Additional Qualification/Additional Basic Qualification Courses
The Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University provides in-service education courses for teachers including: Additional Qualification (AQ) courses and Additional Basic Qualification (ABQ) courses.
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Language Proficiency Tests
French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese
Course Descriptions
Click on the links below to view the courses we are accredited to offer in each group:
- Group 1 – Additional Basic Qualifications (Schedule A - OCT)*
- Group 3 - One-Session Qualifications (Schedule C - OCT)*
- Group 4 - Three-Session Qualifications - Part I, II, III (Specialist) (Schedule D - OCT)*
* Candidates who register in an Intermediate or Senior ABQ course must submit an official undergraduate transcript and meet the course prerequisite requirements in order to be reported to the Ontario College of Teachers.
Important Dates
Spotlight on our AQ/ABQ Facilitators
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Susan Alcorn-MackayProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Susan has been facilitating Special Education Additional Qualification courses on-site, on-line and at a distance for the past 30 years at NU.
Susan has been working in the field of special education at all levels for the past 35 years. Currently retired as the Director, Counselling and Student Support at Cambrian College, she remains active on the board of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario and others.
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Biagio AulinoProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Biagio is a York Region-based educator with over thirty years of classroom teaching experience.
He has an Honour Specialist in International Languages, Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Second Language Education. Biagio joined the International Languages Instructor team in the summer of 2021. He has been a guest lecturer, researcher and teaching assistant for Italian undergraduate courses. Biago works for the York Catholic District School Board as a Moderns Department Head.
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Tina BenevidesProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ), Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Tina Benevides, PhD, is an adjunct faculty member in the Faculty of Education and Professional Studies at Nipissing University.
Tina has taught several courses in the Schulich School of Education including Language and Literacy, Classroom Management, Social Studies, Science and Technology Education, and Kindergarten, Parts I, II, and III. Before her adjunct position, Tina was the Administrator for In-Service Education at NU and worked as an instructional designer of AQ and ABQ courses.
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Liana BlaskievichProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Liana has taught the Intermediate Visual Arts ABQ (online) and the Senior Visual Arts ABQ (onsite) and Visual Arts Part I, II and Specialist (onsite).
As a curriculum writing specialist, Liana has implemented new courses of study for: Indigenous studies based on an interdisciplinary curriculum in arts and literature; Interior Design based on visual arts design-based curriculum; Media Studies to reflect emerging technologies; and Portfolio Building reflective of highly competitive portfolio screening.
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Robert BradyProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Robert has 26 years of experience teaching English and literacy.
Robert teaches with the Near North District School Board. He has served as the team leader of a languages department, chairperson of an English subject council, and on various assessment and evaluation, information and communication technology, and new teacher induction committees at the school and district levels. Most recently, Robert has taught Language and Literacies for the Intermediate and Senior Divisions.
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David CalverleyProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
David Calverley has been teaching courses for Nipissing University since 2007.
David has worked at Crescent School in Toronto since 2002, teaching history, law, Indigenous studies, and social sciences to students in Grades 10 to 12. He has a PhD in history, and is the author of the monograph Who Controls the Hunt? First Nations, Treaty Rights, and Wildlife Conservation in Ontario (2018) and other articles concerned with Indigenous history.
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Peter CantinProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ), Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Peter works in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board and has been a secondary teacher for over twenty years, specializing in mathematics, science, and guidance.
With a focus on virtual curriculum delivery, he has developed courses for the Ministry of Education along with courses at the university level. Peter has taught Guidance and Careers, Parts 1, 2, and Specialist at Nipissing University, along with facilitating the Senior Biology ABQ and core courses.
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Adam CoxProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Adam Cox has a distinct passion for Alternative Education spanning over twenty years.
Adam developed and taught Personalized Alternative Education programs and experiential learning programs in various schools in England and in the York Region District School Board. He strongly believes that Experiential Learning Experiences are a great way to fully engage students, close achievement gaps, foster student achievement, and ultimately develop the “holistic” student to prepare them for “real life”.
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Kimberly LewisProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Kimberley has taught addition qualification courses for Nipissing University since 2010.
With a degree in French Teaching Specialization and an honours specialist in French, teaching FSL Part 1, 2 and Specialist has been a perfect fit for Kimberley. She has a breadth of experience in the FSL classroom teaching core, extended, and immersion classes as well as the International Baccalaureate program. In 2021, Kimberley contributed to the review and update of the FSL Course Guidelines for the Ontario College of Teachers.
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Bonnie MarlowProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Bonnie facilitated the online Intermediate ABQ Mathematics and Senior ABQ Mathematics Elective at NU for over 9 years.
Bonnie has over 15 years of teaching experience at the Near North District School Board where she taught mathematics and a variety of subjects. As a Special Education Specialist, Bonnie was fortunate enough to teach students of all levels and in a variety of programs. Bonnie specializes in distance education, e-learning and instructional design.
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Shanna NodwellProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Shanna has facilitated Health and Physical Education Additional Qualification courses for the Intermediate and Senior divisions at Nipissing University for 13 years.
Shanna is an alumnus of the BA and BEd programs at Nipissing University, as well as a past member of the Women’s Soccer and Volleyball teams. Shanna has been a teacher with the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board in North Bay, Ontario since 2005, where she has taught in all divisions.
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Frank PetruzellaProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Frank has been a vice-principal, an English department head, and English coordinator responsible for mentoring teachers from grades 7 through 12.
Frank has taught Curriculum Development and Evaluation, Education and Schooling, Senior English, Intermediate English, and Language Across the Curriculum at Nipissing University over the past 16 years. Frank looks forward to meeting his students and sharing some thoughts on a very exciting place—the senior secondary classroom.
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James SteeleProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
James (Jimmy) is proudly celebrating his tenth anniversary working with Nipissing University.
Jimmy is one of Ontario’s most passionate advocates for International Languages programs, students, and educators. In 2012, he co-wrote the Spanish - Part 1 AQ and has been teaching it ever since. His engagement with second language programming has been key to helping Nipissing University to offer Spanish - Part 2 and launch the German, Italian, and Portuguese AQs. Jimmy is a teacher and guidance counsellor with the Toronto District School Board.
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Bill SteerProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Bill is the founder and General Manager of the Canadian Ecology Centre.
Bill is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at Nipissing University. He was on the original OCT committee that developed the Outdoor Experiential Education AQ. Bill serves on the board of directors of the Ontario Public Schools Boards’ Association. His most precious honour is having been welcomed into a First Nation community through a special eagle feather ceremony.
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Mary ThorntonProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Mary is an experienced instrumental music teacher who has taught grades 7-12 for over 35 years.
Mary teaches the onsite (Intermediate and Senior) and online Intermediate and Senior ABQ courses and has lectured, and done workshops and clinics around Ontario. Mary is an adjudicator and band director who always looks forward to supporting future and present music teachers.
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Nicola TownendProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Nicola Townend (she/her) has been teaching German and French in Toronto for 18 years.
Nicola is a settler Canadian of British origin. Her interests include equity and inclusion, plurilingual and pluricultural approaches to teaching languages, and the integration of Indigenous content and perspectives. Nicola is a former president of the OATG and the CATG, two associations supporting German educators in Ontario. She is proud to have taught the German Part 1 AQ at Nipissing University since 2020.
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Karen WallerProgram Areas:
Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ)
Karen has been involved for over 14 years with facilitating the Primary Part I AQ and Primary ABQ courses.
As a teacher of 16 years and an administrator of 17 years, Karen has supported a wide range of educators and administrators. Karen’s most recent portfolio in the Near North District School Board is as both an elementary school principal and school board system principal with a focus on Equity.
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Leisa WheatonProgram Areas:
Additional Qualifications (AQ)
Leisa is a principal with the Near North District School Board and has taught in all divisions.
Leisa has facilitated Reading Additional Qualification parts 1, 2, and the specialist courses. Prior to becoming a principal in 2017, Leisa spent most of her career focusing on literacy success for students. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and their two-year-old son, camping, being outside, and baking together.