Building on Trent University’s reputation for excellence in teaching, faculty, staff and students gathered today to honour extraordinary faculty members and instructors in Gender and Women’s Studies, Business Administration, Political Studies, Psychology and Mathematics as the recipients of the 2014/15 Teaching Awards at the annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence.
“Each year Trent recognizes a group of inspirational teachers for their dedication to strong teaching and interactive learning,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor at Trent University. “Celebrating the dedication and mentorship our faculty and instructors provide to our students is something we all appreciate and honour. Their contribution is one of the things that makes Trent an exceptional community for students.”
The following teachers were presented with a 2014/15 teaching award:
- Margaret Hobbs, Gender and Women’s Studies
Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching - Asaf Zohar, Business Administration
Award for Educational Leadership and Innovation - Joshua Noiseux, Political Studies
Award for Excellence in Teaching Assistance - Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Psychology
CUPE 3908-1 Award for Excellence in Teaching
The evening also honoured Dr. Marco Pollanen, associate professor in Mathematics who was awarded the Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning from the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) last year.
Profiles on each recipient, including nominator and recipient quotes can be found below.
TEACHING AWARD RECIPIENT PROFILES
Dr. Margaret Hobbs, Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching
Dr. Margaret Hobbs, an associate professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, has been named the 2015 recipient of the Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Hobbs is recognized as a passionate, dedicated, enthusiastic, and inspiring educator who teaches challenging subject matter in a thoughtful manner which considers a wide variety of perspectives and possibilities.
The teaching and learning interactions that Prof. Hobbs shapes at the undergraduate and graduate levels are lauded for their warmth, their rich and diverse content, and their candor, compassion, and creativity. Her students also appreciate how Prof. Hobbs encourages them to form connections between the course material, historical and contemporary contexts, and their own lived experiences; and how she structures her teaching around multiple learning styles to ensure that students have opportunities for success in a dynamic and engaging learning environment.
Upon learning of the teaching award to be presented to her, Prof. Hobbs commented, “I am deeply honoured to receive this award. I love teaching, and I feel very fortunate to have been mentored over the years by many talented and generous colleagues in my own department and beyond. Our undergraduate students in Gender and Women’s Studies, and graduate students in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies, are a constant source of inspiration. They are bright, open-minded, and passionate about their work and their communities. I want to thank them for all they contribute and for all they continue to teach me about pedagogy, scholarship, and life itself.”
“Prof. Hobbs is an extraordinary professor, colleague, and mentor. She surpasses other professors in her persistent dedication to Trent students both within and outside of the classroom.” – nominator, anonymous.
Dr. Asaf Zohar, Award for Educational Leadership and Innovation
"I am deeply humbled and honoured to receive this award. For me, it is an opportunity to take stock and acknowledge our shared passion for educational leadership through teaching innovation, rather than individual achievement,” said Dr. Asaf Zohar after learning that he was named the 2015 recipient of the Award for Educational Leadership and Innovation. “This award is a celebration of Trent’s shared commitment to finding new ways of bringing out the best in our students. In return, they inspire us with a sense of possibility, and invite us to do better. For us at Trent, innovation is the process of improving what we have achieved to date through this ongoing conversation, and revitalizing our ability to fulfill this shared vision and purpose for the future.”
Professor Zohar, who is a faculty member of the Business Administration department, is recognized for his instrumental role in designing and launching an internship program involving third and fourth-year Business Administration students in a variety of field based learning opportunities as well as his vision and influence as the founding director of the Masters of Arts in Sustainability Studies. His commitment to involving numerous academic and community collaborators in his teaching, his leadership work with the Trent Business Council, his publication and knowledge dissemination in the areas of sustainability and education and the meaningful learning opportunities he has enabled for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are all just a few of the reasons that Prof. Zohar was granted the award.
“Prof. Zohar is certainly one of the most engaged, innovative and dedicated professors I have encountered at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His commitment to the individual student is central, and he seeks to engage each learner not only in the classroom, but also outside the lecture hall.” – nominator, anonymous.
Joshua Noiseux, Award for Excellence in Teaching Assistance
“Joshua Noiseux is an amazing teaching assistant, in fact, he is one of the best I have had the privilege of having over my four years at Trent. Josh takes careful consideration into making sure his students understand the course material thoroughly and most importantly, engage with it.” – nominator, anonymous.
Mr. Noiseux, a graduate student teaching assistant in the Department of Political Studies, has been named the 2015 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award. In receiving this award, Mr. Noiseux is recognized as a skilled and passionate teaching assistant who uses a variety of teaching methods to enable student participation and success, and who facilitates energetic debate and discussion in seminars that allows students to carefully consider issues, concepts, and new possibilities.
In learning about the award, Mr. Noiseux said, “I am deeply gratified to be the recipient of this award. I believe it is the result of a collaborative relationship between my students and myself. In my pedagogical practice I try to emphasize the relational interdependence of teaching and learning. I feel this award is a well-deserved recognition of the idea that learning happens together.”
Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, CUPE 3908-1 Award for Excellence in Teaching
Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, an Instructor in the Department of Psychology, has been named the 2015 recipient of the CUPE 3908-1 Award for Excellence in Teaching. In receiving this award, Ms. Hanley-Dafoe is recognized as an inspiring educator whose teaching is engaging, informative, and interactive. Her students appreciate how Ms. Hanley-Dafoe creates a welcoming and comfortable learning space in and beyond the classroom, and how she explains key terms and concepts from many angles to help ensure understanding. Ms. Hanley-Dafoe is lauded for her organization, honesty, and humour, for her pride in her students and their accomplishments, and for how she motivates students to ask questions, discuss ideas, and continually seek further knowledge and learning.
“I am truly humbled to be recognized by our Trent students for having a meaningful impact on their learning,” said Ms. Hanley-Dafoe, after learning that she was the recipient of the teaching award. “I am so fortunate to work in an innovative and progressive institution that recognizes the unique and significant contributions instructors bring to their departments and the learning environment. I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside dynamic faculty from the Psychology department who share the vision of deep learning for our students.”
“There is not a single other way to put it, hands down, Robyne is THE most organized, inspiring, humorous, honest and reliable professor I have come across during my two years at Trent.” – nominator, anonymous.
Dr. Marco Pollanen, Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning
Dr. Marco Pollanen was the 2014 recipient of the Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning, a national award given by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Professor Pollanen’s award recognizes his achievement in developing enVision, a free software program that helps math students seek anonymous help online.
“It is a tremendous honour to even have been nominated for this award,” said Prof.Pollanen. “It provides me with encouragement to continue to explore new innovations for increasing active learning and fostering student engagement in mathematics.”
“Marco genuinely cares about the quality of education his students receive and actively seeks innovative ways to enhance their learning experience. He invests much effort in providing students with appropriate tools that will assist them in achieving their academic potential.” – nominator, anonymous.
Posted on Friday, April 17, 2015.