Management Team
Dave Thomas - President and CEO
Dave is the chairman of Online-learning.com, an active adjunct professor at Carleton University and an adjunct professor at University of Queensland in Australia. He is also an advisor to Acadia University, Daltech and Algonquin College. Dave has over 30 years of experience in traditional and distance education first as Professor at Carleton University, then later as founder and high-tech executive within Object Technology International and now, here at Online-learning.com.
During that time, he has had a long and outstanding track record as an innovative and inspired educator in engineering, business and computer science. Over the years, Dave has developed a wide range of experience in curriculum development, collaborative learning technologies and interactive learning technologies.
In addition, Dave has served on the board of directors for IBM OTI, AmikaNOW!, Bluezone, Stilo and WatAge, and as advisor to numerous companies including Beachtech, Hewson Bridges Smith, ICHU, Objectime, Transform Research, Windward Systems, Jaczone, Bitflash, Softv, Object Mentor and Gentleware. He has been a key advisor to founders at Objective Systems, Pallaido Software (both acquired by Rational), Knowledge Systems Corporation, Digital Composition Systems Inc, Dy-4 Systems and Omnimark. He has served as reviewer for NSERC strategic grants, and in industry university initiatives including OCRI, TRIO, ITRC, CITO and SERC.
He is active in international standards committees in software technology. Dave is widely published in the software engineering literature. He has served on the OOPSLA and ECOOP conferences program committees for the past 15 years. His speaking engagements include keynote addresses at many major conferences as well as seminars and courses on software component technology. In recognition of his pioneering work in object technology, Dave was elected to the IBM Academy.
Doug Talbott - eLearning Advisor
Doug came to Online-learning.com from Nortel Networks where he was a senior manager in Nortel's Design Interpretive Group responsible for designing user interfaces for Nortel Network's network management user interfaces. In this role, Doug managed a wide range of technical documentation and user interface design projects including Nortel's documentation standards, Nortel's Preside Network Management product portfolio, Nortel's M3000 Touchphone user interface, and Nortel's TOPS/MP Operator user interface.
Prior to joining Nortel, Doug ran a successful Ottawa-based design and communications consultancy where he worked on both new media and print-based media for many clients including Nortel Networks, Object Technology International, Department of Finance, Secretary of State, Department of Multiculturalism and several local and international advertising agencies. He has been the recipient of many design awards from the Canadian Graphic Designers Guild, several chapters of the Society of Technical Communicators, and the New York Advertising Association.
Doug was also a member of the three-person management team that created and operated the Honeywell Institute which introduced the concept of immersive training by offering traditional courses in systems design and computer programming. He also designed and taught several courses at the Institute and has designed and taught courses at Carleton University in the area of interaction design and visual design for the last eight years.
Susan Bodnik - Instructor Coordination
Susan's academic degree in English from the University of Waterloo includes special research in communications, rhetoric and online learning. She is a member of the Society for Technical Communication, and maintains an active interest in evolving technologies related to online learning and XML.
Susan administers Online-learning.com's suite of courses, addressing issues of development and operations involving course and authoring software, conversion and communications. She has been fundamental in the preparation and quality assurance issues relating to student activities, assignments and the evaluation processes Online-learning.com uses to assure consistency, accuracy and efficiency in lessons and scheduling. She works closely with instructors in all areas, supervising marking, course development and standards of student performance.
Dr. Paul Beam - Past President
Dr. Paul Beam was the founder of Online-learning.com and a faculty member in the English Department at the University of Waterloo where he specialized in online learning and computer-based instruction. He developed online learning processes for 25 years with other government and commercial agencies, including IBM, DEC, Bell Canada, SITO, the National Research Council, ENSERC, SIGDOC and the IEEE. He was the Chair of the Centre for Professional Writing at the University of Waterloo, a Director of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce's Procedures and Documentation and Forms Management departments, and a principal at UW of the TeleLearning National Centre of Excellence. Our Professional Technical Writing and XML courses are the results of his research in online learning and computer-based technology.