Staff Listing
Waterloo Campus
Our two writing consultants, Jordana Garbati, PhD and James Southworth, PhD, supervise the tutoring program at the Writing Centre, conduct in-class writing workshops, and meet with graduate students to develop their writing and ideas.
Our skilled team of undergraduate and graduate student tutors provide writing feedback to students from all disciplines on a one-on-one basis.
Jordana Garbati
Jordana Garbati began as the writing consultant at the Laurier Writing Centre in July 2013. She graduated with a BA (Hons.) with a specialization in French at York University and concurrently completed a BEd degree. She completed her MEd degree at Queen's and her PhD in Education with a focus on applied linguistics at The University of Western Ontario. She has taught students at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels in Ontario and abroad. Her teaching and research interests include English language learners, French as a second language, and writing. She is also an MBA candidate at Laurier.
Contact Information
- E: jgarbati@wlu.ca
- T: 519.884.0710 x3339
- LinkedIn: Jordana Garbati
Selected Publications
- Garbati, J., & Brockett, E. (2018). Students speak out: The impact of participation in an undergraduate research journal. Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing, 28, 227-245.
- Garbati, J., & Samuels, B. (2016). Analyzing stories from Canadian academic writing instructors: A collaborative autoethnography. Educational Studies.
- Garbati, J., & Rothschild, N. (2016). Lasting impact of study abroad experiences: A collaborative autoethnography. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17(2).
- Garbati, J. (2015). Book review: Language & learning: An introduction for teaching, Canadian edition. Canadian Journal of Education, 38(4), 1-3.
- Garbati, J. F., & Mady, C. (2015). Oral skill development in second languages: A review in search of best practices. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 5(9), 1763-1770.
- Garbati, J., McDonald, K., Meaning, L., Samuels, B., & Scurr, C. (2015). Writing assignments and instruction at Ontario's publicly funded universities: A view from three disciplines. Toronto, ON: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.
- Garbati, J. F., & Samuels, B.* (2013). Publishing in educational research journals: Are graduate students participating? Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 44(4), 355-372.
Authors listed in alphabetical order.
James Southworth
James Southworth began as a writing consultant at the Laurier Writing Centre in June of 2015. He completed his PhD at the University of Western Ontario in 2014 with an expertise in moral psychology and ethics. While at Western, James taught courses in the Philosophy department, and was an instructor for the Teaching Assistant Training Program at the Teaching Support Centre.
Contact Information
- E: jsouthworth@wlu.ca
- T: 519.884.0710 x4878
Recent Presentations
- "Writing is a Process: Exploring a Scaffolded Approach to Transformational Learning," Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Halifax, June 22nd, 2017 (with Mary Chaktsiris).
- "Questioning the Link Between Argumentative Papers and the Development of Critical Thinking," Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Halifax, June 22nd, 2017.
- "Does Walking Have a Role in Education," Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, London, Ontario, June 23rd, 2016.
- "How Moral Psychology Can Inform Writing Assignment Design," Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, London, Ontario, June, 22nd, 2016 (poster presentation).
Selected Articles and Publications
- Southworth, J. (2018). The value of the op-ed as a writing assignment. University Affairs.
- Southworth, J. (2016). The passional nature and the will to believe. Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society: A Quarterly Journal in American Philosophy, 52(1), 62-78.
- Southworth, J. (2014). William James' theory of emotion. Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. Paper 2315.
- Southworth, J. (2013). Can morally disvalued traits constitute the symptoms of a mental disorder. Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology, 20(3), 221-223.
- Southworth, J. (2012). Capabilities and the environment frontier. Hawa, B., & Weidtmann, N. (eds.), The Capability Approach on Social Order, LIT Verlag, Münster, 380-385.
Brantford Campus
Writing and Study Skills Services at Laurier’s Brantford campus has two professional staff members who both provide in-class and general campus workshops and specialized writing and learning support. They also oversee the facilitated study group, peer mentor, and peer language support programs for the campus.
Throughout the fall and winter terms, our team of peer mentors will be available to meet with you to help with writing and study skills.
Jenna Olender - on leave until August 2018
Manager, Writing & Study Skills Services
I have a varied educational background, which has helped me work with students across all our programs at Laurier Brantford. In Writing and Study Skills Services, we support student learning and writing in and across the disciplines. My undergraduate studies were interdisciplinary, and my graduate studies focus on qualitative research.
I have recently completed the Leadership in Higher Education certificate program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where I am now completing my doctorate in Higher Education. My areas of research interest include student development, academic and student affairs collaboration, and organizational assessment.
Through my own studies and in my day-to-day work in Writing and Study Skills Services, I'm dedicated to exploring and developing new ways to engage and support student learning at Laurier Brantford.
Contact Information
- E: jolender@wlu.ca
- T: 519.756.8228 x5788
Selected Conference Presentations
- Jenna Olender and Michael Lisetto-Smith. 2016. “Diversity Inside and Out? The Practice of Peer Learning for Social Justice in the Canadian Context.” Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) Conference, Heriott-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Michael Lisetto-Smith and Jenna Olender. 2015. “Being an Effective Online Learner: Developing Interactive Online Learning Support Modules from Idea to Impact.” Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC), Eastern Regional Conference, Ryerson University.
- Jenna Olender with Debra Langan. 2014. “Partners in Professionalization: Supporting Graduate Students’ Skills Development.” Integrated and Engaged Learning Conference, Wilfrid Laurier University.
- Jenna Olender, Gary Warrick, Judy Eaton, and Irene Tencinger. 2014. “Using First-Year Writing-Intensive Courses to Build Better Skills in Context.” Integrated and Engaged Learning Conference, Wilfrid Laurier University.
- December 2012. "Designed for Success: A Research Update on Scaffolding Support for First-Year Research Papers" with Gary Warrick and Irene Tencinger, Learning Specialist Association of Canada (LSAC) Eastern Regional Conference, University of Toronto.
- May 2011. "Helping Aboriginal Students Succeed in a New Context for Writing" with Christina Michener, Alana Rudrum, and Elizabeth Baisley, Canadian Association for Studies in Discourse and Writing (CASDW) Conference at Congress 2011, University of New Brunswick.
Karley Doucette
Supervisor, Writing & Study Skills Services
I have 10 years of experience working in education. My love of language, research and writing led me to complete a Bachelor of Journalism degree, as well as a Bachelor of Education with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). I am currently completing a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement.
Contact Information
- E: kadoucette@wlu.ca
- T: 519.756.8228 x5550
Jill McMillan - until August 2018
Writing & Learning Support Coordinator
Jill is a writer and certified teacher who joined Writing & Study Skills Services in March 2018. Previously she worked overseas as an International Baccalaureate (IB) English Literature teacher and as a historical researcher. She studied at Acadia University (BA with Hons.), the University of Guelph (MA), and at the University of Ottawa (BEd).
Contact Information
- E: jimcmillan@wlu.ca
- T: 519.756.8228 x5788