Our Team

Mr. Dean Coder, Honorary Principal

Mr. Dean Coder has devoted much of his career to developing, teaching, and leading “distant learning” and online education. He has done innovative work with rural schools in BC to refine models of distance education delivery, and has spent held numerous leadership positions including Principal of Kamloops Open Online Learning School, Vice President of GlobalEd, and Director of International in SD73. Dean has also been involved in projects including leading the Provincial Education Portal called LearnNow BC, as well as the International Online Learning initiative. Dean is an invaluable part of the Xspace team, as he advises on Xspace’s programs based on his wealth of experience in the online education industry. Dean is currently the Director of Instruction in SD27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin).

Mr. Stephen Baker – Principal, Virtual High School

Mr. Stephen Baker is the founder and principal of Virtual High School in Bayfield, Ontario. VHS is the oldest online school in Ontario, and has gained numerous awards over the year for their courses. It offers Ontario Secondary School Diploma credits to thousands of students around the world each year.

Ms. Hedy Li – Academic Director

Ms. Hedy Li has worked with high school ELL students for over 10 years both in BC offshore schools in China, and in public and private schools in Canada. She has an M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of British Columbia and is a certified teacher in BC and Ontario. Hedy is passionate about second language acquisition and is constantly searching for ways to implement the most current pedagogical learning strategies into Xspace’s instructional model. Hedy currently focuses on the overall design of the Xspace instructional model and the implementation of Xspace programs in Vancouver and overseas.

Instructional Team

The course teachers and class facilitators in Xspace’s programs have ample experience in K-12 teaching and course development.  They are passionate about education and working with ELL students.  Meet some members of our instructional team below!

Ms. Karen Chu – Program Coordinator

Ms. Karen Chu is a certified teacher in BC and Ontario, and has taught in Canadian international schools in Seoul and Beijing. She has an M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of British Columbia, and has over 10 years of experience working with ELL students both inside and outside the classroom.  Karen enjoys helping students navigate through the complexities of language learning and digital literacy, and currently focuses on curriculum development and facilitator support at Xspace.