Recognizing teaching and graduate student excellence

The annual Dean's Teaching and Learning Awards, honouring the best examples of inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices in the Faculty over the past year, were recently presented to four Faculty of Arts and Science professors.

Bojana Babic (Film and Media) has earned the Dean's Teaching Fellow Award, which rewards teaching and learning excellence or innovation.

"Learning about the award filled me with joy," says Dr. Babic. "For me, the most meaningful acknowledgement comes from the students and their feedback on their experiences in my courses. At the same time, receiving formal recognition from the Faculty of Arts and Science is a tremendous boost to my confidence as a teacher.

She adds she was fortunate to have mentors who pushed her beyond her comfort zone and encouraged her to approach her work in ways she might not have discovered on her own.

"I believe that discomfort is an important part of learning, particularly in creative practice, where developing an artistic voice requires taking risks, making mistakes, navigating uncertainty and rejection. My role as a mentor is to create an environment where students can challenge themselves freely while feeling supported in the process."

Earning the Dean’s Teaching and Learning Innovation Award is Nicole Beamish (School of Kinesiology and Health Studies).

"I was genuinely surprised and very grateful to receive this award," Dr. Beamish says. "I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside colleagues at SKHS and across Queen's who are so willing to share ideas, support one another, and try new approaches to teaching."

One of the things she says she loves about teaching is helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to what they will do in practice. As a physiotherapist, she knows how important a strong foundation of knowledge is, but also that working with real people isn't always straightforward. There isn't always one right answer, and learning to navigate that uncertainty is an important part of becoming a professional.

"For me, innovative teaching is about creating opportunities for students to apply their knowledge, try something new, make mistakes, and learn from feedback and one another. Mentorship is an important part of that process. Having someone who encourages you to try, challenges your thinking, and supports you as you build confidence can make a real difference."

The Excellence in Graduate Mentorship award recognizes faculty members who, in the judgement of their graduate students, have made outstanding contributions to promoting graduate student excellence through teaching, supervision and mentorship at the graduate level. This year, Andrew Grant (Political Studies) has earned the honour.

"I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the Graduate Mentorship Award," Dr. Grant says. "It means a great deal to me, especially once I learned that my doctoral students spent countless hours preparing the supporting documentation for the Award. Mentorship is baked into the DNA of my interactions with graduate students.

Dr. Grant adds he would like to emphasize that his mentorship would not be possible without the vital forms of support that Graduate Chairs, Graduate Administrative Assistants, and Heads of Department provide to graduate students. "Together, these colleagues are the unsung heroes of the Department of Political Studies and other units on campus, and they contribute to the atmosphere of strong mentorship at Queen’s."

Danielle Lussier (Languages, Literatures and Cultures) has earned the Dean’s Teaching and Learning Excellence Award.

“I am very happy to receive the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award this year. In my classrooms – and beyond – I try to create learning spaces that will support Queen’s learners as they grapple with critical conversations that they may not have previously had an opportunity to engage in in the context of their formal (Western) educations," Dr. Lussier says. "Helping learners unlearn what they think they know about Indigenous Peoples and contemporary colonial realities and to begin to build new relationships to peoples, places, and ideas is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a process that is readily understood by universities. It is a process that comes at a cost for Indigenous educators, as the work is incredibly urgent and often profoundly personal."

"I understand this award as a recognition of the value of my work in, and efforts towards, building ethical learning spaces that will in turn prepare learners to grow into ethical global citizens.”

Also earning honours were one graduate student from each department for their academic excellence.

Emma Webster (Art Conservation) - Women in Science
Ana Flechas (Art History) - Creativity and Community
Isaac Coles (Biology) - Global Sustainability
Jake Breen (Chemistry) - Environmental Justice
Mary Joyce Sabourin (Classics) Creativity and Community
Emese Elkind (School of Computing) Women in Computing
Joyce Jugo (Cultural Studies) Social Justice
Alisha Boddu (Global Development Studies) - Global Sustainability
Aaron Quinsey (Economics) - Creativity and Community
Molly Usifer (English) - Creativity and Community
Bellen Tong (Environmental Studies) - Global Sustainability
Leila Khalizadeh (Film and Media) - Creativity and Community
Elyse Smith (Gender Studies) - Creativity and Community
Reese Simoneau (Geography and Planning) - Environmental Justice
Em Allen (History) - Social Justice
Alexandra Bresnahan (Mathematics) - Women in Mathematics
Dasha Rindia (Master of Industrial Relations) - Social Justice
Mathew McGann (Philosophy) - Social Justice
Joel Perriard (Political Studies) - Global Sustainability
Felicity, Kannu (Religion) - Award for Social Justice
Ally Elaine Hudder (Kinesiology and Health Studies) - Women in Science
Samson Olaoye (Sociology) - Social Justice