Life at SAIT
Courtney joined SAIT in 2022, bringing with her 15 years of post-secondary education experience. As the BA Student Engagement Officer, Courtney specializes in developing data-driven student engagement strategies designed to enhance learner success and support program enrollment and retention. Courtney manages the GEO Team (Global Engagement Opportunities), which is a team of international student engagement leaders working together to create opportunities that foster engagement, support, and community among students.
Courtney is a dedicated champion of the student journey and all the personal and professional transformations that come along. She loves to build relationships with students and help them build confidence and achieve their milestones.
Education
Courtney has a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Calgary and a master's in public relations from Mount Saint Vincent University. Courtney also has certifications in event management and business management.
Professional Accomplishments
In her quest to set students up for success, Courtney has introduced innovative and quality tools to the arsenal of student support services at SAIT. Together with her two colleagues, she received a D2L Excellence Award in 2023 for their exceptional work on LaunchPad, a student onboarding program that supports students throughout their entire educational journey and has positively impacted student success.
Courtney’s advice to students is that education is about more than just graduating. For Courtney, it involves learning from mistakes, celebrating progress, and enjoying the journey.
Prior to joining SAIT, Courtney worked at Red Deer Polytechnic for 14 years in various capacities, including as Office Assistant, Student Services Assistant, and Advising and Recruitment Specialist.
Research
Presentations:
July 2023, Courtney Johnston and Charissa Lee, Sparking Learning Engagement in Pre-Orientation through Badging (featuring LaunchPad), D2L Fusion Conference, Anaheim, California, US.
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.