She came to Mount Royal in 1998 with a background in 19th century British poetry. In 2009, Karen was part of the inaugural group of Nexen Teaching and Learning Scholars; that project on metacognitive reading strategies was published in Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition and Literature. Karen has also worked with the Mount Royal Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as a facilitator and her current scholarship of teaching and learning inquiries include critical reading in general education and a scaffolded approach to undergraduate research.