Employee Spotlight: Todd Doucette | Teaching Centre & Agility

Where are you from? What is your background?

I was born and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba and manage to go back home for Christmas and a short visit each summer - Mom always seems to have a list of jobs for me to do. I came to Alberta for school, took Turfgrass Management at Olds College and then worked as an Assistant Superintendent in Rocky Mountain House and Medicine Hat. After doing that for about 8 years, I wanted a change so I worked as an irrigation installer for golf courses. We were based out of Medicine Hat but travelled all over Alberta and into B.C. and Saskatchewan. This came in handy when my current boss was landscaping his yard and installing the irrigation system. It was a fair trade - he got help and I got beer and pizza. I decided that working in the summers and getting winters off was not the way I wanted to live, so I enrolled in Multimedia Production at Lethbridge College and found a passion for video production.

I like to travel and always pack my camera with me, which usually complicates travel for my friends and I, as we end up lugging equipment all over on our travels. I have countless hours of footage from all the places I’ve visited and some of the footage I shot on these trips has been used for a web car commercial, DiscoveryHD and National Geographic.

When did you join the uLethbridge team and what do you do here?

I have been with the University for over 12 years now. I started with an internship at the CRDC, which is now the Teaching Centre. For the Teaching Centre. I focus on video production. I shoot videos to promote the amazing teaching that our faculty do here and I also offer advice and help faculty with their video/technical needs. A couple of years ago I worked with a faculty member to build a Lightboard that we have setup in the Teaching Centre. The Lightboard is a 4x8 sheet of glass surrounded by LED lights and using fluorescent markers the writing glows making it highly visible for the camera. Because it is glass, the person writing on the board is looking at the camera and doesn’t have their back to their students. We use a mirror so the writing is flipped making it readable and this method enhances the engagement with students.

What is the best part of your job?

The people that I get to work with. I get to interact with many people across the University from my coworkers in the office that are awesome to work with and make coming to work enjoyable. We are always helping and supporting each other where we can. Staff throughout the University, I have found very helpful and accomodating. Faculty that I am always in awe of the amazing dedication they have to teaching at the University. I have so much fun working with faculty and staff creating videos.

How has your job changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year?

I consider myself very fortunate that I am able to work from home. In the beginning it was a shift to help with the communications from the Teaching Centre and focus on editing projects that had been shot before. As restrictions eased and with some extra safety procedures and a bit of creativity I’ve been able to get back interviewing faculty in their backyards or outside on campus to show what their fall courses are going to look like.

Do you have any tips for faculty and staff as they gear up for a what will be an exciting, yet challenging school year?

Ask for help when you need it and offer help where you can. If you are doing something new, ask your colleagues if they’ve done or know someone who has done something similar. That way you can find out what worked and didn’t work for them so you aren’t going through the same growing pains someone else has already gone through. If you are doing something similar as a colleague talk with them about how they are doing it. They might have a better or quicker way or your way may be the better way. Support each other and it will make things easier for everyone.