the things we recognized is that the leadership transition was missing a link to the past, and to help with this Jason and I are staying on the committee to help carry the load and smooth out the transition for the new team.”

“I’m proud of the amount of growth within our stewardship committee and the community itself,” said Jason. “We’ve managed to grow the activities that the stewardship committee takes on. That’s important to me because I’ve felt that this has always been a community that is able to take risks – challenging themselves as presenters, organizers, and leaders.”

The new leadership team, composed of Terri Bateman, Distributed Learning Facilitator at North Island College, Emily Schudel, Instructional Designer at Camosun College, and Keith Webster, Instructional Designer in the Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies at Royal Roads University, was on hand to take the baton.

The chair position will rotate over the next three years, with Terri in the lead role for the first year, to be replaced by Emily or Keith in the second and third years.

Clint Lalonde, Manager, Education Technology & Development at BCcampus, said, “Jason and Janine have been exceptional co-chairs of ETUG for the past two years, and I am very happy that they have agreed to stay on the stewardship committee as their institutional ETUG representatives. While this does mark a transition in leadership for ETUG, the new leadership team of Terri, Emily, and Keith are all well-known to the ETUG community, having been active members in the ETUG community for years. Their experience and deep understanding of the community are going to be valuable assets as we head into ETUG’s 25^th anniversary year.”

Working with the ETUG community

“It’s really the collective that helps set the direction,” said Terri. “I’m excited to be transitioning into this role because I see it as a way to give back to this community that has given me so much. The Festival of Learning 2018 will give us an opportunity to connect with existing and new members and plan the future of ETUG.”

Emily told us, “I came to ETUG at a time when I didn’t really have the opportunities to collaborate with people at my own institution, and it gave me a network of fellow-practitioners to collaborate with and learn from. ETUG is about what the education technology community wants and needs, so I know we will be asking our members to help us determine the direction they would like to see us take.”

“It’s a good idea to have backup leadership,” said Keith. “Our careers and lives diverge and change, so it’s smart to plan for stability and continuity. Going forward, we’re looking at ways to expand our membership, such as extending it to students involved in educational technology to get them interested more so in what we do.”

Continued success

Please join us at the Festival of Learning 2018 to thank Jason and Janine for their contribution to ETUG and the commitment they’ve made to ensure a smooth transition. We’re looking forward to the possibilities under the new leadership, and we’re confident that ETUG will continue to be a remarkable success for many years to come.

Notable quotes:

“We’re all super-busy people, and the folks who volunteer are often active with personal and professional commitments. Don’t over-commit, and remember to lean on each other and the community. We have a talented pool of skilled, creative, and dedicated committee members who are willing and eager to step in as needed.” ~Janine Hirtz, Senior Educational Consultant in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia Okanagan

“ETUG is a welcoming group and I encourage anyone involved in education to join. The commitment is as little as signing up for the newsletter, to as much as you want it to be. There is something for everyone.” ~Terri Bateman, Distributed Learning Facilitator at North Island College

“There are two populations we hope to have involved in the future: students who are learning online, either blended or completely online, and students who are studying education, perhaps at the graduate level.” ~Keith Webster, Instructional Designer in the Centre for Teaching and Educational Technologies at Royal Roads University