Skip to main content
Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Mark Sayers

Mark Sayers

Indigenous Dissertation Completion Fellow

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

Contact information

mark.sayers@ontariotechu.ca

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.

Education

  • EdD(c) Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Ontario
  • MEd Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Ontario
  • BEd, Aboriginal Adult Education Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
  • BA, Interdisciplinary Studies Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario

Research and expertise

Mark’s research aims to use educational and digital technologies to promote Ojibway culture, language, and history for learners in an Ojibway-based post-secondary learning environment, and to create a culture-specific instructional design framework for Ojibway-based post-secondary online education.