People

Dr. John Pierce, Interim Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)

Dr. John Pierce began his term as Interim Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) September 1, 2022, overseeing the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Queen’s University Quality Assurance Processes (QUQAP), and the university’s academic integrity policies and practices. As a member of the Office of the Provost senior team, Dr. Pierce leads senior committees and projects that advance the priorities of the portfolio.

Dr. Pierce previously served as Queen’s Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) from 2019-2021, as well as Associate Dean (Studies) in the Faculty of Arts and Science (2001-2010 and 2012-13). He also held the position of Acting Associate Vice-Principal and Dean of Student Affairs (2010-11). An award-winning professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, Dr. Pierce’s teaching and research interests include English Romantic poetry and late 18th and early 19th century fiction.

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Contact Dr. John Pierce, Interim Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)

Denise Stockley, Professor and Scholar in Higher Education

Denise Stockley completed her Doctorate in the Psychology of Education at Simon Fraser University and since that time has accumulated extensive experience in promoting both classroom-based and online learning.

“The idea of creating individual learning opportunities, recognizing that each person learns differently – all those things are what play out in my work now. The assumption that we have to transmit knowledge through a traditional lecture is not the assumption now. Now the idea is that there are other ways for people to learn, and sometimes those ways are out of our comfort zone.”

Dr. Stockley joined Queen’s University in January 2001. She is currently a Professor and Scholar in Higher Education with the Office of the Provost (Teaching and Learning Portfolio) and the Faculty of Health Sciences. Her current research focuses on how we create environments that promote learning. She is studying the impact of national teaching awards, research ethics training, and competency based medical education to name just a few of her projects. More recently, she co-edited a book entitled Influencing the Quality, Risk and Safety Movement in Healthcare: In Conversation with International Leaders.  She is the Principal Investigator of several research grants in a variety of areas including those from the Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR) and from the Networks of Centre of Excellence (NCE). 

Contact Denise Stockley

Claire O'Brien, Manager, Academic Initiatives

Claire is responsible for academic initiatives within the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). She oversees Queen’s University Quality Assurance Processes (QUQAP) and policy on academic integrity. She supports the Senate Committee on Academic Development and Procedures (SCADP), the Senate Cyclical Program Review Committee (SCPRC) and a variety of teaching and learning initiatives.

Claire earned a Master of Arts (Oxon) in Modern Languages, then worked for the UK government until moving to Canada in 2005. After gaining an Advanced Diploma in Behaviour Therapy from St Lawrence College, she joined Queen’s in 2012. Claire was previously with the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), as well as working in the Faculties of Health Sciences and Arts and Science.

Contact Claire O’Brien

Rubaiyat Arjumand, Teaching and Learning Coordinator

Ruba is a Teaching and Learning Coordinator in the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). She coordinates the Queen’s University Quality Assurance Processes (QUQAP) and supports the approval of new, expedited and modified academic programs as well as the cyclical reviews of existing programs in accordance with QUQAP policy. Ruba also supports several committees and strategic projects within the Teaching and Learning portfolio.

Ruba is a Queen’s graduate with a PhD in Chemistry and a Master of Public Administration. Prior to joining Queen’s, Ruba worked as a Policy Analyst and Program Administration Officer at the Ontario Ministry of Health and as an Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Bangladesh.

Contact Rubaiyat Arjumand

Sarah Lublink, Teaching and Learning Coordinator

Sarah Lublink is a Teaching and Learning Coordinator in the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). She supports the QUQAP Cyclical Program Review process as well as several committees and projects within the Teaching and Learning portfolio. Sarah joined the Teaching and Learning team in September 2022.

Sarah’s background is in teaching; she taught Philosophy at a state college in Florida for eleven years after finishing her Ph.D. at Western University.  As a faculty member she held leadership roles in in Assessment, Quality Assurance, and Faculty Professional Development, and served as Interim Director of the college’s Teaching and Learning Center in 2020.  Prior to teaching in Florida, she taught at the University of Oklahoma and at Huron University College.

Contact Sarah Lublink

Sarah Whiteman, Administrative Assistant to the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)

Sarah Whiteman is the Executive Assistant to the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning). Sarah provides administrative and calendar support for the Vice-Prost and supports committees and projects within the Teaching and Learning Portfolio. Sarah joined the Teaching and Learning team in August 2022.

Sarah graduated from Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia with a Bachelor of Business. Previous to joining Queen’s, Sarah provided administrative support to Partners and Senior Managers at a professional accounting firm.

Contact Sarah Whiteman

Kairee Kirkwood, Teaching and Learning Coordinator

(on leave)

Kairee Kirkwood earned her Bachelor of Commerce (Management) degree from MacEwan University and is currently working towards her Project Management Certificate from the University of Toronto. After graduating, she worked in policy and administrative support in the Ministries’ of Transportation, Health and Education with the Government of Alberta. After moving to Kingston in 2017, Kairee joined Queen’s as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of Advancement and is now working in the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) as the Teaching and Learning Coordinator.

Kairee project manages several processes to support the work of the Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) including the Queen’s University Quality Assurance Processes (QUQAPs), Cyclical Program Reviews (CPR), and New Program Approvals. This includes providing subject-matter guidance to Associate Deans, Unit Heads, Administrative Assistants, shared service partners, committee members and other stakeholders. Kairee also supports several committees and projects within the Teaching and Learning portfolio.