Our Team
The Center for Teaching and Learning faculty support services are available through both online and in-person modalities. To quickly get in touch with questions about your course and find assistance by booking an appointment with an instructional designer. You can also connect with faculty and instructional designers by joining the Faculty Hub on Slack.
Kendell Newman Sadiik
Associate Director of Transformative Teaching
Instructional Designer
LION Liaison
Buck comes from Washington State on the border with Canada. He has a great love for animation which is his main focus in film. Buck has a diverse background in many arts and sciences including foreign languages, biology, film, art and music. He is excited to work together with designers and professors to help create awesome tools in tune with students’ and teachers’ goals for success.
Expertise & Specialties
Film, Video and Radio Production
2D & 3D Animation & Animation Production
Adobe Creative Cloud Products
Autodesk Maya
Graphic & 3D Design
WeVideo
Education and Certification
Candidate for a BA in Film Studies
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Chris Beks is an instructional designer, technology enthusiast, and LMS expert with 20 years of experience in higher education and technology. In the summer, he spends a lot of his time on the family peony farm.
Expertise & Specialties
Canvas & Blackboard
Google Apps for Education
Educational Technology
Learning Management Systems
Education and Certification
Microcomputer Support Specialist Certificate (2001)
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, United States
BS in Business Management (1996)
Koning Willem I College, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
Blackboard Certified Trainer
ITIL Foundations Certification
Christen is a designer, Google Certified Apps for Education Trainer, and has worked at CTL for 20 years. She values inquiry and ingenuity as tools for remaining an effective lifelong learner, and is most engaged thinking about how we become better problem solvers. She finds the most interesting spaces are platforms that support user contribution, collaboration, and place-based learning.
Christen also taught the Web Graphics & Multimedia class (CITS F221) for 7 years at CTC, both face-to-face and online.
Expertise & Specialties
Instructional design
Google Apps for Education
Website development & management
Multimedia authoring
Graphic design
Podcasting
Metalsmithing
Sculpture
Runner
Education and Certification
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Google for Education Certified Trainer
QM APPQMR
Ian is a media designer with 5 plus years experience creating multimedia across many different platforms. Ian is a Part 107 certified drone pilot that specializes in cinematic aerial videography. He has traveled to many remote locations all around Alaska to capture content in the field.
Expertise & Specialties
Media Creation
Education and Certification
BA Film & Performing Arts
University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021
Part 107, UAS Pilot
Alyssa is a designer, educator, and artist with over a decade of experience in education and non-profit development. Her work at the Center for Teaching and Learning is focused on graduate student teaching experience and development. She holds an MFA in Photography from UAF and a BFA from Academy of Art University.
Expertise & Specialties
Digital Storytelling
Program Development
Event Management
Adobe Creative Cloud
Graphic Design
Fine Art
Historic Photographic Processes
Outdoor Recreation
Education and Certification
Master of Fine Arts in Photography (2016)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Art Photography (2013)
Academy of Art University
Photography Instructor, UAF
Mental Health First Aid Certified
Wilderness First Responder
Swiftwater Pro Packraft Rescue Certification
Elle Fournier is an instructional designer and has been working to increase inclusivity in higher education for over a decade. She holds a Ph.D. in English Rhetoric and Composition and regularly teaches courses on writing, rhetoric, and the digital humanities.
Expertise & Specialties
Inclusive Design
Critical Pedagogy
Digital Scholarship
Place- and Community-Based Learning
Canvas
Google Apps for Education
Adobe Creative Cloud
Writing and Composition Pedagogy
Education and Certification
PhD in English, Rhetoric & Composition (2022)
Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities and Culture
Washington State University
MA in English (2017)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
BA in Convergent Media Journalism and French (2011)
Central Washington University
Layton is an educator, instructional designer, logistician, and military officer who currently resides in North Pole, Alaska. He specializes in adult education, eLearning, military/veteran engagement, and professional development. Additionally, Layton is an adjunct professor with the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, where he received his Doctor of Education degree. He also serves as a Logistics Readiness Officer with the Alaska Air National Guard and previously served seven years in the Active Duty United States Air Force, completing two overseas deployments and duty station assignments in Alaska, Washington DC, and New Mexico. In his free time, Layton enjoys making ice cream with his wife and son and hiking with their two dogs.
Expertise & Specialties
Adult Education
eLearning
Military/Veteran Engagement
Professional Development
Education and Certification
PhD in Education
Johns Hopkins University
Sean Holland, M.A., guides media production and MOOC development at University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Teaching and Learning. Sean holds a BA in linguistics from UAF and an MA in applied linguistics from UMass Boston and is a Google for Education Certified Trainer and an edX Certified Course Creator.
Expertise & Specialties
MOOCs
edX Course Design
Video Production & Screencasting
Interactive Video
Virtual & Augmented Reality
Accessibility & Captioning
Language Education & Second Language Acquisition
Education and Certification
B.A. in Linguistics (2007)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
M.A. in Applied Linguistics (2014)
University of Massachusetts Boston
Google for Education Certified Trainer
Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies
International Association of Accessibility Professionals
Dan LaSota, M.Ed. in Online Instructional Design, has dabbled in science education, technology, and public policy for 35 years. He’s been an Instructional Designer at UAF Center for Teaching and Learning for the last 12.
Expertise & Specialties
Pedagogy
Remotely Controlled Labs
Strategic Design
Database and Web Development
Repartee
Media Literacy
Education and Certification
M.Ed. Online Instructional Design (2015)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Teaching Certificate (1989)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
B.S. Physics and Astronomy (1987)
University of Rochester
Eric worked in broadcast journalism and marketing before coming to eCampus. While video production is his main focus, he has an interest in game development and developing new technologies for instructional purposes. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking and spending time with his partner and son.
Expertise & Specialties
Video Editing
Compositing
3D Animation
Unity
Mika is from a small interior town in Alaska. She loves film in all aspects, with a gravitation towards post-production and production design. As a graduate of the film program at UAF, Mika holds skills in graphic design, camera work, editing, directing, and finding ways to spend time productively waiting for exports.
Expertise & Specialties
Film & Video Production
Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop
Graphic Design
Art
Education and Certification
Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Moss is an instructional designer at eCampus with over 25 years of experience working and teaching at the higher education level. She is a Creative Commons Certified Educator and is interested in how open education and emergent technologies can work together to provide equitable and successful learning experiences.
Expertise & Specialties
edX Course Creation
Open Education & OER
WordPress
HTML, CSS
Augmented Reality
Adobe CC Apps
Digital Storytelling
Graphic Design & Illustration
Fine Art
Education and Certification
Digital Graphics Instructor, UAF
edX Certified Course Creator
Creative Commons Certified Educator
QM Peer Reviewer
QM APPQMR and IYOC Facilitator
Bachelor of Art in English Literature
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Kendell Newman Sadiik
Associate Director of Transformative Teaching
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
LION LIAISON
Kendell is a writer, teacher, and designer with 9 years of experience in project management and instructional design. With her B.A. in Political Economy, she worked in social science research in Cambridge, MA before coming to UAF for an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, which she completed in 2015. She is a listener, a problem-solver, and a creative collaborator. She values innovation and inclusion in education and works hard to make higher education accessible and responsive to all.
Expertise & Specialties
Curriculum Design
Tools for Collaboration
Student-centered Learning
Digital Storytelling
WordPress
Canvas
Google Apps
Adobe Creative Cloud
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
Critical Digital Pedagogy
Education and Certification
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (2015)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy (2008)
Williams College
Magna Cum Laude
Clara Noomah is a designer, educator, and creator who has been working in education for over 15 years. Her work at CTL centers around making the student experience at UAF more inclusive – she is the departmental lead on accessibility, and works on faculty development initiatives that highlight student voices and equitable teaching practices.
Expertise & Specialties
STEM and Online Labs
Digital Accessibility
Captioning
PDF Remediation for Accessibility
Course- and Program-level Curriculum Design
Google Apps for Education
Graphic Design
Education and Certification
edX Certified Course Creator (2020)
Quality Matters Peer Reviewer (2018)
Master of Arts in Educational Studies
Lewis & Clark College (2016)
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sciences and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies,
Williams College (2013)
Liz Odell Howe is an instructional designer at UAF’s Center for Teaching and Learning, bringing 15 years of experience in education, library media, and Learning Management Systems (LMS) to the team. Her diverse background enables her to effectively support educators and enhance the learning experience for students. Liz is dedicated to creating engaging and practical learning solutions that meet the needs of the global edX community.
Expertise & Specialties
Media Literacy
Learning Management Systems
Canvas
Google Apps for Education
edX course design
Pedagogy
eLearning
Education and Certification
Library Media Graduate Certification (2021)
Montana State University
MAT Education COOP (2011)
Alaska Pacific University
BA Education (2009)
University of Alaska Anchorage
Level One Google Educator
Common Sense Media Literacy Educator
Victoria Oyewola
Graduate Writing Support Specialist
Victoria Oyewola joins UAF as our new Graduate Writing Support Specialist, working directly with graduate students to enhance their research writing skills. With a Ph.D. in Engineering Education (Utah State University, 2024) and over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and mentoring, Victoria brings expertise in academic writing, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and manuscript preparation. She is passionate about supporting students at every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to revising theses and dissertations, while fostering productivity and confidence among graduate writers.
Expertise & Specialties
Academic Writing
Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
Manuscript Preparation
Education and Certification
Ph.D. in Engineering Education
Utah State University (2024)
Jenn is an Educational Psychologist who is committed to redesigning learning experiences to give all students the opportunity to achieve their dreams. She came to UAF with experience teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level, mentoring thesis and doctoral students, consulting, and serving in administrative roles at a wide spectrum of institutions. That experience informs her approach to designing and developing courses that engage, challenge, and appeal to diverse learners. Jenn has created a wide range of faculty (and administrator) development opportunities on accessibility, program curriculum development, instructional and learning design and delivery, experiential learning, differentiated instruction, and effective online teaching practices. She loves tackling new course design challenges and helping faculty find ways to make their subjects compelling and accessible to Alaskan students.
Expertise & Specialties
Curriculum Design
Faculty Development
Online Innovation
Online Teaching Effectiveness
Pedagogy
Quality Matters
Accessibility
Learning Design
Experiential Learning
Differentiated Instruction
Education and Certification
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology
Walden University
M.S. in Educational Psychology
Walden University
B. S. in Psychology
Troy University
Blackboard Certified Trainer
Blackboard Exemplary Course Peer Reviewer
Certified QM Peer Reviewer
Certified Online and Face to Face Applying the QM Rubric Trainer
Certified Online and Face to Face QM Improving Your Online Course Trainer
MBTI Practitioner
Online Pedagogy Peer-Reviewer
Faith joined the eCampus team in 2016. She brought with her a diverse background in student support and success. Within eCampus, she has worked as the Student Success Specialist, Exam Services Manager, and Program Success Coordinator. In Spring 2024, she joined the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Design Team (DT). Within the DT, Faith focuses on faculty communication and recruitment, oversees the microcredentialing program for the Troth Yeddha campus.
When she is not at work, you can find her either spending time with her family or off shooting her bow.
Expertise & Specialties
Badging & Microcredentials
Course and Program Development
Testing
Canva
After working for us for multiple semesters as a student worker while she completed her BA degree, Shayla joined UAF CTL as a full-time employee 2022. She has been a professional artist since 2015 and focuses on creating meaningful pieces in ink and watercolor that convey the beauty of the world around her. Shayla uses her skills to expand on CTL’s graphic design and illustration capabilities. Outside of work, she is an established artist that goes to conventions around the country. She is an active part of the online gaming community and is an Ambassador for Guardians Mental Health and part of the official Bungie Creator Program.
Expertise & Specialties
Graphic design
Custom illustration
Media Production
Education and Certification
Bachelor of Arts in Art and Japanese Studies
University of Alaska Fairbanks
LJ Varghese joined UAF CTL as an instructional designer in summer 2022. Focusing on UAF’s AlaskaX initiative, they bring experience in library and archival sciences as well as DEI work within higher education institutions. LJ believes education should be equitable and accessible, and they are interested in defining and creating transformative teaching and learning experiences, with a focus on anti-oppressive and liberatory education.
Expertise & Specialties
Course & program development
edX
Education and Certification
Bachelor of Arts in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MSI
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Zach Cureton-Hazard is a member of the design team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Teaching and Learning. Zach has a bachelors degree in chemistry and is a certified secondary science teacher in Alaska. After spend 6 years teaching science in Alaska (two years in Saint Marys and 4 years in Seward), he joined the team at CTL.
Expertise & Specialties
Badgining & Microcredentials
Canvas
The MILL Makerspace
Education and Certification
Bachelors of Science in Chemistry
Alaska Department of Education Professional Teaching License