Service Excellence Week - Connectivism: A Learning Theory to Engage the “Networked” Generation

Aline Germain-Rutherford, PhD, is associate vice-president, teaching and learning, at the University of Ottawa and an associate professor in the Faculty of Education. As AVP teaching and learning, she heads the Teaching and Learning Support Service, which includes Virtual Campus, the Centre for Innovative Pedagogies and Digital Learning and the Centre for Innovative Technology in Education. Germain-Rutherford received her PhD in second language education from La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris III, France, and is the author of numerous publications on faculty development, second language pedagogy, speech technology and the integration of sound pedagogy in e-learning practices. She has headed several national and international research projects, including on faculty development and multicultural issues in postsecondary education and online environments, and has been a visiting professor and keynote speaker in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Since 2008, she has been a member of a research team funded by the European Council and the European Centre for Modern Languages, working on language education technology. She is a recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellow Award, a Canadian award for excellence in teaching and leadership in higher education.