Lab Director
Mitch & Leslie Frazer
Dr. Jia Li is an Associate Professor at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. She received her doctoral degree from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto and conducted her post-doctoral research work at Queen’s University. She was a Canada-U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education from 2011 to 2012, and a John A. Sproul Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 2018 to 2019. Her teaching and professional experience include instructional design and assessment of technology-assisted educational interventions using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Dr. Li’s research agenda focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to address challenge areas in education by leveraging digital technologies, data-driven innovative language and literacy interventions using new technologies to support the development of academic reading and writing skills for linguistically diverse students. These include diverse urban students from low-income families, university English language learners and Indigenous youth. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Fulbright Canada. The results of her work have been published in journals including Computers & Education, Teaching and Teacher Education, Language Learning & Technology, and Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Dr. Li is an invited reviewer for 29 refereed journals, of which many reported high Impact Factors. These include the top 3 journals in education and technology, the top 2 journals in technology assisted language learning, the top 1 journal in teacher education, the top 1 journal in medical internet research, and a top 3 journal in education. She is Chairperson of Publications for the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (CACS) and serves for Editorial Advisory Board of the Canadian Journal of Education (CJE)/La Revue canadienne de l’éducation (RCE).
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS & GRADUATE STUDENTS
Brian Ho Sang
Brian Ho Sang is a Master of Education (M.Ed.) student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. He has worked as a designer for over twenty years. These include multiple projects completed for the City of Oshawa, Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Ontario Creates (formerly Ontario Media Development), and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (ACCT).
He also instructed design for ten years at Durham College. His research interests align with his dedication to design and experience with information and communication technology. He is also interested in cultivating equity, diversity, and inclusion in education through exploring, identifying, and studying social systems that construct social identities and structures leading to empowerment or oppression.
Jacopo Ambrosini
Jacopo Ambrosini is a doctoral student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. He recently completed his Master of Teaching English at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax. His research interest focuses on video game-based learning, gamification, second language acquisition, and English Second Language (ESL)
His doctoral project aims to develop an intervention study to enhance Italian English language learners’ English language skills, in particular academic vocabulary knowledge, using digital game-based learning through in-classroom implementation.
Jacopo has taught ESL at several secondary school institutions in Northern Italy as well as taught Italian and English as a second language in Switzerland. He is a technology and computer enthusiast who one day hopes to contribute to the development of a more effective, engaging, and entertaining methodology to teach and learn second languages.
In his leisure time, Jacopo enjoys playing football, snowboarding, gaming, and cooking.
Sharlene Lawrence-Bryce
Sharlene Lawrence-Bryce is currently a Master of Education (M.Ed.) student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. Her current research interest focuses on new immigrant experience in learning English and acculturation, interacting with digital technology in Canada.
Sharlene received her Diploma in teacher education at the Mico University College and taught in multiple high schools in Jamaica. She received her BA in Educational Studies and Digital Technology with first class honours in 2022 at Ontario tech. Sharlene is experienced in corporate training, and she has worked with a Fortune 500 company, a government agency, and other organizations in the Greater Toronto Area.
Jordan Webb
Jordan Webb is a Master of Education (M.Ed.) student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. He received his honours bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences (Human Biology) from the University of Toronto Scarborough. He has been teaching foundational skills in math and ICT applications to students of the skilled trade at the Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, Sheridan College since 2018.
Jordan’s current research, under Dr. Jia Li’s supervision, focuses on college students’ self-efficacy, specifically, their perceptions of motivations and engagement in relation to their online learning experiences and outcomes across disciplines. Based on Jordan’s observation, students’ perception of their efficacy is greatly influenced by their language and digital literacy skills, for example, academic language skills demonstrated in classroom presentations.
Jordan’s hobbies include playing baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, swimming and snowboarding recreationally and at a competitive level. He has always been fascinated with wildlife and how living things work, given his early professional experience working in a genetics laboratory and family veterinarian hospital.
Daniel Benzimra
Daniel Benzimra is a doctoral student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. He completed his MA at Ontario Tech with a focus on secondary students’ on-task behaviours and gender differences using devices in-class. His undergraduate studies majored in English Literature and elementary literacy education.
Daniel’s doctoral research aims to developing innovative instructional strategies to enhance Indigenous youth’s reading skills through technology-based interventions. Specifically, how non-Indigenous practicum and in-service teachers can effectively meet these literacy needs while respecting and honouring the communities’ cultural identity and embracing traditional language learning practices.
Daniel has diverse experience in K-12 as an elementary principal, special education teacher and tutor in the northern Ontario and British Columbia, and the Greater Toronto and Vancouver Areas. He strongly believes in inclusive education and finding creative ways to meet the individual needs of students.
Daniel is currently an Instructional Designer at Kwantlen Polytech University, supporting faculty to meet students’ needs through pedagogically-sound and evidence-based best practices. He also works as a math and language arts tutor for students in grades 4-8 and with learning exceptionalities, such as autism.
In his spare time, Daniel enjoys movies and fishing.
Yumeng Shi
Yumeng Shi is a doctoral student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. She holds an M.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) and a B.A. (Hons.) in Social Psychology from McMaster University. Her research interest includes language and literacy acquisition, in particular English as a Second Language (ESL) and the use of new technologies in language learning.
Yumeng’s doctoral research, through an intervention study, examines how mind mapping and generative AI can enhance English learners’ academic writing skills, specifically how these tools help students organize and articulate their thoughts, thereby improving their writing performance. She is determined to blend theoretical knowledge with practical approaches in education, aiming to make learning a second language easier and more enjoyable using emerging technologies.
Yumeng has worked as a teaching assistant in both elementary and secondary schools, assisting Chinese ESL students to improve their writing skills.
In her spare time, Yumeng is passionate about travel, having visited places in Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. She enjoys hiking with her dog and exploring cute cafes and new restaurants.
Stacey Mauger
Stacey Mauger is a Master of Education (M.Ed.) student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. She is a Career Advisor and Career Services Liaison to Indigenous Education & Services at George Brown College, Toronto. Dedicated to social justice and educational equity, her current research explores the intersections of Indigenous language revitalization, mental health, and digital technologies. Her other academic research interests include decolonizing language and education, digital mental health, trauma-informed education, harm reduction, anti-oppression, inclusive assessment, and the impact of poverty on education.
Stacey is a dedicated career educator with over 20 years of experience in post-secondary education. She is committed to fostering an inclusive learning environment through the advocacy for health and safety, intersectionality, anti-racism, and support for equity-deserving groups.
Novera Roihan
Novera Roihan is a Master of Education (MEd) student at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Toronto Metropolitan University. Novera was a High School Teacher and head of the Humanities Department at a private school in Toronto, and has experience in designing and executing lesson plans, tailoring them to course requirements and utilizing online platforms, such as Google Classroom. Her academic research focuses primarily on Indigenous students’ language and literacy development in English and the experience of in-service teachers serving Indigenous school communities.
Matthew McGravey
Matthew has recently completed his Master of Education Studies at the Mitch & Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, Ontario Tech University. with a project that focused on perspectives of administrators’ serving Indigenous schools in a Northern, Ontario Indigenous community. His research interest focuses on supporting students from Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) deserving communities.
Matthew has worked as an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructor at serveral post-secondary institutions across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Currently he is a Writing and ESL Specialist at Ontario Tech University. Working with students to enhance their English language skills remains a top priority in all aspects of Matthew’s professional life.
Matthew also enjoys playing several musical instruments and is an avid music fan. In addition, Matthew is a vintage computer enthusiast who one day hopes to curate museum exhibitions for young people to experience.
ALUMNI
Amel Belmahdi
ResearchGate
Helene Goulding
Ontario Tech University
Cheryl John
LinkedIn
Lillian Mak
ResearchGate
