What distinguishes Stephen Brown from most teachers is his determination to make students see how and why literature matters to them as individuals. To that end, he continually experiments and is creative in his approach to teaching. He has developed seven new courses in the department, sparked a demand for 18th Century literature courses, and created a community-based children’s literature course with emphasis on applied learning. In 1993, he was awarded the T.H.B. Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching at Trent University. No wonder students “adjust their program specifically to make room for Stephen’s classes.” His ongoing concern for the welfare of students means students seek out his assistance, and then refer other students to him as well. Among students, he is known as a person who cares and who can and does actually help.

As Master of Champlain College, Stephen Brown undertook as his mandate to make the College a centre for educational enhancement. He demonstrates remarkable initiative, energy and imagination in bringing a diverse range of non-academic as well as academic visitors to Trent. Under his direction, Trent students have been able to meet and learn from Canada’s leading politicians, writers and artists, bringing enrichment and excitement to the curriculum. In 1995, he developed the Rooke Fellowship for Applied Teaching to acknowledge outstanding examples of teaching in the humanities outside the traditional classroom. The first two Rooke Fellows, Stuart McLean and Michael Ondaatje, led public seminars on creativity in teaching and the importance of teaching in their lives and to their notions of citizenship. He has also succeeded in strengthening links between the university, the local community college and many of Peterborough’s community groups and local educational institutions through non-credit courses based in his College. In his capacity as a member of Trent’s Committee on Educational Development in 1993, he organized a two-day gathering of the Peterborough community, all of whom were involved in various kinds of teaching activities and subsequently has organized a series of seminars and workshops bringing award winning primary and high school teachers to demonstrate classroom techniques at Trent.

Meredith Cherland has been a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina since 1978 and has enjoyed a strong and consistent reputation as an excellent teacher during that time. She is one of eleven distinguished winners of the University of Regina Alumni Association’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She is also known as a fine teacher of graduate students within her Faculty. She has a wide range of academic strengths, interests and achievements (her area of expertise is literacy education) which contribute to the credibility and authenticity of her teaching. She uses a wide variety of teaching strategies, but her students frequently identify Meredith’s enthusiasm for the subject as the teaching characteristic that makes her classes favourites.

Meredith Cherland has demonstrated her commitment to the improvement of university teaching by serving as the first Director of the University of Regina’s Teaching Development Centre. As a founding member of the Committee on University Teaching, Meredith was able to provide leadership in the University’s efforts to establish policies that will continue to contribute to the improvement of teaching for many years to come. She has designed a teacher preparation program for graduate teaching assistants, established the University of Regina’s Inspiring Teaching Awards, set up Teaching Circles, and delivered many workshops on aspects of excellence in university teaching. All have received strong praise from colleagues across her campus. In the past year, she co-chaired the Annual Conference of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, held for the first time at the University of Regina.

Aviva Freedman is recognized throughout Carleton University and the Ottawa community as a superb teacher. Her teaching evaluation scores are consistently among the best in the University. In 1985, her teaching excellence was recognized with the Arts Faculty Teaching Award. In January 1996, both teaching excellence and leadership were recognized when she was named to the position of Teaching and Learning Scholar in the Teaching and Learning Resource Centre. Undergraduate and graduate students write eloquently of her way of bringing a very abstract subject to life and of her extraordinary ability to guide and coach students through the process of learning the skills of academic thinking and writing. Colleagues too, have written of her extraordinary talents as a teacher – a brilliant lecturer, a virtuoso user of questions, and a powerful listener who gives students space to discover their own ideas. “Aviva’s courses”, as they are affectionately known among the teachers and administrators of the Carleton School Board, have had a profound effect on the work of hundreds of teachers, and through those teachers, on the writing of thousands of students.

Aviva Freedman has influenced the teaching of more professors and teaching assistants at Carleton University than any other single person. During this past year alone, she played a leading role in three separate programs: the Enriched Support Program, the Centre for Initiatives in Education, and the Task force on the Renewal of the BA. Together these initiatives promise to transform the learning experience of all students in the BA program and of many students in other programs, as well as the teaching experiences of most faculty members in Arts and Social Sciences.

Recipient of the Laurentian University Teaching Excellence Award (1996-1997), Guy Gaudreau is an exceptional teacher whose enthusiasm, dynamism and passion for his field of research is a source of inspiration for both his students and the entire faculty. He has led informal seminars on pedagogy, learning and his practice in action, from which his conception of his role as a teacher and his social commitment have emerged. Numerous testimonials emphasize his availability, flexibility, professionalism, pedagogical knowledge as well as his scientific experiences in his discipline and particularly in the field of Northern Ontario history. His pedagogy focuses on students, whom he sees as partners and active learners. Testimonials agree on the high pedagogical level, the scientific rigour as well as the personal qualities of Guy Gaudreau such as his sense of humour and his communication skills. Several of his students have won the Rector’s Award of Excellence in Writing.

Thanks to his leadership and pedagogical initiatives, Guy Gaudreau has contributed to the training of future historians, as demonstrated by the production of books, collections and articles for scientific journals and the presentation of university conferences (ACFAS, Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française). Moreover, it encourages its students to get involved in the community or in para-academic activities, whether it be the Laurentian Francophone student newspaper (L’Orignal déchaîné), the Association des étudiants francophones (AEF) or the Société historique des étudiants de l’Université Laurentienne (SHEUL). Thanks to his efforts and dedication, the History Department has seen an expansion of the francophone section because of the growing interest in research on regional history and because of Professor Gaudreau’s enviable reputation.

Within Dalhousie University and beyond, Thomas MacRae is well known for his deep commitment to higher education. He is a recognized leader in activities to support and enhance teaching and learning. In 1994, he was awarded both the Dalhousie University Instructional Leadership Award and the Association of Atlantic Universities’ Instructional Leadership Award. Since that time, his influence has spread as he continues to give workshops and presentations on teaching at campuses throughout the region and the nation. At Dalhousie, he has been a member of a number of committees concerned with educational issues from curriculum review and development to student admissions to course evaluation. He is also very active in a range of instructional development activities. Regular attendance at workshops offered by the Office of Instructional Development and Technology demonstrates an ongoing concern to ensure that his own teaching performance is of the highest caliber. But he is more than a participant. He presents workshops for faculty and teaching assistants and has contributed to three OIDT publications on teaching and learning.

Those familiar with Tom MacRae as an instructional leader know that his work with other faculty members is strongly grounded in his experiences as a teacher. He is eager to share what he has learned and equally eager to hear about the successes of other teachers. One long-time colleague reports that Tom MacRae “has the enthusiasm and the desire to educate which brings students and colleagues to the edge of their seats.” According to one student, his classes are characterized by “impeccable organization and consistency” where “every minute was effectively used in learning.” In 1994, he was selected from among 150 of his colleagues to receive the Faculty of Science Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is a dedicated teacher who achieves excellence partly through his natural talent and easy rapport with students, but also through a great deal of hard work. He has a deep and abiding concern for his students – the hallmark of an exemplary educator.

Tom MacRae dedicates his receipt of this award to the memory of Dr. Gary Hicks, friend and colleague, who passed away.

During the past ten years, Anthony Marini has clearly made an outstanding commitment to the value of teaching at The University of Calgary and beyond. Through his involvement with the Teaching Development Office and the various University committees promoting teaching development, he has had a significant impact in helping faculty members and graduate students enhance their teaching skills. He has co-presented at faculty and graduate student training sessions, developed written materials in support of teaching, and represented the TDO in various meetings and conferences across North America. On his own initiative, he proposed, co-designed and continues to teach a course in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. He is also a member of the Learning and Instructional Development Subcommittee and has been actively involved in workshops with department heads dealing with curriculum restructuring, promoting campus-wide communication as part of the Envisioning Transformation Week, and contributing to the LIDS “toolbox” which is a resource kit promoting teaching excellence across campus. His present sabbatical plans include developing a peer consultation program for his Faculty. As a testimony to his commitment, he has received nine Teaching Excellence Awards. These include three campus-wide awards, five faculty awards, and one award from outside the University of Calgary.

Anthony Marini is an outstanding teacher. In the words of a former student, “Dr. Marini created the most positive and safe learning environment I have ever experienced in university.” His teaching style is effective because he is always prepared, extremely knowledgeable, and allows the students to react and contribute to what he says. He is always available to his students, welcoming them with an open door, a smile, and a kind word. As well as having effective in-class teaching skills, he goes out of his way to help and advise students out of class.

Anne Naeth’s contributions to excellence in teaching and learning extend well beyond her own discipline and classes to her colleagues in the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics, to the University in general, and to her professional colleagues in Canada and abroad. In addition to serving on the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee, she has also chaired teaching committees within her Faculty where she guided the development of significant documents on the evaluation of teaching and teaching awards. One of her most spectacular impacts has been the annual Teaching Innovation Week, a highly effective way to stimulate interest in new teaching approaches among a broad cross-section of faculty. Her work is widely known, particularly for the writing of the Teaching Resource Manual for Graduate Teaching Assistants and Faculty, and her involvement in a project to develop a videodisc of exemplary teaching practices entitled, “Key Teaching Behaviours.” She continues to be actively involved with University Teaching Services in their programs for graduate teaching assistants, for professors, and most recently, in the Peer Consultation Program.

Anne Naeth has also had a powerful positive impact on the lives of her students. Student comments speak highly of her effectiveness, of her “role model” skills, of her fairness, compassion, enthusiasm for the subject and, above all, for her concerns about the development of the individual student in the academic setting. She chairs the Environment and Conservation Sciences Program where she has been indispensable in curriculum development and teaching several of the foundation courses. Her eclectic approach to these courses, instructional excellence and empathy for students make her immensely popular. This was formally recognized when the Faculty selected her to receive the Faculty’s Teaching Award in 1995. She has also been recognized for her classroom instruction by colleagues outside of the University of Alberta when, in 1994, the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture selected her to receive their NACTA Teaching Award. Being one of the few women in a predominantly male faculty and discipline, her students have benefited from her as a mentor and a role model.

André Ségal has been a professor at Laval University since 1968. In addition to his many community responsibilities (department director, union, University Council), he has devoted his career to student training, pedagogical animation and reflection on the educational function of history.

His teaching, resolutely oriented towards students’ personal learning, gives priority to the development of conceptual know-how and methodological training. Thus, it is constantly innovating, using cutting-edge strategies and creating self-learning processes, exploiting, among the first, audiovisual resources in its regular teaching (Birth of the Western World). It produces innovative teaching materials in the form of pedagogical guides (Initiation to the concepts of history) and develops the “logbook” as an instrument of autonomous learning and pedagogical interaction (The formation of the European space). It also innovates in distance learning practices, through television series (The Origins of the West) and through field teaching (Study Tour in Medieval Europe) or applied history in the workplace (Communication of History). He is currently preparing a new tool for the reasoned self-learning of historical contents, Chronomaître, a computerized didactic game.

However, far from yielding to technological fashions, André Ségal has always ensured the primacy of training objectives and the quality of the pedagogical relationship. Testimonials abound to underline André Ségal’s teaching qualities, his attention and availability to students, both in large groups (up to two hundred) and in seminars.

André Ségal places his exceptional teaching skills at the disposal of the university community. For example, he is an advisor in the Welcome Program for new professors for whom he prepares and leads training workshops. He has collaborated with the Pedagogical Resources Department, where he was a member of the Advisory Committee (1992-1996) and is associated with the creation of the dynamic Réseau de valorisation de l’enseignement (1996- ). He had previously founded and chaired the Groupe professoral pour l’étude de la pédagogie appliquée (GEPÉPA, 1991). In general, he fights for the promotion, recognition and quality of the teaching function at all levels of the institution and thus contributes to “the definition of a dynamic pedagogical structure that inspires other academic institutions”. Finally, while it has participated in the training of generations of teachers, it keeps in touch with them through advanced courses for secondary school teachers (General History) and through its participation in the activities of the association that brings them together (SPHQ: training workshops, articles in the journal Traces).

Donald Trim is the most highly respected teacher in the Faculty of Science. A quiet individual, he comes alive in front of the class. He has the ability to remember students’ names, even in large classes, and a reputation for making difficult required courses in science and engineering an enjoyable learning experience. Donald is also an innovative leader in computer-assisted instruction at the University of Manitoba. He has designed and implemented a program by which faculty members in the Department of Applied Mathematics and students in the Faculty of Engineering can use computer technology to teach and learn calculus. As well, he offers sessions on the use of Mathematica computer software to enhance teaching. His teaching evaluations have been consistently at the highest level over a period of many years. In addition, he has won both the Stanton and Saunderson awards for excellence in teaching, the University of Manitoba’s most prestigious teaching awards.

Donald Trim is not only a brilliant teacher. He also works hard to improve the quality of teaching across the University and beyond. His efforts in faculty development have contributed to the success of a number of programs. For example, he was one of six founding members of the University’s Peer Consultation Program in 1992. He has also facilitated many University Teaching Services workshops where he works with both faculty members and graduate students to help them develop and enhance their teaching skills, from lecturing and explaining to questioning and discussion leadership. On the wider stage, beyond the University of Manitoba, Donald’s influence is felt through five successful and highly respected undergraduate textbooks that he has authored. As well, from 1989 to 1995, he coordinated the mathematics portion of the Shad Valley Program, an elite program for gifted high school students from across the country.

Donald Westwood has been a consistently outstanding teacher since his appointment to the School of Architecture at Carleton in 1971. Without fail, his teaching evaluations have been superior. His students have always identified and celebrated his wit, enthusiasm and thorough mastery of his subject. Don’s teaching activities reflect his wide-ranging interests. Within the School of Architecture he teaches a range of courses at all levels, but has principle responsibility for the part of the program dealing with structure and technology. In addition, he has co-taught courses in Civil Engineering and Industrial Design as well as in the Technology, Science and the Environment Program. At the opposite side of the University he became involved in a Children’s Literature course where he created an enormously popular video series in order to recreate for adult students the childhood experience of hearing these stories read by a master story teller.

Don Westwood has brilliantly bridged the gap between minimum budget live-classroom television and commercial television and his TVO series “The Science of Architecture” has won awards and enjoys an international audience. The series is now distributed in thirty countries and is cited as a standard reference item for design courses in Civil Engineering. Those outside the School of Architecture are most aware of his innovations in television based distance education which include “Bridge Busting”, structural Engineering laboratories, and the use of commercially produced public educational materials in his courses. Carleton recognized Don’s powerful and innovative teaching skills by awarding him both of the internal teaching honours for which he is eligible. The University Teaching Achievement Award in 1993 enabled him to work on new ways to deliver his own courses. In 1994, he was named the inaugural Carleton University Teaching and Learning Scholar and seconded to the Teaching and Learning Resource Centre with a mandate to investigate new ways to exploit the potential of video to enhance teaching and learning. To that end, he has attended conferences, conducted experiments, written columns for Carleton’s Teaching and Learning newsletter, helped to animate a support group for instructors teaching on television, led workshops and given presentations.