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[Member Profile] Meet Sharon Doucet from UBC

  • Tell us a bit about where you work and what you do.

I work in the Office of Faculty Development in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine as a Senior Instructional Designer. Our team consists of a small but dedicated group of clinical/health professional faculty who are passionate about teaching and super cool and awesome staff members. Together, we support physicians, foundational scientists, and health professionals how to effectively and efficiently teach medical/health professional students and residents in UBC’s distributed Undergraduate Medical Education program and Post-Graduate Medical Education program. My role involves strategizing, developing, and implementing educational design solutions to support medical and health professional teachers. Sometimes this is an online module, sometimes it is a facilitated workshop, sometimes it is a small group online tutorial- it all depends on the context and the learning goals.

  • How long have you been involved in teaching and learning and/or ed technology?

8 years!

  • What’s one thing you really love about the work you do?

I like melding current, evidence-based teaching practices with the specific teaching goals of my clients and the specific social context of the learning environment (geography, constraints, hierarchy that exists between doctors/medical student) to develop effective teaching solutions.

  • How long have you been a member of ETUG?

8 years! Though I’ve jumped in and out when all my energy went toward pursing a masters of science and technology studies at UBC while continuing to work full time.

  • What do you like best about this community and its activities?

I spend a lot of time being critical of technology…like when it is inappropriately utilized and just overcomplicates a learning environment without adding anything to make the burden ‘worth it’’. ETUG is a place where I get a break from using that lens. This community loves technology AND is brilliant about its application for the enhancement/support of learning—I’m continually inspired and impressed.  

  • What would you like ETUG to provide more of in terms of benefits/value to members? Any input or help you want members to provide?

Hmm… the first thing that came to mind was providing the space to propose research projects/ideas for publications on edtech related topics with the goal of finding collaborators from community members.

  • Do you have any special interests/hobbies?

I am a big animal lover. I currently have two dogs and a horse, but I grew up on farms with chickens, ducks, cows, four dogs, and five gorgeous angel baby horses – two of which I was present for their births and trained. My superpower is the ability to catch poultry and fowl. I once snatched a ‘problem’ Muscovy duck right out of a golf courses’ pond, brought her home and named her bubbles. Bubbles became the 5th wife to my male duck, Elvis. FYI Muscovy ducks do not quack- they hiss.

  • Anything special you want to ask or share with members?

Only to say that I’ll remember, with great fondness, the glorious Lee’s Doughnut ETUG display at the 2019 spring conference.