Oluwakemi Ola

Oluwakemi Ola is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She specializes in computing education, focusing on pedagogy, curriculum development, and inclusive learning environments. Her work addresses challenges in global education, particularly in African contexts, and explores innovative teaching practices such as autograding systems and strategies to support student well-being. Ola has received prestigious awards including the UBC Killam Teaching Prize (2021) and the UBC Computer Science Department 2018 Faculty Teaching Award.

Her research emphasizes classroom climate improvement, academic integrity, and the integration of socio-emotional activities in STEM education. She has taught courses like Computational Thinking, Programming Foundations (CPSC 110), and Data Visualization (DSCI 320), reflecting her commitment to foundational computer science education. Ola has contributed to numerous conferences, including SIGCSE, and published on topics ranging from pandemic-era team dynamics to the design of health data visualizations for public health decision-making.

• Awards: UBC Killam Teaching Prize 2021, UBC CS 2018 Teaching Award
• Key Research Themes: Inclusive pedagogy, global computing education, autograding innovation, classroom well-being

Ola’s work bridges theory and practice, advocating for evidence-based teaching methods that promote diversity and equity in computing education. She has collaborated on projects to adapt lesson delivery for evolving classroom sizes and design visualizations for public health challenges like vector-borne disease control.