"I love sharing information with others, and I am energized when students experience that 'ah ha!' moment and find personal connections to course content and big ideas. I have been fortunate to be part so many students’ lives from Kindergarten through university. Each student has a unique story and purpose to fulfill in God’s Kingdom, and I am grateful for the opportunity to play a small part in teaching, encouraging, and inspiring students at any point in their personal journey in building their relationship with God."
—Karen Roeck, Instructional Designer and Part-Time Instructor
Classroom teacher, online school administrator, award-winning choral conductor, volleyball coach, and university course writer — these are all roles that describe Karen Roeck.
Karen Roeck is an Instructional Designer and Part-Time Instructor in Trinity Western’s School of Education and MA Leadership programs. She is a Doctor of Education candidate at the University of Western Ontario. Her research focuses on equipping teachers to thrive in the online education environment, emphasizing the role of technology to help students become collaborative learners, content creators, and engaged global citizens.
Professor Roeck has presented at conferences across Canada, including EdTechTeam Summits, RenewED, InspirED, the Christian Home Educators Conference, the Canadian eLearning Network Digital Learning Symposium, and the Catholic Educators Conference. She is a Google Certified Trainer and offers synchronous and asynchronous training sessions for educators and organizations wanting to incorporate G Suite tools into their pedagogical practices.
Honouring International Women’s Day at TWU: Faculty Reflections
Every year on March 8, the global community celebrates International Women's Day. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. At Trinity Western, we seek to honour the many women leaders and educators who help our University thrive and advance into the future.
In the below interview, we hear from Professor Roeck about her leadership journey.
1. Hi Professor Roeck, what has helped you in your journey of teaching and leadership, and what are a few tips you have?
Growing in my teaching and leadership has been a life-long, transformational journey for me. Of the list of spiritual gifts found in Ephesians 4:11 (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Shepherds, Teachers), God gifted me as a teacher. I love sharing information with others, and I am energized when students experience that “ah ha!” moment and find personal connections to course content and big ideas. I have been fortunate to be part so many students’ lives from Kindergarten through university. Each student has a unique story and purpose to fulfill in God’s Kingdom, and I am grateful for the opportunity to play a small part in teaching, encouraging, and inspiring students at any point in their personal journey in building their relationship with God.
Teaching and leadership are all about relationships. Jesus modelled agape love throughout his life by prioritizing people over task (Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 10:38-42), demonstrating grace upon grace (John 1:14; Ephesians 4:7), pouring into the lives of his disciples (Matthew 4:19; John 21:17), and, ultimately, laying his life down to reunite humanity with its Creator for eternity. With Kingdom purposes in mind, TWU professors care for the academic, emotional, relational, and spiritual discipleship and growth of their students. I strive to design my teaching around these themes, and equip my students to be caring, critical thinkers who want to make a deep, transformational impact on culture in their local and global communities.
2. Who are some of the women who inspire you, and why?
I am inspired by stories of women in the Bible – Ruth’s devoted loyalty, Hannah’s trusting perseverance, Esther’s courageous wisdom, Mary of Nazareth’s obedience, and Martha’s quiet longing to be in Christ’s presence. God created women for a specific purpose (Genesis 1:27), and we have much to learn from what He shares with us through Scripture.
Dr. Adrienne Castellon has been a significant mentor and guide over the past few years as I joined the TWU community, first as an MA Leadership student, then as a full-time staff member. I appreciate her wisdom and encouragement in my life. Personally, I grew up surrounded by strong women. My two grandmothers, my mom, and my three sisters influenced who I am today. My Grandma’s steadfast faithfulness taught me to rely on God and remember he will always be with me. My Granny’s work ethic and resiliency showed me the value of determination and grit. My mom’s love, hospitality, sacrifice, and emphasis on family formed the way I relate to others as a friend, parent, teacher, and colleague. I have been blessed to serve alongside my sister Stephanie through volleyball coaching, teaching, and raising our families. My sister Tanya inspires me through her obedience in following God's call to minister overseas and raise up the next generation of young leaders. Finally, my sister Jennifer is walking evidence of God's miraculous presence, and has taught me to cherish and find joy in life's blessings.
3. What has been a highlight of teaching at TWU in recent months?
I am likely in the minority here, but I have really enjoyed teaching in the online environment over the past few months! Before coming to TWU, I was a regional administrator and teacher with a K-12 online school, and I am currently focusing my doctoral research on building educator e-pedagogy efficacy and capacity to engage students in the online environment. As you can imagine, this is an exciting time to research e-pedagogy and teaching and learning online! I have learned so much teaching in the School of Education and MA Leadership programs and working with the TWU Online Learning team this year. I pray God will continue to use me to encourage, inspire, and equip TWU faculty and students to think truthfully, act justly, and live faithfully for the good of the world and glory of God.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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