According to the President of his university, “Professor Desjardins is a brilliant teacher with a cross-campus reputation for outstanding performance in the classroom and beyond. His teaching evaluation scores are consistently among the highest in the university. Student feedback is universally and intensely positive.”

Michel Desjardins is an innovative, startlingly successful classroom teacher and student mentor. He has played an important role in the development of pedagogy in his field, and has a reputation throughout North America as an authority on post-secondary teaching practices in Religious Studies. A colleague at another university declares that he has that “rare combination of natural scholarly gifts and immense human sensitivity, which accounts, I suspect, for his being so widely recognized as a teacher of impeccable honesty who verges on the brilliant in the classroom.”

He has fostered linkages amongst scholars and has raised awareness of teaching in national and international venues. He was the co-organizer and coordinator of the American Academy of Religion syllabi project which has been described as “one of the most significant endeavors that the American Academy of Religion has done in regards to teaching in the last five years.” Within Canada he has filled important positions in the Canadian Corporation for the Study of Religion, the Canadian Society for Biblical Studies, and the Canadian Society for Patristic Studies.

In his teaching, Michel strives for his students to have “ownership” of the classes. As one of his students writes “… one does not simply take one of his courses, or the sense of passively sitting in lectures; rather one participates fully (or at least has every opportunity to do so).” Michel excels in his teaching by challenging students to take positive and creative hold of their own education. It is not a great surprise then that Dr. Desjardins has won well deserved teaching awards at two Canadian universities!

According to the Provost of his university, “Fred Evers is an outstanding contributor to the scholarship of education and has made very valuable contributions to the curricular design on campus and for the Guelph-Humber initiative. He is widely respected for his interest and commitment to outcomes based educational processes.” Fred Evers practices learner-centeredness by enabling his students to become self-reliant, experiential, life-long learners. His focus is on skill development and reflection grounded in educational literature and elaborated in his co-authored book The Bases of Competence: Skills for Lifelong Learning and Employability. Students have consistently valued him as their teacher, mentor and role model and for the extraordinary time that he spends with them outside the classroom.

Fred Evers’ department has recognized his efforts on three different occasions for excellence and innovation in teaching which was followed by a university wide award as Distinguished Professor in 1997. This year, Fred was presented with the Peer Helper Program Partnership Award, and is the recipient of a new award established at Guelph – The President’s Distinguished Professor Award.

Beyond the classroom, Fred has garnered respect from his peers as an educational leader. He is regularly called upon by Guelph’s Center for Educational Research for Teaching Support Services for his expertise on innovative curriculum development and assessment. Fred continues to be involved in a variety of projects inside and outside the university community.

Brian’s passion for teaching excellence is reflected in the outstanding student ratings of his problem-based approach to teaching, apprentice type teaching, and lecturing to large classes. His leadership in the development of the Relative Ranking Model has led to frequent requests to facilitate at workshops on this effective method of turning constructive feedback into actual learning. Increasingly, he is invited by both national and international educators to provide educational prescriptions. Committed to educational scholarship as an academic focus, Brian is a leader in medical education in not only completing a master’s degree but pursuing a 2-year fellowship in medical education.

Brian is the winner of five education awards since 1997, including the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges Canadian Young Educator Award and the Department of Psychiatry’s Robin Hunter award for post-graduate education.

Brian’s fascination with different aspects of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education has led to numerous grants, articles, book chapters and presentations at meetings on medical education. His development of an extensive -Psychiatric Outreach program in Northern Ontario has been a significant contribution to the education of residents. In numerous learning situations with medical students and with educators, Brian puts into practice his desire to raise the profile of teaching as educational scholarship in his own university and beyond.

Laurent Lapierre personifies the leader in education that goes beyond the classroom. There is a local and remote community of students who have been inspired by his work. Laurent is the director of the Driving Practices Research Group and co-director of the Case Methods Development Group at HEC. He is the author of numerous portraits of distinguished leaders in the fields of education, medicine, business, politics and the arts and has edited several books including Imagination and Leadership. A student who read this book in Brazil invited him to come and work in his country and it was in Montreal that he completed his doctorate.

Laurent Lapierre’s teaching based on case studies is legendary and the profound impact he has had on his students and colleagues is immense. One student, who later decided to become a teacher, describes Laurent’s role as a guide as follows: “As I am now flying on my own, I am much more aware of the precious transmission I bring with me, since I can express his legacy with my own voice and personality. His innovations and inspiration to his peers has practically converted a generation of teachers to follow in his footsteps. Laurent Lapierre has been recognized by HEC on numerous occasions for his case writing, editing and teaching. He was also awarded the prestigious Prix de pédagogie in 1997.

Serving the Greater Montreal community, Laurent is a board member for many cultural organizations including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Institute of Quebec. He has also taught and been consulted by organizations such as Cirque du Soleil, l’Union des artistes and Radio Québec.

Anna Lathrop’s record of teaching excellence and outstanding educational leadership is exceptional. She has been recognized with the Brock University Distinguished Teacher Award as well as the Ontario Colleges and Universities Faculty Association (OCUFA) Teaching Award.

Anna’s teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that good teaching depends on informed research, effective teaching strategies and the sensibility to interact with the learner within a shared context of mutual understanding and respect. She is enthusiastic about teaching, constantly challenging and inspiring her students to a greater understanding and love of learning. Students consistently describe her as non-judgmental, understanding and caring. They comment on her ability to bring complex theoretical concepts and arguments “to life” by connecting them to familiar examples from everyday experience.

Anna is passionately committed to her own professional development as well as to the professional development of her colleagues and her teaching assistants whom she mentors by lesson and by example. She has worked effortlessly to develop the broader teaching and learning environment beyond her own discipline, extending her endeavors in the scholarship of teaching beyond her own faculty and institution, and disseminating the results of her pedagogical research in refereed publications.

Anna has demonstrated exceptional leadership which, when considered together with her superior classroom performance and her research on teaching and learning within her own discipline, points to a commitment to teaching and learning that has spanned a career.

Joan Loomis is an accomplished teacher who brings innovation and a learner-centred approach to the classroom and laboratory, as well as to curriculum development. Her passion for both teaching and learning is reflected in her leadership of the Faculty’s Innovative Teaching Committee, Teaching Seminar Series and teaching partnerships.

Joan’s willingness to share her knowledge and expertise with others is well known within her Faculty and beyond. Joan has won both the Rutherford and the Barbara Edwardson Awards. As a recipient of the 2000 STLHE Alan Blizzard For Collaborative Teaching, Joan’s contributions to creative and effective interdisciplinary endeavours was recognized.

In her teaching, Joan uses numerous active learning methods, including learning manuals, consensus exercises, learning portfolios, and clinician student partnerships.

In her position as Associate Dean for Professional Programs and Teaching in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Joan practices her commitment to improving physical therapy education and providing leadership in curriculum development and revision.

Miroslav Lovric has a well deserved campus-wide reputation for outstanding teaching. His consistently high student ratings, even when teaching calculus to first-year students, some of whom are taking this course quite reluctantly, speak volumes for his passion for teaching and his concern for his students. As one of his students remarks “The bad teacher tells, the medicine teacher shows, the excellent teacher inspires.” Dr. Lovric is truly an inspiration to his students and should be looked upon as a role model by his colleagues. “Makes me wish I were a Math geek.” Another student was even more glowing in his praise calling him “the BEST calculus teacher in the universe.”

But Miroslav’s contributions to teaching are not just restricted to his own classes, for he has taken an active role in creating a new course for undergraduate teaching assistants in Mathematics; the Science Inquiry project involving the introduction of active, problem-based learning in the science curriculum, and the Integration of Disciplines project which promotes interdisciplinary activities in the Arts and Science programme.

Miroslav Lovric’s influence extends far beyond his own institution. He has given presentations at workshops, seminars, and conferences in Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. As a member of the Ontario Education Forum, he is involved in discussions of the implementation of new high school curriculum. He also regularly gives public lectures to promote the learning of Mathematics, a major achievement in and of itself.

Shannon Murray’s teaching focuses on Shakespeare, Children’s Literature, Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature as well as introductory composition, drama and poetry. She is an innovator who is prepared to take risks in implementing new, carefully considered ideas and sharing the results of these efforts by way of a learning community program called First Year Advantage which is designed to help students succeed in their transition year.

Shannon’s infectious enthusiasm for teaching is grounded in an academic rigour which has deeply affected the lives of many of her students. Her manifold talents in instilling a love for learning English literature have elicited extraordinary praise from her students. In 1997 Shannon was recognized by UPEI with its most prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award. This award is not only based on independently gathered material and peer review but also on classroom observation.

Shannon has also been very active in a variety of workshops on teaching and learning within UPEI and in learned societies including the STLHE. Her publication “Random Acts of Poetry” appeared in the Proceedings of the Atlantic Universities’ Teaching Showcase in 1997.

Jan Rehner has a distinguished record of outstanding teaching in writing and critical studies. She is the winner of the Ontario Colleges and Universities Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Teaching Award (1992). Jan espouses the goal of wanting to “transmit a passion for learning, for self-awareness and self-reflection, for the energizing process of discovery, shifting perspectives and revisioning what is possible” and this is exactly what she does. She has been a teacher, mentor, model and friend to generations of students, including some who were very apprehensive about entering or returning to post-secondary education and others who were marginalized because of their social background.

By creating and working in several programs that afford greater accessibility to such students, Jan has demonstrated a clear commitment to having teaching and the university act as forces for social justice. She is committed to access and fairness, to giving each student the opportunity to develop his/her full potential and to making the university a real institution of democratic values.

In addition to her passion for knowledge and her devotion to students, Jan is valued for her work as a team-teacher. Her influence in university pedagogy extends throughout Canada and the United States where she is regarded as a thoughtful, enthusiastic colleague committed to interdisciplinary teaching and professional development. She has conducted numerous workshops for countless faculty and teaching assistants and has been one of only two Canadians to be invited to participate in the professional development programs of the National Faculty in the United States. Here, too, she has empowered and enlivened, introducing new ideas and new approaches, “affecting positive change in classrooms of several hundred teachers and their thousand plus students in the US…” As one of the beneficiaries of her exceptional generosity has written, “Jan is a remarkable and admirable representative of her profession and her country, richly deserving of the recognition this award brings.”

Despite being department head, Marty Wall chooses to teach large introductory classes, including one for all the first-year Psychology students that can reach 1800 students. Marty’s commitment to teaching is exemplified by his incorporating a number of prominent pedagogical and technological innovations into his teaching of these huge classes. In order to keep in touch with students and their needs he invites different students to participate in focus groups to provide him with ongoing student feedback, and the opportunity to fine-tune elements of the cause as it unfolds. He also writes individual letters to good performers and to those who have shown dramatic improvement. “These devices serve as signals to the students that, despite the size of the course, they count as individuals, their views are taken into account, and their individual performance is noticed. Students appear surprised and delighted at these forms of communication.”

Marty’s efforts to improve teaching and communication with students is not just restricted to his Psychology students. He helped found and now co-ordinates a university-wide Teaching Assistant Training Programme. He also co-developed a First Year Instructors’ Guide. He also chaired the working group which established a cross-campus graduate course on “Teaching in Higher Education.” This is a course now in its fifth year and Marty participates in its teaching.

Marty’s enthusiasm for teaching is evidenced in the fact that his student evaluations are outstanding, even for such large class sizes. As one of his students noted, “Professor Wall shows wonderful enthusiasm for the subject matter and effectively transmits that enthusiasm to the class. He makes a huge lecture hall seem quite small and unintimidating.”