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Trent Math Professor Wins Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning

Dr. Marco Pollanen to be honoured for development of online education program

Trent Math Professor Wins Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning
Trent Math Professor Wins Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning

Chalk up one more honour for Trent University mathematics professor Dr. Marco Pollanen. He will be honoured nation-wide as one of five winners of the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and Desire2Learn’s Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning, on June 18 at Queen’s University in Kingston.

Both awards recognize Professor Pollanen’s achievement in developing enVision, a free software program that helps math students seek anonymous help online. Dr. Kenzu Abdella, chair of Trent’s mathematics department, praised Prof. Pollanen for the leadership role he has taken in the department’s continued effort to advance effective and innovative teaching and learning.

“He is always seeking innovative approaches to improve the education experience of his students,” Prof. Abdella said. “Marco has also been instrumental in the introduction of the financial mathematics stream of our program and actively participates in both graduate and undergraduate student supervision.

Prof. Abdella stated that the academic advancements made through Prof. Pollanen’s enVision concept will have positive and lasting educational impact on students at Trent and beyond. “Marco’s current awards from STLHE and Desire2Learn are another testament to his continued commitment to innovative teaching and learning. This is also further proof of Trent’s strong commitment to high quality and innovative teaching and learning.”

Prof. Pollanen believes his enVision program is of particular benefit to those students with anxiety or phobias that hinder their learning.

“These days, there is a lot of online engagement going on in all types of subjects,” said Prof. Pollanen. But when it comes to math, he said, it can be more difficult. Students and teachers are dealing with complicated symbols and equations that don’t easily translate to online programs. “I had to create technology that allows for math interaction online -- a chat room where you could draw those equations.”

Providing an opportunity to engage in an online environment is significant, Prof. Pollanen said, as many students are also afraid to communicate in a math class, especially those not pursuing a specialty in that field. Compared to an English class, where instructors can expect a greater amount of discussion and opinion-sharing, Prof. Pollanen says this is not usually the case in math courses. “By moving it to the online world, it allowed students to participate anonymously. It’s a safer environment,” he said. “The amount of engagement went up dramatically.”

This innovative approach to teaching and learning in post-secondary education is precisely the kind of work recognized and celebrated, nationally and internationally, by the Desire2Learn Innovation Award. Honourees receive a two-year membership in STLHE as well as $2,200 toward travel and registration costs for Desire2Learn’s annual conference, through which educators are encouraged to explore, experiment and reflect on innovative teaching and learning techniques.

In 2009, Prof. Pollanen was also one of eight exceptional educators from across the country to be selected by The Learning Partnership as a winner of the National Technology Innovation Awards

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014.

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