Paula MacDowell

Paula MacDowell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in immersive education, XR technologies, AI education, and environmental sustainability. She leads courses in Educational Technology and Design (ETAD), focusing on innovative teaching methods and pro-social applications of technology. Her research emphasizes leveraging extended reality (XR) and AI for learning, with roles in organizations like the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) and contributions to edited collections like Immersive Education: Designing for Learning.

Education: Ph.D. (Curriculum and Pedagogy, UBC, 2015), MET (UBC, 2007), B.Ed. (University of Regina, 1995).

Research interests include immersive learning design, AI literacy, and sustainability education. Key projects involve grants from SSHRC, Mitacs, and the Graham Centre for Teaching and Learning. She supervises numerous graduate students in topics like AI-enhanced instructional design and VR for environmental education.

Service includes roles as Acting Department Head of Curriculum Studies and USFA Executive Committee member. Her outreach focuses on community engagement, such as open educational resources (OER) and collaborative projects with educators globally.

Labs/Teams: Active in iLRN’s Immersive Practice initiatives and co-leads the Youth Mobilizing Action on Sustainability research cluster. Her work bridges theory and practice, emphasizing hands-on, technology-driven learning solutions.