Mark Sayers

Background

Mark Sayers is a Full-status and Treaty Ojibway Anishinaabe nini who grew up in his home community, the Garden River First Nation, near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Mark is an enrolled student in the Doctor of Education Ed.D program at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario. In addition to his Master of Education degree from Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario, Mark also earned a Bachelor of Education in Aboriginal Adult Education from Brock University in St. Catharines, a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and a Diploma in Anishinaabemowin Language Immersion from Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

In September of 2023, Mark was awarded the Indigenous Studies Dissertation Completion and Teaching Fellowship with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH) at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario, where he is also in the 2nd year of the Doctor of Education Ed.D program. Mark's doctoral research aims to create a culture-specific instructional design framework for Ojibway-based post-secondary online education, drawing upon the traditional teachings of his Elders and other Garden River First Nation community members. As a professional educator, Mark incorporated numerous interactive technology tools into the online classroom environment, such as Perusall, Hypothesis, Kahoot and Flipgrid, and is proficient in utilizing various online learning management systems such as Canvas, D2L Brightspace, and Sakai.