Teaching & Learning

Overview

Teaching has been a constant thread throughout my career, not a detour from it.

I teach because it keeps my work grounded. It forces ideas to hold up in real time, with real people, in real contexts. If something is unclear, overly abstract, or disconnected from practice, it becomes obvious quickly.

My teaching focuses on helping learners understand how digital systems actually function, how platforms shape behavior, and how emerging technologies such as AI should be approached with judgment and responsibility.

Areas of Focus

My teaching and learning work centers on applied, practice-led areas that reflect the realities students will face beyond the classroom.

• Social media strategy and platform literacy

• Digital marketing and content ecosystems

• Emerging platforms and applied use of AI

• Digital ethics, privacy, and responsible practice

• Career resilience and professional identity in digital spaces

• Global Virtual Collaboration

The emphasis is consistently on relevance, critical thinking, and decision-making in context, rather than theoretical abstraction.

Learning & Design Approach

I approach teaching as a design challenge.

That means paying attention to how people actually learn, not how we assume they do. It means balancing structure with flexibility, theory with application, and guidance with space to experiment.

Much of my work has involved:

• Designing and updating applied curriculum

• Translating industry practice into teachable frameworks

• Creating learning experiences that reflect real-world constraints and trade-offs

The goal is not content coverage, but capability development.

Collaboration and Global Learning

A significant part of my teaching has involved collaborative and cross-context learning.

I’ve worked with students, educators, and partners across different institutional and cultural settings, including collaborative online international learning initiatives. These experiences reinforce the importance of context, perspective, and adaptability in both learning and digital practice.

Global collaboration, for me, is less about exposure and more about understanding how assumptions shift across environments.

Why teaching still matters to me

Teaching keeps my thinking honest.

It surfaces questions before assumptions harden. It exposes gaps between intention and outcome. And it continually shapes how I approach strategy, technology, and leadership.

That feedback loop matters to me, and it’s something I intend to maintain alongside advisory and consulting work.

RELATED CONTEXT

My teaching work is closely connected to industry practice and advisory experience. You may find it helpful to explore how these ideas extend beyond the classroom.

Advisory and Consulting

You can also explore the environments that shaped this approach in:

Corporate and Industry Experience

My Teaching Dossier

For those interested in a more detailed view of my teaching practice, I maintain a teaching dossier that outlines my approach, experience, and evidence of teaching effectiveness.

This material is primarily intended for academic and institutional contexts, but I’ve made it available here for transparency and reference.

I believe meaningful learning happens when theory meets practice.

My classes are built on three principles:

Make it Real

Learners apply concepts to actual digital challenges, campaigns, and platforms.

Make it collaborative.

Cross-cultural perspectives and teamwork deepen understanding and build confidence.

Make it future-focused

Technology, AI, and emerging platforms are not add-ons — they’re embedded throughout the experience.

My goal is simple:

help learners communicate with confidence and think strategically in a fast-changing world.

Courses and Curriculum Leadership

Program Design Leadership

Beyond course instruction, I have contributed to program and curriculum design across multiple schools at Conestoga College:

Courses I have designed:

Courses I teach:

I teach and design across several interconnected disciplines essential for the modern landscape.

Academic Disciplines I teach in:

• Marketing

• Digital Marketing & Strategy

• Social Media Marketing

• Content Strategy and Storytelling

• Global Business Strategy

• Information Technology Fundamentals

• Applied AI for Marketing and Communications

• Digital Transformation Concepts

These disciplines also align with my industry experience, allowing me to bridge academic concepts with real-world strategic application.

Graduate-level and advanced courses, including:

• Social Media Platforms and Ecosystems

• Building Personal Brands and Global Audiences

• Emerging Platforms & Digital Trends

• AI in Marketing and Applied AI for Digital Practice

• Digital Marketing Channels

• Campaign design for Modern Media

• Database Management

• Global Markets and Strategies

• Business of Social Media

• Direct and Database Marketing

• Products and Services Global Marketing

• Introduction to Marketing

• Business Information Systems

• Information Technology

• Spreadsheets

I have developed multiple digital and social courses for both live/In-person synchronous delivery as well as optimized for learning asynchronously. These courses have an emphasis on:

• AI literacy and hands-on AI practice

• Emerging Platform Trends

• Strategy storytelling frameworks

• Data and insight integration

Social Media Marketing (SMM) Graduate Certificate

(School of Business)

• Disciplinary lead for the development and evolution of the SMM program, including course structure, experiential components, and the integration of AI and emerging platform skills.

Bachelor of Digital Technology Solutions

(School of Applied Computer Science & IT)

• Consulted during program design to help bridge business strategy, digital communication, and technological competencies — ensuring alignment with industry needs.

This cross-disciplinary work reflects my commitment to designing learning that blends technology, strategy, and communication

Global Teaching & Collaboration

I serve on the Executive Board of COIL Connect, and currently am the only Canadian on the board. COILs (Collaborative Online International Learning) are virtual global exchanges across academic institutions all over the world.

In this role, I help advance the global practice of collaborating over digital channels to enhance learning and learning opportunities, and support institutions in developing meaningful virtual exchange opportunities.

International Collaborations

I have collaborate with institutions across several regions to deliver COIL-based learning, guest lectures, and digital storytelling workshops.

Trier University (Germany)
Sustainability-focused COIL projects, AI-enhanced campaign design, intercultural storytelling.

Universidad Panamericana (Mexico)
EduCanada-funded teaching and partnership-building, including summer intensives.

University of Florida (USA)
Research-based COIL collaboration on Not for Profit Event Planning and social media marketing

IMT Hyderabad (India)
Invited speaker for the Global Immersion Program (GIP), focusing on global digital strategy and leadership.

These collaborations help students engage with diverse perspectives and solve real digital challenges across cultures.

COIL Leadership

Awards and Recognition

EduCanada Faculty Mobility Award

(2025 / 2026)

Awarded to support international teaching and partnership building with Universidad Panamericana in Mexico — recognizing excellence and leadership in global education.

LinkedIn Top Social Media Marketing Voice (2024)

Recognized for thought leadership in Social Media Marketing, supplemented with digital strategy, AI, and marketing insights.

What Learners and Collaborators Say

"Syd creates clarity in complex digital topics and gives us tools we can actually use"

-Student

"His COIL leadship helped our students understand storytelling through a global lens"

-International Partner

Lets Work Together

Whether you're exploring guest lectures, COIL partnerships, curriculum design, workshops, or international collaboration, I'd be happy to connect.

Contact Me