My name is May Bahador, and I am the Lead Instructor and Facilitator of Northwest Aurora.

After completing my Master's Degree in learning and technology with a focus on online mobile learning in indigenous communities of Canada, I decided to put what I learned through my research into practise. I am passionate about working with and helping indigenous communities, and feel grateful to have already been able to do so in my home province of Alberta since 2013.

I have been teaching various programs in Stoney Nakoda Nation throughout the last seven years, specifically in Morley and Eden Valley. I have seen the need for technology workshops in these communities firsthand, as well as the challenges the students face when seeking jobs due to their lack of knowledge/experience with technology and their lack of basic interpersonal skills. I have also seen the further challenges they face such as transportation difficulties, learning disabilities, difficulty finding daycare for their children, lack of access to training due to their remote locations, and above all, lack of confidence and motivation.

I completed my Master’s Degree in Learning and Technology in 2019 where I completed seven months of secondary research for my applied research project as part of the requirements of my degree. Due to my passion for helping indigenous people and from having seen the challenges they face, I dedicated my research to finding strategies that could be used to design online mobile learning training programs for adult learners in the indigenous communities of Canada.

The findings of my research suggested that adult learners in the indigenous communities of Canada faced many systematic barriers when it came to conventional education, including personal, social, institutional, and physical difficulties. On the other hand, with the growing availability of mobile devices in the indigenous communities of Canada, I found that online learning could allow the learners to access educational resources anytime and anywhere. My research demonstrated that mobile online learning could offer a solution to some of the most critical barriers indigenous learners faced. Furthermore, my research also indicated that training the educators was one of the keys to successful long-term training design and delivery in indigenous communities. By training indigenous people to become teachers themselves, we enable indigenous communities to become autonomous in their educational needs and bring crucial resources closer to home.

My ultimate goal is to help indigenous communities across all of Canada through online classes and workshops. To this end, I'd love to hear from you!

My name is Fred Eshraghi and I'm a Project Manager, Instructor, and Facilitator for Northwest Aurora.

Throughout my life I've worked in many different environments with all sorts of different people, and have the experience, degrees and certificates to show for it. I've worked as an electrical designer in a leading oil and gas company. I've earned a Class 1 Driver's License and worked as a long haul semi driver with a renowned trucking company. I've worked as an avionics technician repairing and maintaining airplanes in and around the Calgary International Airport. I've earned my Security License and worked as an operator and dispatch officer for a prominent Alberta security company.

My diverse education and work history has allowed me to develop a broad set of skills and an invaluable well of knowledge. Through Northwest Aurora, I'm very happy to pass on all that I've learned. I've been there, getting my foot through the door in multiple careers and industries, and so I know what it takes. In my courses and workshops, I look forward to helping you do the same.