It is with mixed emotions that I share that Mark Ihnat has accepted an exciting new role as Dean, Centre for Teaching and Learning at Georgian College. Mark came to Humber in 2003 as a part-time Sociology and Humanities instructor in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and became a faculty member in 2004. Mark served as program coordinator, eventually moving into the role of Director, eLearning in 2010 and transitioning to role of Associate Dean, Digital Learning in the Centre for Innovative Learning in 2021.
During his 18-year career at Humber, Mark has contributed in numerous ways to Humber’s programs, processes and strategic initiatives, including the digital student feedback questionnaire (SFQ) using the Explorance Blue platform, the Learning Management System (LMS), and the Extended Reality (VR/AR) lab and projects. Mark also managed the Open Learning Centre (OLC), a dedicated student digital learning support service, and was the project lead for over 100 online/hybrid course builds at the diploma and degree levels. In addition, Mark supported various eCampus Ontario funded initiatives, as well as the Humber Innovation of the Year Award winning paramedic virtual reality experience and other extended reality (VR/AR) experiences, including a Red Seal electrician VR simulation build and an AR circuit board training experience.
During the challenges of the COVID pandemic, Mark worked with the Teaching and Learning team to develop the “10 Step Build initiative” moving Humber’s face-to-face courses to digital offerings, including the training of faculty, acquisition of new software, and development of instructional design workflows, allowing Humber to transition effectively to a remote delivery model. Mark represented Humber externally as chair of the Explorance Colleges Ontario Blue User Group (ECOBUG), as a member of the Ontario Learn Provincial Committee, and as chair of the Education Technology Committee.
Mark will be missed by many here at Humber, and we wish him continued success in this next exciting step in his professional career.
Vera Beletzan
Senior Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Innovative Learning