UOIT announces new Faculty of Education dean

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Suzanne de Castell as dean, Faculty of Education, effective September 1, 2012. Dr. de Castell comes to UOIT from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia where she is currently a professor of Curriculum and Instruction with the Faculty of Education. She has served as associate dean and subsequently interim dean of the faculty at SFU from 2007 to 2009.

“I am delighted to be joining this dynamic and forward-looking university at a time of unprecedented opportunities to design, develop and implement truly leading edge 21^st century educational tools, methods and programs,” said Dr. de Castell.  “The clear course this university has set for itself, with its singular and distinctive commitment to technology-enabled research, teaching and learning, makes UOIT’s Faculty of Education uniquely well-positioned to become Canada’s leading faculty for innovative design, implementation and dissemination of technologically supported and enhanced education. I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students to deepen, extend and enrich this faculty’s considerable accomplishments, developing the kinds of educational networks, both face-to-face and online, that are capable of meeting our most pressing educational needs in the region and beyond, and supporting and strengthening both our communities and our scholarly work.”

Dr. de Castell’s work spans literacy, technology, gender, educational game theory, research, design and development, and multimodal analysis of communicative interaction. She has an extensive list of books, textbooks, articles and chapters published in these areas. In 2000, she was the recipient of the Wired Woman Pioneer in Technology and New Media Award, Women in the Spotlight, and BC Research Partnership Award. In 2004 she was awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Education: Learning for Life.

“Dr. de Castell brings an exemplary record of academic leadership and management, award recognition and outstanding success in securing funding for research and development projects in the realm of education,” said Dr. Richard Marceau, provost and vice-president, Academic, UOIT. “Her distinguished career and extensive experience in pioneering new technologies for educational applications, including simulation and gaming, is a perfect fit for the Faculty of Education which prepares students to excel and lead in the 21^st-century workplace.”

Dr. de Castell received her Bachelor of Arts degree (Hons.) in Literature and Philosophy from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) in Montreal, Quebec. She received a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Education with distinction from the Institute of Education at the University of London in England in 1971 and her PhD in Philosophy from Senate House at the University of London in 1980.

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Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 2209
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