The AVPA Office provides leadership with respect to the governance of academic matters at the University of Waterloo, particularly for undergraduate and non-credit programming. It also serves as a central source of information and support for advancing academics at the University of Waterloo, including oversight of strategic projects related to teaching and learning; the Academic Leadership Program; and units and programs focused on providing support related to academics.
This work involves close collaboration with faculty members, associate deans (undergraduate), teaching fellows, the Registrar, the associate vice-president of graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs, and others.
The AVPA Office falls under the leadership of the Associate Vice-President, Academic, David DeVidi. Read more about Dave's work as the AVPA.
Please contact Catherine Klausen for support booking meetings with the AVPA: cklausen@uwaterloo.ca
Core AVPA Office
David DeVidi
Associate Vice-President, Academic
Martin Cooke
Assistant Vice-President, Academic - Leadership and Strategic Initiatives
Alisa Sivak
Communications Associate
Sarah Seabrook
Special Projects, Communications and Community Engagement Specialist
Catherine Klausen
Administrative Support (Casual)
Academic Quality Enhancement (AQuE)
Angela Christelis
Director, Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement
Maysah Eid
Quality Assurance Coordinator, New Programs and Research
Maysah’s role in the Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement Office is focused on assisting programs going through cyclical reviews with getting their final assessment reports and progress reports completed and approved through university governance.
Maysah also facilitates the process of developing new programs and getting them approved, tracking major modifications and responding to related inquiries, and conducting research to help inform strategic decision-making for academic quality enhancement.
She believes in life-long learning and is passionate about education and streamlining processes, and is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Exercise Therapist.
Maysah has an MEd. from The College of New Jersey and has taught in international schools, reviewed and developed curricula, as well as coached faculty on best practices in pedagogy to enhance student learning since 2003.
Sukhmeet Singh Bedi
Quality Assurance Coordinator - Cyclic Program Reviews
Sukhmeet's primary responsibility revolves around ensuring that the University not only upholds the highest standards of quality but also consistently enhances them. His expertise is channelled into the seamless implementation and facilitation of our quality assurance and continuous improvement initiatives, which are instrumental in driving the University's Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP). Sukhmeet is actively engaged in fostering and nurturing collaborative partnerships with diverse stakeholders throughout the university. This includes working closely with The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP), Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA), and Equity, Diversity, Indigenization, and Anti-Racism (EDI-R).
Drawing from over six years of insightful experience in the pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals industry, Sukhmeet possesses an intimate understanding of the vital significance of unwavering quality control and the relentless pursuit of continuous improvement.
Sukhmeet has been with the university since June 2023, reporting directly to the Director of Academic Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement (AQACI).
Teaching Assessment Processes (TAP)
Sonya Buffone
Director, Teaching Assessment Processes
Kathy Becker
Specialist, Teaching Assessment Processes
Teaching Innovation Incubator
Kyle Scholz
Interim Managing Director – Teaching Innovation Incubator
Kyle is the Interim Managing Director of the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII). He is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and evaluation of (Beta-) TII projects - projects which will allow the TII to assess its own approaches to supporting ideas that have the potential to be part of the next generation of teaching and learning at Waterloo.
He is also tasked with working with an advisory group to flesh out the systems and implementation plans needed to launch the TII, preparing for the launch of the TII, and overseeing strategic communications and events to promote the projects and work of the Beta TII as well as other teaching innovations being developed on campus, with the goal of enhancing the culture of teaching innovation at Waterloo.
Kyle has worked at the University of Waterloo since 2013. His disciplinary background is in German language learning, and he obtained his PhD in German applied linguistics from the University of Waterloo, where he researched digital game-based language learning in extramural learning environments. His broader research interests include: innovative teaching practices, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), (Digital) game-based learning, second language development, and computer-assisted language learning (CALL).