About Us

Hi, I'm Dwayne Harapnuik

Learner's Mindset Co-Founder

Do you remember that kid in your class who was always getting into trouble, was always looking for easier ways to do things or was more interested in excitement than doing schoolwork? That was me. Many of my teachers told me that I just wasn't suited for school. They were partially right. While I wasn't suited for school or school wasn't suited for me I have found out that I am suited for learning. I have also learned that there are many other people like me who want to know why, or who are willing to work hard on meaningful projects but just aren't interesting in studying to regurgitate information on a test. I have always been more interested in getting prepared for life.

I dropped out of high school because I wanted to explore what life had to offer. When I did return to school in my early 30's I was ready to make a difference and in a few years, I realized that my top priority was to help learners prepare for life not just for the test.

I have become a learning theorist who uses media and technology to enhance the learning environment. I received a PhD. in Educational Psychology from the University of Alberta and am a visiting Professor and co-developer of the M.Ed. in Digital Learning and Leadership and the developer of the Masters of Applied Digital Learning at Lamar University. I recently aided the School of Health Sciences at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to develop their Learning Innovation Strategy and also teach in the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program at Vancouver Community College.

In addition to teaching face2face, blended, and online at several institutions for over twenty years, my previous academic appointments include Instructional Development Consultant at BCIT, VP Academic at Concordia University of Edmonton, Director of Faculty Enrichment at Abilene Christian University (ACU), and Manager of Educational Technology at Lethbridge College. My research focus is exploring how to reignite the learner's mindset, use choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities to create significant learning environments.

If you want to learn more about me you can view my website/ePortfolio at https://www.harapnuik.org/

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Hi, I'm Tilisa Thibodeaux

Learner's Mindset Co-Founder

I have spent the last 15 years dedicating myself to practical, empirical and research-based practices for effective teaching and learning. As a former Kindergarten and 3rd grade teacher, I constructed authentic learning environments where my learners had choice, ownership, and voice in every aspect of their learning. Because of my inquisitive curiosity, I transitioned to a facilitator of my students’ learning where I coached my learners through the development of their own projects. I realized that my learners took ownership of projects when I allowed them to be creative. Rather than giving them a specific checklist or rubric to follow, I asked them to go and show their own learning in their own unique way. Taking this experience with me to higher education in the last 5 years has allowed me to transfer these opportunities to my online learners. As a result, we have fun experimenting and testing out our ideas through the development of innovation plans that drive organizational change. My learners develop digital significant learning experiences that enable them to build on their passions as educators and explore the many possibilities that learning online offers them and their learners. As a learning facilitator online, I have had the opportunity to help thousands of educators and corporate employees realize their dreams through a cognitive constructivists’ reality. The most important thing I have learned in the last 15 years as a learning facilitator and teacher is to be flexible and adaptable because learning is messy, but there are always opportunities to turn a challenge into an opportunity! And make that opportunity a golden one….

I am currently the Dean of the Reaud HonorsCollege at Lamar University. I have also served as an Assistant Professor in the Digital Learning and Leading (DLL) Master’s Program, Director of Digital Literacy of the Reaud Honors College, and was the former Director of Professional Learning for the Center for Innovation and Digital Learning in conjunction with Apple at Lamar University in Beaumont, TX. My experience has been in the public school system in Florida and Texas for the past 11 years serving as an elementary teacher, district interventionist/coach, a campus academic coach, and a digital learning coach. I earned a B.S. in Elementary Education, an M. Ed. in Special Education, and an Ed. D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education & Educational Leadership. I help educators, administrators, and corporate leads use technology innovation as a catalyst for change within their organizations by setting up significant learning environments that give learners choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities. I am the international practices and pedagogies SIG lead for the Association of Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning ePortfolio group, is the co-developer of the CSLE+COVA Professional Learning Approach, and is co-author of Learner’s Mindset Discussions videocasts and eBooks. Since 2015, I have conducted 60+ professional learning experiences with educators all over the world that include academic workshops, faculty retreats, keynotes, and presentations. I have written or co-authored 30 published works including journal articles, book chapters, two books, informal publications and creative works around ePortfolios and the CSLE+COVA approach.

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