Dr. Rachel Ralph (BA, BEd, MET, PhD) is a faculty member in the Master of Digital Media program at the Centre for Digital Media, teaching Foundations of Digital Media, Visual Story, electives, and supervising student project teams. Her fifteen-plus years in education include experience as a digital media and curriculum consultant, instructing at multiple institutions, creating and updating new courses and programs, and serving as Graduate Program Chair. In the MDM program, Rachel focuses on visual storytelling, agile management, applied research, and in particular, emphasizing experiential learning across a variety of projects.
A firm believer in learning by doing, Rachel incorporates hands-on, real-world experiences into her teaching. She guides students through the process of creating and managing digital media projects, providing opportunities to apply theoretical concepts in practical settings. This approach fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills, preparing students for success in the dynamic digital media landscape.
As a certified Scrum Master® and Certified Agile Leader (CAL1), Rachel champions agile methodologies. She models agile leadership practices, even maintaining a Kanban board in her office, and explores the balance between agile, waterfall, and hybrid "watergile" approaches while emphasizing effective team practices and leadership. Rachel also contributes to a large UBC Education SSHRC-funded research project with the ALIVE lab (https://alivelab.ca) exploring STEAM virtual gaming environments.
Beyond her formal teaching role, Rachel actively pursues her own creative and professional development. She balances her work life by consistently engaging in personal growth through courses, creating art, writing children's books (and is a published author!), and volunteering with Bard on the Beach (Volunteer of the Year 2019) and Canucks for Kids Charity. This commitment to lifelong learning and volunteerism informs her teaching and inspires her students.
Dr. Rachel Ralph received the Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award from Simon Fraser University in 2023. She is grateful for this recognition and looks forward to continuing her passion for education and experiential learning.
Rachel will be on study leave September 2025-September 2026
Projects
- Dawn of War 3
- Wet Toast Saga
- A New Way to Track the Use of Markers in AR Space
- 3D City Storytelling
- Team Accenture
- Davos | Give Meaning
- Team GenZ
- Pinnacle
- Krypto Klawz
- InQlusive
- Ameegos
- VR Holocaust Memorial with Zeros2Heroes
- Mixed-Reality Performance Design Tool with Lifelike & Believable
- Optimized Recruitment System for User Research with Kaizor Innovation
- Interactive Educational Mobile Game with Yalty Software
- Empathy Development App with MPath
- Serious Fire Investigation Training Game with Justice Institute of BC
- Firefighter Training Simulation for Justice Institute of British Columbia
- Mobile App for Visceral Vision's CultureBrew.Art
- Assessment of Inquiry Learning using Mobile Applications with UBC ALIVE
- Digital Replica with an Immersive Virtual Tour with Departure Lounge Inc.
- Mobile Augmented Reality Experience with Northwest Territories Tourism
- Shakespeare in the Metaverse with Departure Lounge Inc.
- AR mobile game with Hololabs
- Catch of the Night with Trickfilm
- PiLab: Location based AR Application
- Bringing legal help to where help is needed with Justice Data and Design Lab, BC Access to Justice Centre for Excellence
- VR immersive experience with Metro Vancouver
- Immersive Virtual Reality experience with Metro Vancouver
- AR Navigation App with the BC Children’s Hospital Digital Lab
- Gen Z Film Database for Peliplat
- Tabletop game adaptation with Ludic Lemur
- Big Country with Tidepool Games