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In this spotlight conversation, Rob McBride speaks with Nancy Van Dorp, Avenue Canada’s Distributed Learning Manager and one of the organization’s most experienced learning technologists and e-developers.
Nancy’s involvement with Technology-enhanced Language Learning stretches back more than two decades. Over that time, she has worked as a trainer, mentor and e-developer and has helped many settlement language instructors develop their confidence and expertise with learning technology. Today, she oversees key aspects of Avenue’s distributed learning operations, including instructor onboarding, training and the Avenue Mentor Network.
We talked with Nancy about how she found her way into learning technology, what she has learned from mentoring teachers, the challenges educators face in keeping up with technological change, and why she believes the human side of teaching will remain essential in the age of AI.
Nancy, let’s start with your current role. What does the Distributed Learning Manager do?
My role as a manager is really about making things run smoothly.
That involves helping onboard teachers onto Avenue and working with service provider organization managers to make sure their instructors are added in a timely way. I also help make sure our training stays up to date and that the Avenue Mentor Network is flourishing and providing teachers with the right kind of support as they move through their training.
I also work with other organizations to help bring more learning resources, including e-units, onto Avenue.
There are a lot of different pieces, but ultimately they connect to the same goal: making sure instructors have the tools, training and support they need to use Avenue effectively.
Let’s go back a little. How did you first become involved with learning technology and settlement language training?
I remember it quite clearly. I was at my first TESL Ontario conference and I met Jim Edgar. Jim and I had a great discussion about using technology in teaching and learning. We talked about EduLINC, which was being developed at the time, and about the growing role of technology in education. We were both passionate about the subject, so we started talking, and that conversation ultimately led to a much longer professional journey.
And your learning technology skills have changed considerably over those years.
Absolutely. Jim was a great mentor to me. He helped point me in the right direction.
I started as a trainer, moved into mentoring, and then began e-developing learning materials. Each of those roles helped me understand another part of Technology-enhanced Language Learning. Over time, all of those experiences came together. They gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to take on the role I have today.
Jim retired in 2025 after playing such an important role in the development of Avenue and its predecessors. You stepped into many of his responsibilities. How has that transition been?
Those are probably the biggest shoes I’ve ever had to wear! I recognize that I still have knowledge gaps. But I love learning, and every day I appreciate that I can continue growing in my role. Jim was my mentor, and he set a very high standard. I don’t think you simply replace someone with his experience. What I can do is continue learning and growing into the responsibilities he left behind.
It was a major transition for the whole Avenue team, but you’ve certainly made the role your own.
Thank you. I’m still learning, and I think that’s important. In learning technology, you never really reach a point where you can say, “That’s it. I know everything I need to know.”
The technology won’t let you!
That leads naturally to a bigger question. What do you see as one of the biggest challenges facing language training professionals who want to become confident with learning technology?
Right now, I think a lot of it is about AI and finding ways for AI to complement teaching and learning. Technology is going to continue evolving, and I think we’ll increasingly see a combination of teachers and technology. AI will influence what we do and what teachers need to be prepared to work with.
But the challenge isn’t only AI. It’s the pace of technological change in general.
For teachers, time and energy are real issues. It can be difficult to learn something new at the end of an already busy teaching day. Then, just when you think you’ve figured something out, the technology changes again.
We still encounter some reluctance among educators to engage with learning technology. What would you say to someone who feels overwhelmed by it?
I understand that feeling. Teachers are busy, and learning something new takes time and energy. But I think of learning technology a little like upgrading the software on your phone.
Imagine you’re using version one. If you keep putting off the updates and suddenly the world is on version seven, you have a huge amount to catch up on. If you move from version one to version two, and then version three, you’re only learning a little at a time. It’s much easier to stay on top of things than to make one enormous leap several years later. That’s the approach I’d recommend to teachers. You don’t have to master everything at once. Just keep learning.
What happens when teachers do develop that confidence with technology? What are the benefits?
The first benefit is exactly that: confidence. When teachers are more confident using technology, they can make better decisions about how to use it in their teaching. They can also do a better job of addressing the digital literacy needs of their learners. That’s important because digital literacy is part of everyday life now. Our learners need language skills, but they also need the confidence to function in a world where so many services, workplaces and everyday activities involve technology. So when teachers develop their own digital skills, there’s a direct benefit for learners. It’s a win-win.
There can also be professional benefits for teachers themselves. The more current your skills are, the more opportunities you may have to make different career moves. There are a lot of reasons to invest the time, even when finding that time isn’t easy.
You’ve mentored a lot of instructors over the years. Are there particular success stories that stand out?
What inspires me most is seeing what people go on to do. I can think of several teachers I mentored who are now in management positions within service provider organizations. Their commitment to technology and to improving their own skills helped them become leaders. There are also people I originally worked with as teachers and mentees who now work with us at Avenue. That’s incredibly rewarding.
You see people develop confidence and understanding, become more willing to experiment, and eventually recognize that they have opportunities they might not have considered before. Mentoring isn’t just about teaching someone how to use a particular tool. Ideally, you’re helping them build the confidence to continue learning independently.
We’ve talked a lot about AI, technology and change. Do you have a final message for our colleagues working in settlement language training?
I do. We are not being replaced by technology. We are humans. Technology is going to continue changing, and AI is going to become part of more of what we do. But that doesn’t mean the human role disappears. So let’s embrace the technology. Let’s learn about it, work with it, and figure out how to use it well. Most importantly, let’s use it to make teaching and learning better for all of our learners.
