Derek Stovin is an assistant professor and the Director of Access Education in the University of Winnipeg’s Faculty of Education, located in Manitoba, Canada. Graduating with a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in 2021, he is an inter-disciplinary scholar with broad research interests in educational and higher educational administration and policy. Derek currently serves as Secretary of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education and as the book reviews section editor for the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy.
Derek’s academic career began as a policy economist upon completing a M.Sc. degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Saskatchewan in 1999. He then shifted focus from research in areas related to human capital, economic growth, and intellectual property to research in educational policy more broadly. In order to gain necessary experience and pursue his enjoyment of teaching, Derek returned to university as an adult learner to become a teacher in rural Saskatchewan. He earned a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and an M.Ed. in Post-Secondary Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland, which led to many years of research, administration, and policy analysis with Athabasca University and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
Derek’s current research interests involve academic identity, professional identity, and the exploration of career-life experiences as they may relate to educational organization, leadership, and culture. He employs both quantitative and qualitative methods but is now most often attracted to narrative and interpretivist approaches to research. Derek teaches an introductory course related to current topics in education and a third-year course on approaches to teaching and learning.
Derek thanks his wonderful children Aidan, Rowan, and Elsie for their sacrifices and unwavering support, love, and understanding.