Presented annually, the Brock Teaching Awards are presented to instructors and faculty members who, in the opinion of the Brock community, have made significant contributions to the teaching and learning environment at Brock University.
Award Categories
The Clarke Thomson Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching recognizes the contributions of its part-time/sessional teaching staff who contribute significantly to student learning at Brock University. Clarke Thomson is a professor emeritus who, throughout his university career, promoted the support, development, and recognition of university teaching and was Brock University’s first recipient of a national 3M teaching award (1989).
Eligibility
All instructors on contracts or limited-term appointments who teach undergraduate classes and who have been teaching at Brock University for two or more years are eligible.
Award Criteria
Sessional instructors may demonstrate their contributions to teaching and learning at Brock through the following:
- Designing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students
- Creating and fostering teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement
- Creating opportunities to receive student feedback and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback
- Providing effective feedback to students
- Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) and the Brock teaching and learning community
- Effective and inclusive instructional design and practice
- Creation and/or enhancement of course(s) and teaching materials
- A commitment to accessibility and inclusion in all areas of their teaching
- Reflection on their own teaching practice and growth as an educator over time
- Supporting students in their learning
The Don Ursino Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Large Classes is awarded to an outstanding instructor who demonstrates commitment to the improvement of student learning in a large class. A focus on student learning might include evidence of instructional strategies that engage and motivate; innovative instruction; inquiry or problem-based learning activities; formative assessment strategies; authentic assessment practices; and a concern for student progress.
In 1991, Dr. Don Ursino was named a national 3M Teaching Award Fellow, only the second in Brock University history. The award was established to honour his legacy of engaged teaching.
Eligibility
Any instructor (full-time faculty, sessional instructor, graduate student) who has taught a large class within the last academic year at Brock University is eligible. For the purposes of the award, a ‘large class’ consists of 100 or more students. However, given the diversity of enrollment in programs across the University, there may be smaller class sizes that still constitute a ‘large’ class in that discipline. In such cases, candidates should include a statement signed by the Department Chair, Program Director or Dean/Associate Dean as to why the classes of the nominee should be considered large by standards applicable to that Department or Program.
Award Criteria
An instructor can demonstrate their commitment to student learning in a large class through the following:
- Designing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students in the context of large class instruction
- Effective approaches for fostering teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement in a large class
- Creating opportunities to receive student feedback and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback
- Providing effective feedback to students
- Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) and the Brock teaching and learning community
- Effective and inclusive instructional design and practice in the large classroom setting
- Reflection upon the opportunities and challenges presented by large class teaching and learning
- A commitment to accessibility and inclusion in all areas of their teaching with particular emphasis on the large class setting
- Reflection on their own teaching practice and growth as an educator over time
- Supporting students in their learning in the large class setting
The Brock University Award for Excellence in Teaching for Early Career Faculty recognizes the contributions to teaching undertaken by a new faculty member who is in the first five years of a tenure-track position.
Eligibility
Any tenure-track faculty member at Brock University in their first 5 years is eligible. Previous recipients of other teaching awards are eligible.
Award Criteria
An early career faculty member can demonstrate their contributions to teaching and learning at Brock through the following:
- Designing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students
- Effective approaches for fostering teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement
- Creating opportunities to receive student feedback and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback
- Providing effective feedback to students
- Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) and the Brock teaching and learning community
- Effective and inclusive instructional design and practice
- Reflection upon the opportunities and challenges experienced in teaching and learning during their early career
- A commitment to accessibility and inclusion in all areas of their teaching with particular emphasis
- Reflection on their own teaching practice and growth as an educator over time
- Supporting students in their learning
Application Guidelines
DEADLINE
Application packages should be submitted to the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CPI) by the first Friday in November.
Nominator Information
Nominations for the Brock-wide Teaching Awards can be made by members of the Brock community including Senior Administrators, Deans, Directors and Chairs, faculty members, teaching assistants, staff, and former students. Nominations should be submitted to the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation’s teaching award submission page.
Nominations require collaboration between the nominator and the nominee to create a compelling nomination package. Nominees should consult the criteria below for guidance on constructing their dossier. Nominators should consult below for tips on writing a persuasive nomination letter.
Contents of the Nomination Dossier
Nominees should refer to our Creating an Effective Dossier resource when preparing their nomination dossier. The Educational Development team at the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation is available for consultation. Please reach out to cpi@brocku.ca and arrange an opportunity to discuss the accessibility of your nomination package with an educational developer.
The nomination dossier can be submitted in the format preferred by the nominee. This includes a PDF document, or website with multimedia components. Listed below are guiding parameters for the nomination package:
LENGTH – The content of the dossier must not exceed 40 pages (if in PDF format). Those seeking to submit a dossier in a different format should use this 40-page parameter as a reference for their own work. An adjudication committee member should be able to review your nomination package within a one-hour timeframe. Any included videos should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE – All nomination packages should have a navigable organizational structure. This includes the use of a table of contents, headings and sub-headings, page numbers, and the use of a standard 12-point font with one-inch margins where appropriate. NOTE: Cover pages, divider pages, the nomination brief, and the appendix are not included in this count.
ACCESSIBILITY – All nomination submissions must be in an accessible format when submitted. Inaccessible submissions will not be shared with the adjudication committee. Nomination packages in PDF format should be searchable and tagged documents. If included, images require alternative text, videos require closed captioning options for viewers, hyperlinks should be descriptive, and audio files must include a transcript. Nominees should strive to ensure that any included hyperlinks are sustainable, so that the information referenced will be able to be referred back over time.
Though you may include hyperlinks to supplementary evidence within your nomination package there is no guarantee that adjudication committee members will visit all the included links within the time they have been given to adjudicate. Nominees should take care to ensure that the evidence is comprehensively referenced in the main dossier so that the hyperlinks remain as supplemental not foundational support.
CONTENT
Nominees should include the following items in their dossier:
- Letter of nomination outlining the reason for the nomination and why the nominee meets the criteria of the award.
- Statement of teaching philosophy (written by the nominee).
- Evidence of commitment to teaching and learning
- Evidence of professional development in post-secondary teaching (e.g. participation CPI teaching and learning events, Faculty/Department-specific communities of practice, and opportunities undertaken outside of Brock)
- Course development/innovation efforts
- List of teaching awards or commendations
- Examples of course material
- Anonymized student feedback (non-anonymized feedback can be shared if expressed permission is granted by the student to share their name and a statement is included in the dossier to this effect)
- Other relevant evidence of commitment to teaching and learning related to the award criteria
- List of courses taught and enrolment including course titles and level of instruction (e.g. undergraduate/graduate, first year/second year, etc.), duration/date, class size.
- Letters of support from colleagues, students, administrators, staff, and/or others who have perspective on the nominees teaching within the context of the award criteria.
- Summary of student course experience surveys including explanation or context of how ratings are collected and/or trends emerging from the ratings.
- Brief CV (no more than 8 pages double-spaced)
- Cohesive narrative that weaves together these elements
Award Adjudication
Adjudication Committee
The Adjudication Committee is chaired by a CPI representative who serves in a non-voting role.
The remaining voting members of the Committee include Brock teaching and learning community members including faculty/instructors, students, staff, and administrators.
CPI makes all possible efforts to ensure that the Committee consists of diverse representation as well as representation from all Faculties.
Individuals who have acted as a nominator for a candidate for a Brock-wide Teaching Award are not eligible to serve on the Adjudication Committee for that year.
Each nomination for a Brock Teaching Award will receive feedback. Feedback on the dossier from the adjudication committee will be relayed through the Chair and will include both general and specific commentary that may enrich the reflective process of dossier development and resubmission for future competitions where appropriate.
Please note that the adjudication committee reserves the right not to select an award recipient in any given year or to select multiple recipients.
Award Presentation
The selected recipients will be recognized at CPI’s annual Tribute to Teaching event at the end of the fall term. Each recipient will receive a framed certificate. Additionally, a plaque recognizing these achievements is displayed by CPI.
Past Recipients
| Year | Recipient |
| 2024 | Anton Jansen, Classics |
| 2023 | Teresa Hill, Child and Youth Studies |
| 2022 | Natalie Spadafora, Child and Youth Studies |
| 2021 | Kate Cassidy, Communications, Pop Culture, and Film |
| 2020 | Neivin Shalabi, Education |
| 2019 | Kyle Rich, Recreation and Leisure Studies |
| 2018 | Divya Joshi, Health Sciences |
| 2017 | Nadine Brundrett, Classics |
| 2016 | Andrea Bishop, Teacher Education |
| 2015 | Amy Friend, Visual Arts |
| 2014 | Danielle Molnar, Psychology |
| 2013 | Mark Wickens, Teacher Education |
| 2012 | Laura Prelipcean, MLLC |
| 2011 | Giselle Whyte, Teacher Education |
| 2010 | Tammy Whitaker-Campbell, Kinesiology |
| 2009 | Roelof G. Makken, Economics |
| Year | Recipient |
| 2024 | Anton Jansen, Classics |
| 2023 | Erin Panda, Child and Youth Studies |
| 2022 | Kate Cassidy, Communications, Pop Culture, and Film |
| 2022 | David Hutchison, Education and Digital Humanities |
| 2021 | Martin Dragan, Health Sciences |
| 2020 | Po Ling Bork, Computer Science |
| 2019 | Tim Murphy, Psychology |
| 2018 | Nancy Cook, Sociology |
| 2017 | Simon Black, Labour Studies |
| 2016 | Nicholas Vesprini, Biological Sciences |
| 2014 | Lydia Chen, Chemistry |
| 2011 | Brent Faught, Madelyn Law, Health Sciences |
| 2010 | John Mitterer, Psychology |
| 2009 | Marilyn Cottrell, Economics |
| 2008 | Hans Skott-Myhre, Child and Youth Studies |
| Year | Recipient |
| 2024 | Elizabeth Orr, Nursing |
| 2023 | Chelsea Temple Jones, Child and Youth Studies |
| 2022 | Priscilla Burnham Riosa, Applied Disability Studies |
| 2022 | Alisa Grigorovich, Recreation and Leisure Studies |
| 2021 | Valerie Michaelson, Health Sciences |
| 2020 | Liz Clarke, Communications, Popular Culture and Film |
| 2019 | Alex Christie, Department of Digital Humanities |
| 2018 | Rebecca MacPherson, Health Sciences |
| 2018 | Aleksandar Necakov, Biological Sciences |
| 2017 | Jessica Clark, History |
| 2016 | Robert McGray, Graduate/Undergraduate Education |
| 2015 | Adam MacNeil, Health Sciences |
| 2014 | Paula Gardner, Health Sciences |
| 2013 | Wesley S. Helms, Marketing, International Business and Strategy |
| 2012 | Hilary Brown, Teacher Education |
| 2011 | Fanny Dolansky, Classics |
| 2010 | Tim Murphy, Psychology |
| 2009 | Mary Breunig, Recreation & Leisure Studies |
Awards Showcase
