“I would recommend TJ as the instructor of the year. His lectures are very engaging, which makes us want to come to class. Even outside of the class, he’s friendly and happy to talk with students about anything. That makes it easier for us to approach him and talk casually. If we had issues, he was very helpful and fair, listening to the wrangles and sorting them out. He makes his classes dynamic and enjoyable, and encourages students to believe in themselves, inspiring confidence. TJ made me feel like I can achieve any goal I set for myself. TJ is so positive and supportive. He’s the best. Thank you, Camosun, for giving TJ a chance to teach us.”
A recipient of a Teacher Recognition Award in both 2024 and 2026, TJ is a full-time faculty member in the Marketing department at Camosun. He teaches a wide range of marketing courses, sometimes introductory courses, sometimes higher-level courses, depending on the term, as well as organizational behavior, leadership, and strategic management courses for the Management and HR Leadership program. “I completed a diploma from the business admin program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) with a marketing major, graduated with an undergraduate degree in business management from the Dhillon School of Business at the University of Lethbridge, then received my MBA from the University of Victoria Gustavson School of Business.” After working in marketing for about 12 years, TJ moved into education. “I’ve been teaching for five years, first in the School of Business at SAIT, then in the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and now at Camosun, and I’ve found so much joy, meaning and fulfillment in teaching.” TJ is also a proud father and husband. “I have two beautiful daughters, now 11 and 13, and my wife and I are very proud of seeing them continue to grow into the beautiful people that they are.”
I asked TJ what it is about teaching that brings him joy. “I get a lot of joy from seeing students start their evolutionary journey with me every semester, watching them go from knowing a little bit about marketing, and seeing them progress throughout the term, building up to those “aha” moments. Then seeing that sweet spot teachers all love to see – when students walk away not only having learned more about something but having enjoyed the journey along the way.” What TJ really enjoys is interacting and engaging with students. “I love the discussions – around marketing, human dynamics in the workplace, organizational culture, communication, and so on. All of those topics have such an impact on our experiences at work, regardless of industry. I love applying different frameworks and models to the real world, so students leave my classes feeling confident moving into the workplace, because at the end of the day that is what employers want – the folks they hire — our students –to be able to come in and make a tangible impact.” TJ is also excited when he sees the same students in multiple courses. “That means the world to me because it’s both a validation of what I’m doing here for them and because it allows us to build deeper relationships.” Finally, TJ says that “being able to help people better their lives, whatever that looks like, means a lot to me. It’s humbling and fulfilling to know that I’m having a positive impact on their lives through this small part I play.”
I wondered what happens in a typical TJ classroom. “One of the reasons teaching is a good fit for me is because I bring my authentic self — my personality, who I am — to class and try to create an environment where students feel welcomed, safe, and supported. Having said that, I also push my students to think critically about the topics we discuss and dig into why we are learning whatever it is we’re learning. I bring in what I call a theory-based pragmatism approach to teaching. We discuss various theories and frameworks which lay a foundation of knowledge in relation to the various course concepts, but students also want to understand how they can apply those theories in a real-world context to show an employer what impact they can have on the organization. So whatever course I’m teaching, I help students to not only understand the foundational elements of these topics, but how we can apply them and make sense of them in a real-world setting.” And students are usually not shy to speak up in TJ’s classes. “Except for maybe early in the semester, I don’t have a tough time creating dialogue and engagement amongst the class group, which enhances the learning for everybody. But it’s not solely my responsibility as the instructor to create this environment; I believe that it’s a co-creative effort – that we all have a responsibility to foster respect in the classroom. I give students respect and expect them to reciprocate that respect back to me and show that same respect to each other during our time together. I don’t think it’s a difficult ask, but I believe it’s a very important one.”
I asked TJ how he and the students build their class environment. “It’s a conversation. On day one I articulate my class standards and explain that everyone in the class needs to have a shared understanding of what those are and a shared responsibility to uphold those standards. Throughout the semester I may need to remind the class once or twice, but that doesn’t happen too often.” During the class time itself, TJ will typically share a framework or topic and then “ask a lot of probing questions to get students’ gears turning. I then balance that with creating collective engagement, sometimes with the full class, or sometimes in small groups which seems to work pretty well.”
We also chatted a bit about assessments in TJ’s courses, and the impact AI has been having on how he handles assessments these days. “In the Introduction to Marketing course, it’s usually a blend of smaller quizzes, experiential marketing work (for example, putting together a large marketing plan over the course of a semester), a market research assignment, and a final exam. But in a course like Strategic Management, a final year course where students are pulling together all of the knowledge that they have accumulated in management and leadership to strategically position an organization in the marketplace, there tend to be fewer formal exams and a greater emphasis on case study-type assessments and opportunities to reflect on and apply concepts and interact with peers.” As for how AI has impacted some of these assessments, “it is one of the most prevalent topics of discussion in our department meetings these days as we all try to navigate the reality of what AI and assessment looks like. In my humble opinion, these are tools that are probably not going away, so we need to understand how we can strike a balance between allowing students to use AI (because industry data shows that employers are expecting new graduates to be skilled and knowledgeable in using AI to do the work for which they are hired to do) while ensuring that they are not using AI as a crutch such that they are learning the concepts we endeavour to teach in the courses they take in their respective programs at Camosun.” A month before we spoke, TJ attended a teaching and learning conference at the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute. “The theme was digital transformation, and the last two days of sessions were all about AI, largely related to questions around assessments: How do we navigate this? What adjustments do we make? How are we assessing student learning now? To what extent do we allow students to use AI?” TJ says he is going to implement some of what he learned at the conference into his teaching and share these broader questions with the department. “What I’m wondering a lot about is whether we should be assessing students on their thought process during their use of AI, asking them to explain the steps they took to get to their final product (making their process more transparent), and using that as a means by which to identify and assess the extent to which they have learned the material learned the material. The evolutionary nature of AI is changing so rapidly that, I don’t have a clear answer as to how we’re going to best navigate all this, but in the end, we have great people at Camosun and we all want to best position our students for success in their careers and in life, so I’m sure we’ll get there together and in a good way”
I wondered if TJ had some memories from his five years of teaching to share. “I have been recognized with a teaching awards four times now in my five years of teaching: one from SAIT after my first year there, one from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and in 2026, my second at Camosun. This acknowledgment from students means more to me than I can truly ever say because they, the students, spend a lot of time and money and put a lot of effort into their education, and knowing that I’ve had an impact on them means so much to me. So, when you’re asking about memories, that’s one of the first things that comes to mind. Another memory from the three places that I’ve taught at full-time is seeing students line up at the end of the semester to thank me for the time spent in my class and to share that they enjoyed the class and how much they learned. It means so much because, not only do I enjoy teaching more than anything I’ve done, but I also care about it more than anything I’ve done in my career because ultimately, I genuinely care about the students as people.”
As we neared the end of our conversation, I asked TJ what advice he had for any new instructors coming to teach at Camosun. “Bring your authentic self to the classroom. People can see it when you do, and that creates a deeper connection that goes a long way. Prepare as best you can, and create an environment where students feel comfortable and welcome. Take chances, push yourself out of your comfort zone, encourage your students to work hard and do their best, and lean on your colleagues. Last year some term instructors reached out to ask me questions because they had never taught before. There’s a wonderful degree of collegiality here at Camosun that I really appreciate. We’re connected to each other. We’re connected to the industry. We’re connected to community. We’re connected in so many ways. So, if you’re new to teaching at the college, talk to folks who are here already. I’m sure they’ll be happy to help and chat with you about teaching and the positive impact it can have in people’s lives.
I’m grateful everyday for the opportunity to do this work and I will keep trying to learn and grow so that I can be the best educator that I can be for my students.”