At Renison, we care about students’ well-being and we care about equity. The Care & Equity in Teaching Fellows Initiative was created by faculty, for faculty. With the enthusiastic support of our VPAD, Kristiina Montero, we are leveraging evidence-based practices that require a relatively small time commitment from instructors but have potential to be transformative for students.Ìý
Our Purpose
The Care & Equity in Teaching Initiative was created in response to the challenges many students face, including well-being struggles, isolation, and other barriers to success. These challenges can particularly impact students from equity-deserving groups, affecting their learning, academic achievement, and retention.
Instructors are generally aware of students’ challenges, but instructors are facing challenges of their own, from precarious employment, to heavy workloads, to burnout.
This initiative is designed to support instructors in making low-lift, scientifically-validated changes that can improve students’ experiences, learning, and achievement.ÌýÂ
The initiative starts with a set of free, evidence-based, evaluated resources created for the (SEP), a collaborative of university leaders, faculty, researchers and national education organizations committed to innovative, research-based practices to increase degree attainment by building equitable learning environments and fostering a sense of belonging on campus. The SEP has a Renison connection - Dr. Christine Logel, a founder of the Care & Equity in Teaching initiative. Dr. Logel was a lead scholar on the Student Experience Project and part of the team that created a in her role as co-founder of the College Transition Collaborative and now as Consulting Scholar with .Ìý
Focus for 2025: The Joy of Teaching. Many instructors report that, although teaching can be hard work, it can also be a source of purpose and even joy. The world needs more joy and purpose in these uncertain times, so the Care & Equity in Teaching team will be focusing workshops and resources on ways instructors can draw energy from their teaching, have fun in the classroom, and reconnect with the difference they make in students’ lives—and how their joy and sense of purpose can create a better learning experience for students.Ìý
What We Do
This initiative brings together dedicated instructors who are passionate about teaching and committed to fostering more inclusive, supportive, and effective learning environments. These instructors share their strategies for supporting student belonging, growth, and well-being, and learn the science behind the student experience so they can apply it in their own classrooms.Ìý
Fellows are experienced university instructors who bring their own expertise. As part of this initiative, they actively engage in both structured learning and hands-on application.Ìý
Our inaugural group of Care & Equity in Teaching Fellows actively engaged in both structured learning and hands-on application. Fellows worked on evidence-based strategies to bring more care and equity into their classrooms, including fostering a sense of belonging, cultivating a classroom culture of growth, and communicating care to students. They engaged with research from psychology and educational psychology, gaining insights into the cognitive and contextual processes behind these strategies and how they contribute to student success. They also explored and planned how to apply these strategies in their own classrooms.
Key Resources
Our Initiatives
Get Involved
Our People (Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Allyson Conrad
Allyson Conrad, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Allyson Conrad (she/her) completed her BA (Hons) in English Literature at Canadian Bible College (later renamed Ambrose University) in 2009. During her undergraduate studies, she discovered a passion for language instruction, which led her to move to South Korea shortly after graduation to pursue a career in language teaching. She remained in South Korea for nearly seven years, during which she became quite accomplished in the Korean language, completed an MA in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Teaching English as a Second Language with the University of Leicester (2017).
Since returning to Canada in 2016, she has taught in a wide range of English language programs at universities and colleges. Over the past five years, she has increasingly specialized in Communications while continuing to teach English language skills across various programs. She holds two professional language teaching designations (OCELT, ICTEAL) and is an active member of several language educator communities, having also served on executive boards for many years. Allyson currently teaches Communications, Language and Linguistics courses for several departments at University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ as well as a few provincial colleges.
Katie Cook
Katie Cook, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Katie Cook (they/them) holds a PhD in Community Psychology and has more than 15 years of research and evaluation experience. Their own research to date has focused on weight-based stigma, arts-based approaches, bodily difference, and LGBTQ2S+ well-being. Katie has an extensive background as a critical methodologist, activist, and community engaged scholar. Katie has been a course instructor at Renison since 2020, teaching courses on research methods, poverty, community engagement, advocacy & public policy.Ìý
Bethany Dixon
Bethany Dixon, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Bethany Dixon holds a Master of Education (MEd) from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Environmental Policy from Williams College. She has been a Lecturer at Renison University College since 2017, where she teaches Community and Professional Education courses focused on communication skills for undergraduate and graduate students. Bethany is passionate about creating equitable and accessible educational experiences for students and serves as the Co-chair of the Accessibility Matters Committee at Renison, which works to reduce barriers and improve the accessibility of Renison's buildings, courses, and resources.Ìý
Christine Gillies
Christine Gillies, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Christine Gillies earned a Master of Education (MEd) from Wilfrid Laurier University with a specialization in Student Affairs and a Bachelors of Arts (BA) in History from University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. She has been a Lecturer at Renison University College since 2010, teaching English for Academic Purposes for short-term exchange students, undergraduate students and graduate students. Her focus, through teaching and curriculum design, has been cultivating student engagement and supporting student connections both in and out of the classroom.Ìý
In addition to teaching, Christine mentors new TESOL instructors and has served on a variety of committees across Renison University College, including student wellness and advocacy committees.Ìý
Dr. Christine Logel
Christine Logel, Founder of the Care & Equity in Teaching Initiative
Christine Logel, PhD, (she/her) is a Professor of Social Development Studies at Renison University College. She earned her PhD in social psychology at University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at University of Colorado and Stanford University. She received University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s Equity Award for her work promoting women’s success in STEM fields. Her work has been funded by organizations including the Raikes Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF, SSHRC, and HEQCO.Ìý
She is a consultant with the Equity Accelerator and, previously, co-founder of the College Transition Collaborative (CTC), both nonprofits that produce, test, and disseminate tools postsecondary instructors can use to create equity, belonging, and growth in their classrooms. The CTC’s has been completed by over 140,000 postsecondary students and, their multi-site RCT was published in Science. Their for creating an equitable syllabus, on which Dr. Logel is co-designer and instructor, has been taken by over 1200 postsecondary faculty, with 92% of those surveyed reporting that they would recommend it to a colleague. The CTC also produced a, with step-by-step instructions for equitable classroom activities with over 6,800 unique page views.
Jim Peretta
Jim Perretta, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Jim Perretta earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Queen's University, where he also completed his M.A. in Clinical Psychology. He holds a B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He enjoys having a wide scope of practice from clinical and private-practice work to teaching. He has taught at Renison University College since 2011, with courses ranging from Theories of Individual Counseling Psychology to Approaches to Well-being.
His clinical and research interests include individual and group psychotherapy for adults, health psychology, geropsychology, and clinical neuropsychology.
Agnieszka Wolczuk
Agnieszka Wolczuk, Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow
Agnieszka Wolczuk earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before spending 11 years teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the high school and university levels, primarily working with students aged 15 and older. After moving to Ontario, she had her credentials recognized by World Education Services (WES), obtained her Ontario Teacher Certificate, and earned TESL Canada and TESL Ontario certifications. She began teaching in community programs in Kitchener and Cambridge before transitioning to academic roles at Conestoga College and Renison University College. Since 2010, she has taught credit and non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Multilingual Speakers (EMLS) courses at Renison, where she became a Continuing Lecturer in 2014. In addition to teaching communication courses to undergraduate and graduate students, she mentors new instructors and coordinates EMLS 101.
From 2015 to 2019, she co-developed data collection tools to assess student learning outcomes. As a member of the FAUW Lecturers Committee and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations’ (OCUFA) Contract Faculty Committee, she has worked to improve conditions for lecturers, particularly those on definite-term contracts. Her efforts led to the creation of the RAAS Lecturers’ Committee, and in recognition of her advocacy, she received the CAUT Dedicated Service Award in 2022. Passionate about student engagement, she incorporates personalization, humor, and interactive learning strategies, including flipped classrooms and linguistic corpora, to enhance self-directed learning.
Anna Zavadskaya
Anna Zavadskaya, Research Assistant
Anna graduated from the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology with a Research Intensive Specialization. She currently works as a Research Assistant for the Care & Equity in Teaching Fellows Initiative, where she helps organize workshops, collects and analyzes data to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative, and conducts interviews with participating instructors. She is lab manager in UW’s Sexuality and Relationships Lab and a teaching assistant to multiple psychology classes.
Affiliated Faculty
Samantha Clarke, PhD, (she/her) is a social work educator at Renison University College.
Sam earned her PhD in Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University, her research focuses on social work and social justice, and she teaches mainly mezzo and macro courses to BSW and MSW students across post-secondary institutions in Ontario. Sam combines her teaching focus with extensive work in front-line, community and government practice.Ìý She also provides consultative services to further DEI practices in community and government organizations.
Kristiina Montero, Renison Vice-President Academic and Dean
Kristiina Montero, Vice President Academic and Dean of Renison University College
Kristiina Montero is the Vice President, Academic and Dean of Renison University College and Professor in Social Development Studies and Culture and Language Studies. Before beginning a career in academia, Kristiina was an FSL and ESL teacher in Ontario and Québec. Kristiina has over 20 years of experience in teacher education, and before joining Renison University College in 2022, Kristiina held academic and leadership positions at Syracuse University and Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research examines the impact of culturally sustaining early literacy instructional practices on the language and literacy development of adolescent English language learners with limited prior schooling and explores the use of decolonizing pedagogies in educational contexts. Kristiina is passionate about pedagogy—the art and science of teaching. Her university teaching has been recognized with numerous awards. Kristiina also currently serves as the Secretary for the Strong Start to Reading Board of Directors.
Kristiina holds a BA from the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, a Bachelor of Education from Brock University, a Master of Education from Northern Illinois University, and a PhD in Reading Education from the University of Georgia.
Katie Plaisance
Katie Plaisance, Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge Integration
Katie received her Bachelor of Science in both Philosophy and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin in 2000, followed by a Masters and PhD in Philosophy, with a minor in Bioethics, from the University of Minnesota in 2006. Before coming to the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Katie was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Philosophy and Ethics of Science at the Leibniz University of Hannover in Germany.
Her research interests include: engaged philosophy of science, philosophy of the behavioural sciences, and interdisciplinary expertise. Katie’s work is highly collaborative – she has published with students and faculty researchers in the social sciences, behavioural sciences, and in philosophy.
Katie is currently leading a 5-year grant-funded project that seeks to foster meaningful collaboration between philosophers of science, and scientists and engineers. She is also a member of the International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS), a field of scholars and practitioners that trains people how to work effectively in teams.
Carrie Mitchell
Carrie Mitchell, Associate Professor, Planning
Carrie Mitchell is a specialist in urban environmental management, with a focus on waste, water, sanitation, climate change adaptation, and urban resilience. With over 20 years of experience, she has successfully collaborated with a diverse range of stakeholders, including academics, policymakers, the private sector, civil society, donors, and development partners.
As the founder of WiSER@À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Carrie leads a project dedicated to implementing and evaluating evidence-based practices for student wellbeing, belonging, and equity. WiSER@À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ trains instructors to integrate proven pedagogical approaches into their courses, aiming to enhance student wellbeing and promote equitable outcomes across various disciplines and course levels.
Carrie's expertise includes advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods, capacity building, and project management. She has a strong track record in both oral and written communication, demonstrated by her academic publications, university teaching, and public presentations. Her work has taken her across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Canada, and the United States.