Donna Ellis

Email: donnae@uwaterloo.ca
Phone: 519-888-4567 x45713
Office: EC3 2017
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Since 1994, Dr. Donna Ellis has supported teaching development for Waterloo’s instructors at all levels and promoted the importance of teaching and learning at our institution. In her role as director, she oversees the strategic direction of the Centre’s work, which focuses on effective teaching via face-to-face teaching, blended learning, emerging technologies, integrative and experiential learning, Indigenization, decolonization, and anti-racism. CTE provides individual instructor consultations, workshops and events, online resources, curriculum and program review consultations, and research and evaluation support.   

Donna also engages in both research and institutional-level projects about teaching and learning, focusing on instructional innovations, institutional teaching culture, and leadership of teaching centres. She is the President of the International Consortium for Educational Development and a former president of the U.S.-based POD Network.

Donna has a PhD from Waterloo’s Management Engineering program and an MA in Language and Professional Writing from Waterloo. Her undergraduate teaching has been in the Communication Arts program. 

Selected Publications

• Hoessler, C. & Ellis, D. E. & Bayles, B., (2023). Managing for agility in constant change: HR strategies for teaching center leaders. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development 42(1): 3. 

• Shaw, L., MacDougall, H., Goff, L., Ellis, D., Kustra, E., Law, M.P., & Taylor, L. (2023). Valuing teaching: exploring how a university’s strategic documents reflect institutional teaching culture. International Journal for Academic Development.

• Shaw, L., Grose, J., Kustra, E., Goff, L., Ellis, D., Borin, P. (2021). Cultivating an Institutional Culture that Values Teaching: Developing a Repository of Effective Practices. To Improve the Academy 40 (1). 

• Sacks, D., Payette, P., Ellis, D., & Volpe Horii, C. (2021). Leveraging centers for teaching and learning in accreditation review and quality assurance processes. POD Speaks, 4, 1-6 (online publication for the POD Network).

• Ellis, D.E., Brown, V.M., Tse, C.T. (2020). Comprehensive assessment for teaching and learning centres: A field-tested planning model. International Journal for Academic Development.

• Shaw, L., Brown, K., Ellis, D., Wolf, P., Dawson, D., Goff, L., Kustra, E. (2019). From Perception to Practice: A Qualitative Exploration into Institutional Teaching Culture. Pedagogical Innovation: Adapting Practice to Evolving Cultures in Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, Vol. 12, 140-154.
• Ellis, D.E., Chu, S.T.L., Popovic, C., Rolheiser, C., Le-May Sheffield, S., Wolf, P., & Wright, W.A. (2018). Educational Development Guide Series: No. 3. Centre Reviews: Strategies for Success. Ottawa, ON: Educational Developers Caucus.
• Ellis, D.E. (2018). Changing the lens: The role of reframing in educational development. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 37 (1), 142-150.
• West, K., Hoessler, C., Bennetch, R., Ewert-Bauer, T., Wilson, M., Beaudoin, J.-P., Ellis, D. E., Brown, V. M., Timmermans, J. A., Verwoord, R., & Kenny, N. A. (2017). Educational Development Guide Series: No. 2. Rapport-Building for Educational Developers. Ottawa, ON: Educational Developers Caucus.
• Timmermans, J.A., & Ellis, D.E. (2016). Reconceptualizing the scholarship of teaching and learning at the University of Waterloo: An account of influences and impact. In N. Simmons (Ed.) New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 146, (Summer), 71-78.
• Ellis, D.E., (2015). What discourages students from engaging with innovative instructional methods: Creating a barrier framework. Innovative Higher Education, 40 (2), 111-125.
• Kustra, E., Doci, F., Gillard, K., Dishke Hondzel, C., Goff, L., Gabay, D., Meadows, K., Borin, P., Wolf, P., Ellis, D., Eiliat, H., Grose, J., Dawson., D., & Hughes, S. (2015). Teaching culture perception: Documenting and transforming institutional teaching cultures. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 8, 231-244.
• Schönwetter, D.J. & Ellis, D.E. (2011). Taking stock: Contemplating North American graduate student professional development programs and developers. In J. Miller & J. Groccia (Eds.) To Improve the Academy, 29. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Ellis, D.E. & Ortquist-Ahrens, L. (2010). Practical suggestions for programs and activities. In K. Herr Gillespie & D. Reimondo Robertson (Eds.) A guide to faculty development, 2^nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Selected Conference Presentations

• Ellis, D.E., & Scholz, K. (2022, November). Developing a teaching innovation incubator: Thinking outside the box. Presented at the annual Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education conference, Seattle, WA.
• Turner, N., & Ellis, D.E. (2022, November). Re-imaging educational development practices: Integrating change theories in complex contexts. Presented at the annual Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education conference, Seattle, WA.
• Ellis, D., & Stephenson, V. (2022, February). Reflecting on and planning for organizational resilience. Pre-conference workshop presented at the Educational Developers Caucus conference (virtual conference).
• Ellis, D.E. & Brown, V.M. (2020, November). Exploring our organizational identity by articulating our values. Pre-recorded session presented at the annual Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education conference (virtual conference).
• Hoessler, C., Ellis, D.E., & Bayles, B. (2020, November). Responding with nimbleness: Teaching centres through a human resource lens. Pre-recorded session presented at the annual Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education conference (virtual conference).
• Ellis, D. E., & Brown, V. M. (2020, February). Navigating relationships with groups: Understanding rapport. Presented at the annual Educational Developers Caucus conference, Halifax, NS. 
• Shaw, L., Grose, J., Goff, L., Kustra, E., Ellis, D., Wolf, P., & Dawson, D. (2019, June). Effective practices repository: An educator’s guide to improving institutional teaching culture. Poster presented at the annual Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference, Winnipeg, MN. 
• Brown, K.M., Ellis, D.E., & Meadows, K.N. (2019, April). Exploring Waterloo’s teaching culture: What instructors, staff, and students don’t know. Workshop presented at University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning conference, Waterloo, ON.
• Wuetherick, B., Ellis, D.E., Hum, G., & Turner, N. (2019, April). Exploring the contested narratives of the value of student evaluations of teaching. Symposium participant delivered presentation on “Focusing on the process of change: SETs and the role of campus engagement” at the American Educational Research Association conference, Toronto, ON.

Grants and Awards

• 2018 – 2019. Educational Developers Caucus grant. Cultivating an institutional culture that values teaching: Collecting and collating promising practices. Co-investigator (Principal Investigator: J. Grose, Brock University; Co-investigators: L. Goff, K.N. Meadows, D. Dawson, D. Ellis, P Borin, J. Beer, L. Taylor, P. Wolf).

• 2016–2018. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Insight Development Grant. Teaching Culture Indicators: Enhancing Quality Teaching. Co-investigator (Principal Investigator: E. Kustra, University of Windsor; Co-investigators: P. Borin, D. Dawson, D. Ellis, K. Meadows, L. Taylor, P. Wolf; Co-applicants: J. Beer, L. Goff, J. Grose.)

• 2013. Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development, Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education. 

• 2013. Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Productivity and Innovation Fund grant. Teaching Culture Indicators: Enhancing Quality Teaching. Co-investigator with 8 Ontario universities (Principal Investigator: E. Kustra, University of Windsor).

Service

• Presidential team, International Consortium for Educational Development (President-Elect for 2022-2023, then President to 2025).
• Editorial Board Member, To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development (2017 – present).
• Strategic planning retreat facilitator for teaching centres at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS (2020) and Queen’s University, Kingston, ON (2019)
• Presidential team, Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education (three-year term starting March 2019).
• Editorial Board Member, To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development (2017 – 2021).
• Strategic planning retreat facilitator for teaching centres at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS (2020) and Queen’s University, Kingston, ON (2019)
• President, Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education (three-year term starting March 2019).
• External reviewer of the teaching centres at McGill University, Montreal, QC (2017), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (2016), and at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS (2015).
• Faculty role at the POD Network’s Institute for New Faculty Developers, Saratoga Springs, NY (2017) and Online (2021).
• Educational Developer workshop with Trevor Holmes. (2015, April). Assessing educational development work At the Educational Developers’ Caucus Institute, Toronto, Ontario.
• Educational Developer workshop with Celia Popovic. (2015, April). What is institutional change? At the Educational Developers’ Caucus Institute, Toronto, Ontario.
• Editorial Board member for Innovative Higher Education (2013 to present)
• Co-author of the 2011 final report of the Task Force on Innovative Teaching Practices to Promote Deep Learning at the University of Waterloo.