Dr. Ewa Dabrowska Wins Teaching Matters! Award

From your Students' Union's News:

Dr. Ewa Dabrowska Wins SU Teaching Award

January 19, 2009

(Edmonton, AB) — University of Alberta instructor, Dr. Ewa Dabrowska, has been selected by the Students' Union to receive the Teaching Matters! Award for Quality as a Contract Staff Member.

The Teaching Matters! Awards were created to recognize and support excellence in teaching at the University and to emphasize the importance of the role of teaching in the undergraduate experience and acknowledge the work instructors do in this area.

Three Teaching Matters! Awards are awarded each term. The Award for Quality as a Contract Staff Member was created in honour of Fair Employment Week and is the second Teaching Matters! Award to be awarded this year. This award recognizes the contributions of sessionals and other contract staff to the learning environment. Whether these instructors has created a positive learning environment, dedicated time outside class to their students or exemplified a mastery of the subject, the winner of this award has demonstrated an overall quality in teaching.

Dr. Dabrowska was nominated for this award by a student in one of her Human Geography courses. This student found Dr. Dabrowska’s focus on “brain-based" learning — through her use of short films, maps, guest speakers and class discussions — to be particularly helpful. Dr. Dabrowska has clearly demonstrated her investment in ensuring that her students receive the best possible education and that they succeed in their academic endeavours.

Winter Term Award Themes

For the 2009 Winter Term, instructors will be eligible for the following Teaching Matters! Awards:

Teaching Matters! Award for Integrated Teaching

Our university is well known for its research, and many instructors work diligently to ensure that teaching is not left behind, often by finding a beneficial relationship between the two. Whether this instructor has effectively introduced the latest research, presented useful research methods, or illustrated relevant theory or practice through their own research, the winner of this award has demonstrated that research can be integrated into teaching in order to pursue greater student engagement.

Teaching Matters! Award for Teaching Beyond the Classroom

Teaching awards and evaluations generally examine an instructor's work in the classroom, often overlooking areas where efforts extend beyond those four walls. Whether this instructor has provided a system for online interaction, facilitated networking through extra study hours, or demonstrated especial helpfulness during office hours, the winner of this award has broadened their teaching to include work beyond the classroom.

Teaching Matters! Award for Adapting to Students

There is no question that instructors need to be well prepared for a course, but many make adjustments according to the specific needs of a particular class. Whether this instructor has asked for feedback on their teaching, provided opportunities for input on course direction, or altered a class plan to meet students' interests, the winner of this award has implemented the needs and interests of their students into their teaching.


To nominate an instructor, simply email me at cicero@su.ualberta.ca with reasons for your nomination. Alternatively, fill out a nomination form available at any InfoLink desk, Faculty Association office, or in 2-900 SUB.

Dr. Heather Proctor Wins First Teaching Matters! Award

From the Students' Union's News:

Professor Proctor Wins SU Teaching Award

January 12, 2009

(Edmonton, AB) — University of Alberta Biological Sciences professor, Dr. Heather Proctor, has been selected to receive the Teaching Matters! Award for Innovation with Academic Materials from the Students’ Union.

The Teaching Matters! Awards were created to recognize and support excellence in teaching at the University and to emphasize the importance of the role of teaching in the undergraduate experience and acknowledge the work instructors do in this area.

Three Teaching Matters! Awards are given each term, and the Award for Innovation with Academic Materials was the first this year. This Award is given to an instructor who demonstrates a genuine concern about the burden that is often placed on students due to the high cost of academic materials. By finding innovative ways to avoid expensive academic materials, this instructor is able to ease the financial burden of their students without compromising the quality of his or her teaching.

Dr. Proctor was nominated for this award by a student in her Zoology 351 class. Dr. Proctor provided hip waders and nets for her students to borrow, affording them the opportunity to venture out into the field and expand on the lessons that they were learning in the classroom. Dr. Proctor went so far as to spend some of her own money to provide materials for students to use in her lab when the lab’s budget was exhausted.

Dr. Proctor clearly demonstrated a genuine concern for her students by ensuring her class was affordable for all her students.

Award Themes

For the 2008 Fall Term, instructors will be eligible for the following Teaching Matters! Awards:

For Innovation With Academic Materials

A vast majority of instructors sympathize with their students as textbook costs spiral upward, and many more act on this issue. Whether this instructor has made course materials available online, found low-cost books, or designed their own material, the winner of this award has shown that innovation is possible, and that results can be passed down to their students.

For Engagement With Students

Engagement is a quality in instructors difficult to characterize, but always sought after. Whether this instructor has illustrated a great passion in their field, related a topic to the wider community, or presented material in a unique fashion, the winner of this award has found a way to form a relationship with their students that goes beyond the course material.

For Quality as a Contract Staff Member

In honour of Fair Employment Week, this award recognizes the contributions of sessionals and other contract staff to the learning environment. Whether this instructor has created a positive learning environment, dedicated time outside class to their students, or exemplified a mastery of the subject, the winner of this award has demonstrated an overall quality in teaching.


To nominate an instructor, simply email me at cicero@su.ualberta.ca

Teaching Matters!

Amidst the celebrations of the University's centennial, I have been born. I will spend my life wandering this campus as a testament to the role of teaching in the undergraduate experience, and will seek out excellence in teaching wherever it may lie.

I will visit classrooms and libraries, governance committees and professional development sessions. I will spend time with students and deans, with administrators and instructors. Most of all, I will listen to students -- students who are in the unique position to engage directly with their instruction -- who tell me about the quality of teaching in their courses.

It is because of these students that I am here. But it is for their instructors that I wander. Every month, I will make my way to a new instructor, an instructor who has exemplified the quality teaching that defines undergraduate experiences here at the UofA, an instructor who has demonstrated to everyone that Teaching Matters!