Michael Atkinson is well known, not only to the community at the University of Western Ontario for his outstanding teaching ability and his leadership in educational development, but to those across the country who are concerned with improving the standard of post-secondary teaching. He has demonstrated with talent, commitment, and an array of well-honed pedagogical skills, that it is possible to give students an outstanding learning experience in even very large classes. One of the most difficult jobs he does is teaching a first-year psychology “Superclass” of 1,200 students that has become a model of its kind at the University of Western Ontario and other institutions. For a class of this size, student feedback has been extraordinarily positive. His use of materials, multi- media presentations, and techniques for engaging students with the course content stand as a model for what can be done with a large class at the introductory level. In 1996, Michael was one of only four professors in the entire University to be singled out by the University Students’ Council for a student-voted award of excellence in teaching. Among many other tasks, he assumed a difficult and controversial position in the sexual harassment office dealing with students who have suffered assault and other indignities. He is currently the Chair of the Senate Review Board Academic, the highest court of appeal for students at the University, where the most difficult issues and problems appear. By caring deeply about the quality of campus life, he ensures that all within the University are treated ethically and justly.

In addition to his outstanding performance as a classroom teacher, Michael has worked tirelessly to help others improve their teaching abilities. He has served for many years as a peer consultant with Western’s Educational Development Office. He also teaches and facilitates workshops for Western’s faculty members and teaching assistants on a variety of topics ranging from teaching at the university level, teaching effectiveness, large-class teaching techniques, micro-teaching, and the use of multimedia in the classroom. He has become expert in the design of evaluation instruments for large classes, in the use of the latest technologies for such instruction and in teaching others how to employ those technologies, and in working as a coach or mentor for individual teachers. He is widely sought after as a speaker in universities, colleges and professional organizations throughout Canada and the United States.

Michael Collins has been described as a teacher of exceptional character, integrity and wisdom. His career-long commitment to creating the best possible learning environment for his students and his hard work and enthusiasm have inspired and promoted excellence in his students and peers. He led the introduction of new computer-based technologies into the university learning environment. He skillfully combines instruction and research. From 1988 to 1994, he was Director of General Studies where his energy and insight into the development and provision of support programs, help centres and an effective advising system ensured that incoming students received an excellent orientation together with counselling and support. In 1996, he was invited to become joint co- ordinator of Memorial’s Graduate Program in Teaching, a venture which he helped to plan and develop. This program initiated students from a wide variety of disciplines into teaching at the university level, as well as exposing them to a range of innovative instructional methods.

Michael has distinguished himself as an educational leader not only within his own discipline, but also across the university and beyond. Within the Department of Biology, he was responsible for the development of introductory and second year courses that were among the first at Memorial to use computer-based technologies in the classroom. More recently, he was the first professor at Memorial to offer a course on the World Wide Web. He has conducted numerous local, national and international workshops and presentations on topics such as the electronic classroom, use of electronic bulletin boards, computerized testing and most recently, developing web-based courses. He has presented the results of his studies into the effectiveness of these innovative techniques in international journals and at international conferences as well as at seminars and colloquia at Memorial University. He is the author of five articles on innovative teaching techniques published in the University’s Teaching and Learning Newsletter. These efforts resulted in his receipt of Memorial’s President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1996.

He has also just won an award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate Student Life at Memorial for his contributions to the Graduate Programme in Teaching which he co-coordinates. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors and Membership Chair of the (US) Society for College Science Teachers, and is the Provincial Representative for the (US) National Association of Biology Teachers. He is also Co-Chair of the planning committee for STLHE 2001 to be held at Memorial in June 2001.

Carol-Ann Courneya is an exemplary educator. The words that her past students, current students and colleagues repeatedly use to describe her teaching and educational contributions include: dedicated role model, inspirational, pioneering, caring, infectiously ardent, brilliant facilitator, amazing presence, dynamic, gentle, thorough and enthusiastic. In one student’s words, she “defines what it means to be an excellent professor.” For her outstanding service to teaching in the Faculty of Medicine, she was awarded the 1998 Killam University Teaching Prize; the highest award for teaching given by the University of British Columbia.

Of particular significance over the past three years has been Carol-Ann’s contribution to the development and implementation of a new medical/dental integrated curriculum at the University of British Columbia. In her faculty development role over that period, Carol-Ann has been a star faculty member in workshops designed to introduce medical and dental faculty to problem-based learning and to train them to be PBL tutors. Aside from the direct training of tutor skills, this role has been extended to include workshops on case writing. In 1997, she was selected by the Faculty of Medicine to attend the “Leaders in Medical Education” program at Harvard. In the same year, she was appointed Director of the Systems Blocks for the first and second year Medical Dental Curriculum. Carol-Ann’s work in graduate education includes the development and study of an interdisciplinary graduate course in scientific enquiry skills. This course is unique in that it is focused on the mastery of five skills critical to the success of graduate students in the basic sciences.

Carol-Ann has served on the faculty of the Teaching Improvement Projects System since 1986 and regularly conducts teaching effectiveness workshops both at the University of British Columbia as well as at other universities across Canada.

In all aspects of Esther Enns’ teaching and advising responsibilities, she not only shows a commitment to the highest principles of pedagogy, but also couples that with an unbounded dedication to the University, her students and the experience that they have. She is keenly aware of how different students learn and what they will find interesting and stimulating. She sees every class as an opportunity to help students learn in a way that affords the maximum benefit. Esther consistently ranks in the top 5% of faculty in Humanities. This performance was acknowledged in 1994 when she received the Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Award.

Esther has a strong reputation among her colleagues as a person who helps others develop their teaching. In 1995, she was invited to Chair the Learning and Instructional Development Sub- committee, the campus-wide task force on curricular innovation campus-wide. She has presented her innovative teaching ideas at Teaching Development workshops, made several presentations to a variety of University committees, and served as a member of the Faculty of Humanities Curriculum Task Force. The Report produced by this task force has played an important role in furthering innovative thinking about curriculum in the Faculty. While Acting Head of Germanic, Slavic and East Asian Studies, Esther encouraged her colleagues to incorporate responses to the recommendations in the Report into their teaching. As a consequence, her Department has become known as one in which the challenges of innovative teaching are supported and encouraged.

Esther is very well known in Alberta and across Canada for her high-quality publications and the countless workshops that she has given on campuses, at regional and national conferences, and in schools. Beyond the Canadian border, Esther has an excellent professional reputation in Germany and in Switzerland, in particular, for her innovative thinking about “tandem” learning and teaching.

Del Harnish has an outstanding record as an innovative educator by students in any of the courses in which he has participated and by colleagues with whom he has worked. In a Department that carries one of the heaviest teaching loads in the University, Del’s leadership has shown that new and successful approaches could be introduced into large classes. He has been involved in several courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels but has primary responsibility for teaching the largest second year cell biology course and fourth year virology course. His ratings in both courses have been consistently high over the last five years and are well above departmental averages. Del also contributes significantly to the training of several senior thesis students in his laboratory each year. He provides his students with a sense that their concerns are of prime importance. In the last two years, he has been awarded certificates of teaching excellence by the McMaster Students’ Union and was a 1998 recipient of The President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Course or Resources Design).

Del has worked hard to successfully introduce an electronic Little Red Schoolhouse into his own courses and into the courses of colleagues around the campus. This model is a cornerstone of his educational initiatives which promote student collaboration, knowledge construction, critical thinking, more opportunity for interdisciplinary work, and a strong sense of participation in a very large learning community. Del has conducted many workshops on learning within McMaster, participated in educational forums organized through the Instructional Development Centre and has conducted action-oriented research on learning issues in his courses. For the last three years, he has served as a member of Undergraduate Council, as a member of the Theme School Committee and is a strong advocate for change in first year programs. He recently served on a Presidential Committee whose task it was to study the role of technology in teaching and learning at McMaster and to make clear recommendations for the future. He has consulted nationally and internationally on various aspects of university education.

From the days of his first teaching assignment in the Chemistry Department at McGill University, the career of David Harpp has been distinguished by the special role he has played as an innovative communicator of science. His teaching philosophy includes a deep commitment to his discipline, a desire to achieve effective and insightful communication, a dedication and concern for his students, a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for chemistry and science in general, and a dedication to informing the public on crucial scientific issues. Using a method of photographic animation which he pioneered in the 1960s, David Harpp developed a unique style of visual-based communication for which he eventually became famous. This work resulted in dozens of invitations to international conferences on chemical education where his instructional techniques were given front line exposure. It opened up an entirely new realm of interest among students and also resulted in the introduction of a new generation of courses centered on science in the public interest. Since the early 1980s, David Harpp initiated a series of public lectures and has organized two major public scientific exhibitions of international calibre.

David Harpp’s dedication to his discipline is very evident to anyone who has ever studied under him. His rating as an instructor in departmental teaching surveys consistently identify him as a top teacher. He has expended a considerable effort in the development of new and innovative methods to enable the visualization of concepts in science. He and two of his colleagues introduced three different and very popular undergraduate courses, “The World of Chemistry”, with the intention of bringing the concepts and excitement of science to non-science students. These courses have been a huge success and are open to students from any Faculty with no prerequisites.

David Harpp’s talents in communication are equaled by his generosity in sharing his innovations with colleagues, both at McGill and elsewhere. He has disseminated his developments through the publication of numerous articles and manuals. He has been called upon to share his expertise in multimedia teaching, the teaching of large classes, and to help with the orientation of new faculty. His outstanding achievements in teaching have been recognized through his receipt of many awards and prizes.

Whether it is the teacher adored by his students, the researcher much appreciated by his peers, the dynamic project director or the course coordinator precious for his teaching advice, Moez Limayem achieves pedagogical feats. Awards (Hermès 1994, Palasis 1995), distinctions (many nominations for the Teaching Excellence Award, including the Financial Post 1998) and praise of all kinds continue to be given to this recipient of the Teaching Recognition Award (September 1996) by his students, peers and corporate executives.

Moez Limayem is a leader who has distinguished himself as an advisor and coordinator in the coaching and training of lecturers in the Department of Organizational Information Systems. He has also collaborated in the development, evaluation and publication of a computer-assisted learning tool for Concordia University. Professor Limayen was invited to work on a working group whose mandate was to create an annual award in recognition of the quality of teaching at Université Laval. In addition, Mr. Limayem actively participates in the various activities of the network for the promotion of teaching. As a recipient, he sits on the selection committee for the Hermès Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Research. Mr. Limayem has also provided training sessions for computer science professors in the Middle East under the patronage of UNESCO and successfully piloted the launch of a new MBA program in information technology management. Professor Limayem sits on several committees at the university level, including the advisory committee on the implementation of a new large-scale software program to manage the academic and administrative activities of Université Laval. Finally, in the context of pedagogical development and innovation projects, Professor Limayem received a grant for the implementation of a mandatory course of the Bachelor of Business Administration on the World Wide Web (WWW): “Computerization of Information Systems”.

Thanks to his magical availability, to the quality of his lesson plans, to the diversity of his levels and teaching tools, as well as to his extraordinary listening skills, all those who have had the chance to follow his courses recognize his strong contribution in the field of knowledge acquisition and integration, as well as in that of individual and group reflection. Mr. Limayen is an example par excellence of a committed, modern and forward-looking teacher, a model to emulate for taste and the art of teaching as well as a team player par excellence.

The winner of the prestigious Institutional Teaching Recognition Award (1994-95) from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Régis Olry, is no ordinary professor. His unquenchable thirst for innovation in pedagogical techniques, his integrity in approach methods, his sincerity and enthusiasm in communicating knowledge, his boundless dedication to the profession of research and teaching, and his volunteer involvement in the dissemination of his vast knowledge, have aroused the ever-growing admiration of his colleagues and elicited the anticipation of his courses and the undisguised respect of his students.

In addition to a heavier-than-average teaching load, Professor Olry has authored numerous publications on the role of plastination in the future of teaching, and students also benefit from French-language books, including two Semantique anatomique and Homo dissectus books dedicated to the Anatomy and Science course. In addition, he has developed extensive learning materials in his field. Not only that, he is an active collaborator and has participated in the creation of extra-departmental programs. Finally, he is the creator of a series of monographs on continuing education, all of which will be donated to a student scholarship organization. His second contribution lies in his pedagogical boldness. Professor Olry is an explorer, on the lookout for new experiences capable of energizing student learning. In 1994, he endowed Quebec with a plastination laboratory (a revolutionary technique for preserving anatomical parts). He saw the enormous potential that this technique represented for the teaching of morphological sciences. The third contribution is his leadership. Already Vice-President of the International Society of Plastination, he was the organizer of the 9th International Conference on Plastination (which he was able to attract to Quebec in July 1998) focused on the pedagogical potential of this new technique. He is already solicited by several universities (Méditrex, Université Laval, Université de Paris VII, etc.) for conferences on the future of pedagogy in morphological sciences and his contribution is particularly appreciated in the development of new programs.

Régis Olry is an exemplary teacher with an avant-garde pedagogy. He already stands out as one of the most experienced. Endowed with the sacred fire of pedagogy, he is a born builder who represents a sure value for university education for many years to come.

Barbara Paterson is credited by students with keen insight, an extraordinary ability to motivate and inspire students, the capacity to set high standards and be supportive of student individuality and has been described as “the ideal graduate supervisor.” She teaches undergraduate courses in innovative and exciting ways, inspiring her students to go above and beyond minimum requirements and often to progress to levels of professional and scholarly achievement they might not otherwise have dreamed possible. Barbara clearly devotes a great deal of thought and critical reflection to the task of preparating for her teaching. She brings enormous creativity and energy to her teaching. She practiced “learner-centered teaching” long before it became fashionable. Barbara’s student ratings of her courses note her enthusiasm and her exceptional skill; her scores for each course are at or near the top every term. The students selected her to receive the Nursing Undergraduate Prize for Teaching on two occasions, and in 1996, she was the recipient of the University’s Killam Teaching Excellence Award.

Barbara’s commitment to excellence in teaching is also evident in her service to the School of Nursing and the University. She has served on a number of committees, including the School’s Program Implementation Committee which is responsible for the design and implementation of an innovative undergraduate nursing curriculum. For the past two years, she has served with great energy and enthusiasm as faculty liaison to the Nursing Undergraduate Society. She is increasingly sought after as an external examiner of curriculum by other academic institutions.

Her research and career have largely focussed on the use, improvement, and discovery of innovative teaching mehods, especially in support of clinical teaching and curriculum development. She has given a number of sessions on these topics to faculty in medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other disciplines at the University of British Columbia, other Canadian universities, and several community colleges in British Columbia. Barbara is identified as an exceptional mentor by her colleagues and has published widely in the field of higher education.

Anil H. Walji is one of the most outstanding teachers in the Faculty of Medicine and Oral Health Sciences. He has received twenty-three teaching awards in the last nine years, including the prestigious University-wide Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He is also the only faculty member in the School who holds the distinction of achieving two perfect course evaluations in courses totalling 160 students. Anil is an extremely organized, articulate and demonstrative teacher. He was one of the first to introduce large group interactive instructional formats at the School. The students have been delighted with his creative approaches. He pays careful attention to the detailed preparation of his lectures, enjoys teaching, and develops a special relationship with the students that allows them to feel free to approach him. Anil developed the first MD graduation oath for the Medical School as well as the School’s student code of conduct. He was instrumental in establishing the Faculty Mentorship Program where role-model faculty members are each assigned 8-10 students whom they meet on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues dealing with their academic programs, support networks and personal problems.

Anil was recognized for his achievement in Medical Education by being appointed Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education in 1994. Soon after his appointment, he began the restruc turing of the undergraduate medical curriculum which would emphasize student-centred learning, early patient contact, medical informatics, communication skills and social and integrative medicine. Anil also helped pioneer the introduction of small group, problem- and case-based learning sessions to the medical school. He continues to develop innovative teaching methods and has presented papers on his educational techniques at national and international conferences. He takes the initiative to help his colleagues achieve in teaching through organizing departmental, faculty and university-wide seminars and workshops. He also works closely with University Teaching Services and the Division of Studies in Medical Education to promote teaching excellence across the faculty and the university. He has been honoured by being inducted into two Medical Honour Societies and was named by Maclean’s Magazine as one of the University of Alberta’s “Popular Professors.”