UVic’s teaching stars for 2009

Convocation is a celebration of the accomplishments of our students and the great promise which they bring as they enter on a new stage of their careers. It is also an occasion at which the university recognizes the outstanding talent, dedication and creativity of the faculty members whose work defines the quality of a UVic education. Each year, the various faculties celebrate the best among UVic’s educators by bestowing awards for excellence in teaching. This year’s recipients—representing the best of UVic’s teachers—are profiled below.

Dr. Jens Bornemann

Electrical and computer engineering

Dr. Jens Bornemann (electrical and computer engineering) has developed and taught a variety of courses in the areas of electromagnetics, microwaves, antennas and propagation at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For many years, his students have consistently rated him at or near the top of the scale for teaching effectiveness and overall teaching ability. His enthusiasm for the subjects he is teaching has inspired many students. Bornemann has also contributed significantly to curriculum development. He served as graduate advisor and department chair and oversaw the rapid growth of the graduate program. He further served as a member of the BEng/BSEng first-year review task force, which produced a report that is having significant impact on the first-year engineering curriculum.

Gillian Calder

Law

Professor Gillian Calder joined the Faculty of Law in 2004 and very soon made her mark as an exceptional teacher. This is the second year in a row that she has received this award—a remarkable tribute to her abilities as a legal educator. Calder is particularly known among colleagues and students not only for her enthusiastic and engaged teaching but also for innovation and creativity in the classroom. She is devoted to finding ways to make legal education more meaningful for law students and more respectful of and responsive to their individual diversities and learning styles. She not only practices innovative pedagogy, she also researches and writes about it, and takes time to hone her classroom skills by participating in national and international workshops dedicated to creating better teachers.

Ignace Ng

Business

Dr. Ignace Ng (business) played a key role in the development the MBA’s Malaysia work-study program and was responsible for the development of the International Field Experience for undergraduate BCom students to Greater China. He then championed the creation of the MBA program’s International Integrative Management Exercise and spearheaded the implementation of the Global MBA option as well as its subsequent evolution into the new Master of Global Business program that is to be launched next year. His sense of humour and patience stand as hallmarks of his teaching style. In the words of his students, “Ignace has mastered his craft and possesses a charismatic enthusiasm which captivates the classroom. His depth of knowledge and passion about teaching cross-cultural studies is evident through his extensive life-travel experiences. He gains the support of his students and co-workers through his approachable and supportive personality.”

Dr. Helen Raptis

Curriculum and instruction

Dr. Helen Raptis (curriculum and instruction) works with pre-service and in-service teachers to help them see the classroom as embedded in social and historical context. Stellar student ratings indicate that her pedagogical approach is highly effective and inclusive of students’ ideas and needs. As a colleague explained, “I marvel at the time she takes to develop materials, re-design courses, listen intently to students and then build better classroom experiences.” Students praise her use of a wide range of methods, her compassion, flexibility, passion and enthusiasm. Through lectures, case studies, videos, readings, discussion, role-plays, debates, guided discovery, mock lesson plans and problem-solving activities, she is highly effective in helping teachers identify that what they do influences—and is influenced by—students’ lives, social situations and historical circumstance.

Dr. Lisa Surridge

English

Dr. Lisa Surridge (English) conducts research on Victorian literature, bringing the period alive for students historically, socially, and culturally. Surridge’s teaching is always new, fresh and in a constant state of development—and this has inspired many of her colleagues to redouble their efforts to give their best in the classroom. She constantly seeks ways to make her classroom an exciting and informative place. One student commented: “Dr. Surridge is an exemplary teacher. She guides classes effectively without ever being controlling. She is helpful and enthusiastic and treats her students with respect, empathy and with a great sense of humour.” Another wrote: “Dr. Surridge stands out as the most remarkable teacher I have ever had. Being taught by her makes you want to do well. Her approach to students is so friendly and real. She makes me feel I can live up to my potential.”

Dr. Karena Shaw

Environmental studies

Dr. Karena Shaw (environmental studies) arrived at UVic in 2003 and quickly became a leading contributor to restructuring the school’s undergraduate program. She was also one of the designers of the new and highly successful Introduction to Environmental Studies course, which employs an overarching theme of food examined through the three pedagogic pillars of the School: political ecology, ethnoecology and restoration ecology. She has provided inspiration and advice related to the school’s new master’s programs and its partnership in the Redfish School of Change. Working with faculty in the Institute of Integrated Energy Systems, she developed a course on energy, ecology and politics that attracted students in environmental studies and mechanical engineering. Shaw has become the school’s go-to specialist in innovative teaching and has served as mentor to several sessional instructors. Colleagues are impressed by the effort she gives to teaching undergraduate students through generous conversations, exhaustive notation of their work and extensive lecture preparation.

Dr. Penelope Codding

Chemistry

Dr. Penelope Codding (chemistry) has been part of the UVic community since her arrival from the University of Calgary in 1996 as provost and vice-president academic. She has transformed the way introductory courses in science are taught, by integrating computer-based tools inside and outside the classroom. She has mentored new faculty, helping them become more effective teachers, and has never stopped refining course content and delivery. As one of her colleagues writes, “For a student at the back of a class of 200 to feel he or she has been engaged by the professor is a clear indication that Penny is extremely effective in these large sections.” A first-year student commented that, “It is not only Dr. Codding’s captivating classes that render her an exceptional professor, but also the extra attention she provides to ensure her students succeed.” Codding has made, and continues to make, a major difference to her students’ lives, in many cases influencing their career choices.

Lorna Jackson

Writing

Lorna Jackson (writing) is a well-known Canadian short-story writer, novelist and writer of creative non-fiction. She has published four books, and her work has appeared in numerous Canadian journals and magazines. Her recent work, Cold-cocked: On Hockey, was declared by the Globe and Mail to be “absolutely one of the best hockey books of our era.” She is known for her meticulous attention to the smallest details within a student’s writing and her insistence on learning good technique. Her deep commitment to her students and ingenuity in the classroom is recognized by her students and colleagues. One student wrote, “Her comments on that first story were generous, compassionate and kind. I started to understand something about Lorna: she cared about my writing. She wanted me to be a better writer.” Another student said simply, “I would not have published a novel if not for Lorna Jackson.”