Richard Ascough
School of Religion, Queen’s University

Professor Richard Ascough has a passion for engaging students in their own learning, whether through use of online technology, articulating clear learning outcomes, or designing innovative learning activities. Using various digital humanities resources and a new interactive learning classroom at Queen’s University, he designed a course on Greek and Roman Religions that involves innovative learning activities. Students analyze visual materials from antiquity, debate the desirability of adherence to one goddess over another, and act out rituals of status transformation. These activities are grounded in foundational pedagogical principles for effective student learning and are constructed to include diverse learning approaches.

He[...]

Professor Richard Ascough has a passion for engaging students in their own learning, whether through use of online technology, articulating clear learning outcomes, or designing innovative learning activities. Using various digital humanities resources and a new interactive learning classroom at Queen’s University, he designed a course on Greek and Roman Religions that involves innovative learning activities. Students analyze visual materials from antiquity, debate the desirability of adherence to one goddess over another, and act out rituals of status transformation. These activities are grounded in foundational pedagogical principles for effective student learning and are constructed to include diverse learning approaches.

He encourages students to make their own discoveries about course materials, guided by specific prompts that leave space for the collaborative exploration of ancient texts, archaeological data, secondary sources and theoretical frameworks. Students have praised Dr. Ascough’s approach for enhancing the learning experience by allowing them to engage directly with real historical problems that scholars of antiquity face.

Steven Bednarski
Department of History, St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo

Steven Bednarski is a social historian of medieval crime, gender and environment. He is known as a passionate instructor dedicated to the development of programs that change how Waterloo students learn. He has developed a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, hands-on learning model and applied it to a number of initiatives at Waterloo including The Herstmonceux Experiential Learning Adventure and the Medieval Digital Research Arts for Graphical and Environmental Networks (D.R.A.G.E.N.) Lab.

His book, A Poisoned Past: The Life and Times of Margarida de Portu, an Accused Poisoner, is a pedagogical microhistory and is used internationally as a teaching tool. It queries how[...]

Steven Bednarski is a social historian of medieval crime, gender and environment. He is known as a passionate instructor dedicated to the development of programs that change how Waterloo students learn. He has developed a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, hands-on learning model and applied it to a number of initiatives at Waterloo including The Herstmonceux Experiential Learning Adventure and the Medieval Digital Research Arts for Graphical and Environmental Networks (D.R.A.G.E.N.) Lab.

His book, A Poisoned Past: The Life and Times of Margarida de Portu, an Accused Poisoner, is a pedagogical microhistory and is used internationally as a teaching tool. It queries how academics write history and proposes a new learner-centered model for the study of the past and present.

Joe Kim
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University

Joe Kim is an Associate Professor in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and is actively involved in the scholarship of teaching and learning. He co-ordinates the innovative McMaster Introductory Psychology (macintropsych.com) program which combines traditional lectures with interactive online resources and small group tutorials. The program has been prominently featured by numerous media outlets. His passion and commitment to his students and course design has made him one of the best and most innovative teachers at McMaster.

He also directs the Applied Cognition in Education Lab (acelab.mcmaster.ca), which aims to understand how cognitive principles, such as attention, memory[...]

Joe Kim is an Associate Professor in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and is actively involved in the scholarship of teaching and learning. He co-ordinates the innovative McMaster Introductory Psychology (macintropsych.com) program which combines traditional lectures with interactive online resources and small group tutorials. The program has been prominently featured by numerous media outlets. His passion and commitment to his students and course design has made him one of the best and most innovative teachers at McMaster.

He also directs the Applied Cognition in Education Lab (acelab.mcmaster.ca), which aims to understand how cognitive principles, such as attention, memory and learning, can be applied to develop evidence-based interventions in education and training. He also organizes the annual McMaster Symposium on Education & Cognition (edcog.mcmaster.ca), which brings together cognitive scientists, educators and policy makers to explore how cognitive science can be applied to educational policy and instructional design.

Maria Parappilly
Department of Physics, Flinders University

A theoretical physicist and educational researcher, Dr Maria Parappilly teaches first year and supervises higher degree students in physics education. Passionate about making physics accessible and exciting, she employs innovative instructional strategies in her teaching, which have positively impacted student retention, progression and success. Through scholarship of teaching projects and endeavors, Dr Parappilly has gathered data systematically to continuously improve student learning outcomes and to reinvent her practice to meet the needs of her students.

Her ideas are disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles and in Australian Government Good Practice Guides. Her innovations have grown well beyond her classrooms and have[...]

A theoretical physicist and educational researcher, Dr Maria Parappilly teaches first year and supervises higher degree students in physics education. Passionate about making physics accessible and exciting, she employs innovative instructional strategies in her teaching, which have positively impacted student retention, progression and success. Through scholarship of teaching projects and endeavors, Dr Parappilly has gathered data systematically to continuously improve student learning outcomes and to reinvent her practice to meet the needs of her students.

Her ideas are disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles and in Australian Government Good Practice Guides. Her innovations have grown well beyond her classrooms and have enthusiastically been adopted by other professionals. Her commitment to excellence in teaching and learning innovation has been recognized through national, state and institutional awards. She is the chair of the Australian Institute of Physics topical group Physics Education.

Jesse Stewart
School for Studies in Art and Culture, Carleton University

Jesse Stewart is an educator, composer, percussionist and artist. A professor in Carleton University’s music program and an adjunct professor in the visual arts department at the University of Ottawa, he has received numerous awards including the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, the 2012 “Instrumental Album of the Year” Juno award for his work with the genre-defying trio Stretch Orchestra, and Carleton University’s Teaching Achievement Award, the university’s highest honour in recognition of teaching excellence.

Jesse is redefining music education at Carleton and across the academy. His courses challenge conventional notions concerning the autonomy of the composer and the ways in[...]

Jesse Stewart is an educator, composer, percussionist and artist. A professor in Carleton University’s music program and an adjunct professor in the visual arts department at the University of Ottawa, he has received numerous awards including the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, the 2012 “Instrumental Album of the Year” Juno award for his work with the genre-defying trio Stretch Orchestra, and Carleton University’s Teaching Achievement Award, the university’s highest honour in recognition of teaching excellence.

Jesse is redefining music education at Carleton and across the academy. His courses challenge conventional notions concerning the autonomy of the composer and the ways in which we learn to compose music. He firmly believes that making music – like learning – does not take place in a vacuum. Both are co-creative acts in which all participants can learn from and with one another.

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