Dr. Vera Dolan

Vera Dolan

Dissertation Chair

vdolan@captechu.edu

Dr. Vera Dolan is a Dissertation Chair with Capitol Technology University. Dr. Dolan is a Brazilian-Canadian educator, researcher, and graduate studies coach and mentor. Dr. D (as many students call her) has a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and an M.Ed., with a specialization in open, digital, and distance education, from Athabasca University. Her experience teaching online at the graduate and undergraduate levels dates from 2001. 

In Dr. D’s weekly one-on-one meetings, students often find themselves—in addition to discussing their research topics and the mechanics of writing and defending a successful dissertation—chatting about subjects such as social justice or climate change, and even sharing fun anecdotes. From Dr. D.’s perspective, such sessions are golden opportunities for chair and student to know each other better and build a relationship based on trust—essential elements in helping them successfully cross the academic finish line. 

In her own research endeavors, Dr. Dolan has been inspired by her lived experience with neurodiversity. She thrives on learning from stories shared by higher education students and faculty who are navigating mental or physical journeys that may lead them to deviate from traditional hallmarks of intelligence and competence. An avid fighter against ableism—and many other -isms—in academia, Dr. D explores the nuances of these challenges in her academic publications and presentations.

In addition to being a dissertation chair at Capitol Tech, Dr. Dolan has a private consulting practice coaching doctoral and master’s students or candidates who need extra academic support. She is also a peer reviewer for several scholarly journals and conferences, in addition to volunteering as a graduate student mentor at her PhD alma mater, the University of Toronto. She has served as a trainer and coach for faculty transitioning to online teaching. Early in her career, she worked in human resources and media relations for a global credit card company. 

Dr. D. lives in Toronto, Canada. She is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, but has spent most of her life in Canada, and is fluent in English and Brazilian Portuguese. She and her husband (and a 120-lb Bouvier named Hector) enjoy spending time in Prince Edward County, in the countryside. 

Areas of Expertise 

  • Educational Data Analytics

  • Higher Education 

  • Online Learning 

  • Mentorship & Academic Coaching 

Biography 

Education 

  • Ph.D., Higher Education, University of Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)  

  • M.Ed. (specialization in open, digital, and distance education), Athabasca University 

Research & Publications 

  • Foreword in Invisible differences, visible success by Alexander-Passe, N. (2022), SKU: 978-1-64504-235-8 

  • MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses – Webinar presentation at Penn State University, PA, USA (2013) 

  • Co-authored chapter: “Future trends: Network technologies and the adjunct” in Sage publication, The Adjunct Faculty Handbook, edited by Bryan A. Booth and Lorri Cooper, 2010 

Organizations & Affiliations 

  • Peer reviewer for scholarly entities such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL), Studies in Higher Education (SHE), International Journal of Changes in Education (IJCE) 

  • Graduate student mentor – Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto  

  • Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) – longtime member 

  • Educare Research Inc. (ERi) – Board Member 

  • Former crisis counselor for Toronto-area police and emergency first responders