Teaching Assistant Awards

The Teaching Assistant Award was established in 1998 to recognize the important contributions to the university by teaching assistants, seminar leaders and lab demonstrators. Since 1998, three additional awards (the Novice TA Award, the International Graduate TA Award, and the Graduate TA Award) have been created to recognize and celebrate excellence in teaching demonstrated by teaching assistants at Brock. 

Visit the 2023-24 Award Showcase to learn about the current Brock teaching award recipients.

Submitting your Nomination

Application packages must be submitted to the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CPI) by the first Friday in March annually.

Nominations should be submitted to the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation’s teaching award online repository. 

Nomination Information

Nominations for the TA 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 require collaboration between the nominator and the nominee to create a compelling nomination package. Nominees should consult the award criteria below for guidance on constructing their dossier. Nominators should consult below for tips on writing a persuasive nomination letter. 

Candidates are only eligible to receive one Teaching Assistant award within a 5-year period. Nominees are eligible to submit applications for more than one award in an academic year. 

Award Criteria and Eligibility

The TA Award is presented to a teaching assistant in recognition of an outstanding contribution to teaching and learning at Brock. This award is sponsored by the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation.

Award Amount: $500 

Eligibility

Individuals eligible to receive the award are teaching assistants, seminar/tutorial leaders and/or lab demonstrators who have demonstrated a commitment to assisting others in reaching their educational goals. Eligible candidates will have one or more years of experience as a TA. Teaching experience includes teaching positions at other post-secondary institutions. 

Award Criteria

TAs may demonstrate a commitment to assisting others in reaching their educational goals through: 

  • Inclusive instructional design and practice 
  • Providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students 
  • Creating teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement 
  • Seeking out 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  
  • Commitment to learning about creating and maintaining accessible and inclusive teaching practices through course materials, instructional design, and student interactions and support and working to implement those practices 
  • Reflection on their own teaching practice and growth as an educator over time 
  • Supporting students in their learning

The Novice TA Award is presented to a teaching assistant who shows promise in the field of teaching. This award is sponsored by the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. 

Award Amount: $500 

Eligibility

Individuals eligible to receive the award are teaching assistants, seminar/tutorial leaders and/or lab demonstrators who have limited experience in their roles but who have demonstrated a commitment to assisting others in reaching their educational goals. Eligible candidates must have less than one year of experience as a TA. Teaching experience includes teaching positions at other post-secondary institutions. 

Award Criteria

Novice TAs (those with fewer than 12 months of experience) may demonstrate their promise in the field of teaching through: 

  • Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) 
  • A commitment to exploring and implementing strategies to create inclusive instructional design and practice 
  • Providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students 
  • Learning about and working to creating teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement 
  • Seeking out and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback  
  • Providing effective feedback to students 
  • Commitment to learning about creating and maintaining accessible and inclusive teaching practices through course materials, instructional design, and student interactions and support and working to implement those practices 
  • Reflection on their own teaching practice

The Graduate TA Award is presented to a graduate student teaching assistant who shows promise in the field of teaching. This award is sponsored by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

Award Amount: $500 

Eligibility

Individuals eligible to receive the award are teaching assistants, seminar/tutorial leaders and/or lab demonstrators who have demonstrated a commitment to assisting others in reaching their educational goals. Eligible candidates must be current graduate students. 

Award Criteria

Graduate TAs may demonstrate promise in the field of teaching through: 

  • Developing approaches and strategies for inclusive instructional design in their practice 
  • Providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students 
  • Creating teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement 
  • Seeking out and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback  
  • Providing effective feedback to students 
  • Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) 
  • Commitment to learning about creating and maintaining accessible and inclusive teaching practices through course materials, instructional design, and student interactions and support and working to implement those practices 
  • Reflection on their own teaching practice

The International Graduate TA Award is presented to an international graduate student teaching assistant who show promise in the field of teaching. This award is sponsored by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. 

Award Amount: $500 

Eligibility

Individuals eligible to receive the award are teaching assistants, seminar/tutorial leaders and/or lab demonstrators who have demonstrated a commitment to assisting others in reaching their educational goals. Eligible candidates must be current international graduate students. 

Award Criteria

International TAs may demonstrate promise in the field of teaching through: 

  • Developing approaches and strategies for inclusive instructional design in their practice 
  • Providing meaningful and engaging learning opportunities for students 
  • Creating teaching and learning environments that encourage student engagement 
  • Seeking out and responding (as appropriate) to student feedback  
  • Providing effective feedback to students 
  • Participation in professional learning (e.g. workshops, communities of practice, etc.) 
  • Commitment to learning about creating and maintaining accessible and inclusive teaching practices through course materials, instructional design, and student interactions and support and working to implement those practices 
  • Reflection on their own teaching practice 

The Nomination Dossier

Nominees should refer to our Creating an Effective Dossier resource when preparing their nomination dossierThe 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.  

 TAs submitting a nomination dossier should note that the length of a dossier is influenced by many things including the length of one’s teaching experience, access to Student Course Experience Survey date (or non-access), teaching role etc. Shorter dossiers (e.g. 10-15 pages) can do an excellent job of sharing your teaching practice. 

Dossier Contents

Each candidate must submit an application package (i.e. dossier) to be considered for an award.  

The dossier should include the following items: 

  1. Nomination Letter(s): One nominator must be a faculty member/instructor for the Brock course for which the candidate served as a teaching assistant, seminar leader, or lab demonstrator.  An optional second nominator may be a student, peer, or faculty member/instructor. Nomination letters should outline the nominator’s relationship to the candidate and why the nominator has chosen to nominate the nominee for the specific TA award being applied for.
  2. A narrative summary of the support documentation (i.e., a summary of the testimonial letters, teaching evaluation data, etc.) 
  3. Supporting documentation is essential for consideration for the award(s). Documentation may include: 
    1. a statement of teaching philosophy written by the candidate (1-2 pages), 
    2. evidence of professional development in teaching (e.g. attendance at the TA Workshop Series offered by the CPI; participation in GRST 5P01: Theory & Practice of University Teaching graduate course;
    3. completion of the Instructional Skills Workshop; etc.); 
    4. faculty evaluation of TA performance (if available);
    5. a summary of teaching evaluations (if available);
    6. testimonial letters/emails from sources other than the nominators (maximum of 6);
    7. a brief Curriculum Vitae (CV) that emphasizes the candidates teaching and learning experience.

All documentation is subject to verification by the selection committee. 

Award Adjudication 

Adjudication Committee 

All application packages will be adjudicated by a selection committee consisting of cross-Faculty representation including students, faculty/instructors, and administrators. The selected candidate(s) will be presented with their award(s) at the TA Reception held annually in April. 

Please note that the selection committee reserves the right not to select an award recipient in any given year or to select multiple recipients. 

Nomination Package Questions?

The Educational Development team at the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation is available for consultation. Please reach out to cpi@brocku.ca to arrange an opportunity to discuss the accessibility of your nomination package with an educational developer. 

Previous Award Winners

YearRecipient
2024Sandra Kroeker, Faculty of Social Science
2023Oya Pakkal, Psychology
2022Bruna Fernandes (TA Award co-recipient) Shawna Hopper (TA Award co-recipient)
2021Zain Virani, Economics
2020Maysara Al Jumaily, M.Sc. in Computer Science
2019Nicholas Gadea, Applied Health Sciences
2018Talha Rafiq, Applied Health Sciences
2017Parthajit Mukherjee, Chemistry
2016Julie Domitrek, Biology / Women’s & Gender Studies
2015Andrew C. P. Kemble, Psychology
2014Kiel Ormerod, Biological Sciences
2013Christina Quintiliani, Education/Child and Youth Studies
2011Jo-Anne Sinnige-Egger, Child and Youth Studies
2009Divya Joshi, Community Health Sciences
2008Christine Goodwin, Child & Youth Studies
2007Jeff Reichheld, English Language & Literature
2006Elizabeth Ilnicki-Stone, Chemistry
2006Kirsti Van Dorsser, Psychology
2005Mandy Frake, Physical Education & Kinesiology
2004Frank Benko, Physics
2004Jacqueline Dix, Political Science
2003Michele Stairs, Geography
2002Jimmy Au, Mathematics
2001Donna Vukmanic, Chemistry
2000Caroline Stikkelbroeck, Communications, Popular Culture & Film
1999Ellen Maisson, Biological Sciences
1998Gail Neff, Chemistry
1998Marilyn Cottrell, Economics
YearRecipient
2023Alison Smoke, Health Sciences (co-recipient)
2023Rebecca Rios, Health Sciences (co-recipient)
2022Sara McCowell, Education
2021Felisia Milana, Political Science
2020Hope Eze, MA English Language and Literature
2019Monica Louie, Education
2018Hawa M. Conde, Applied Health Sciences
2017Francesca Patten, Classics
2016Miranda MacDougall, Education
2015Brodie Terence Hague, Geography
2014Phillip Wallace, Appied Health Sciences
2013Stephanie Lampman, Linguistics
2010Dana Mirshahi, Economics
2008Meaghan Wilkin, Psychology
2007Diane Hart, Communication, Popular Culture & Film
2006Shonesee Devereaux, Physical Education & Kinesiology
2005Antony Hunter, Recreation and Leisure Studies
2004Ryan Nery, Psychology
2003Cornelis Vandermeer, Political Science
2002Melora Cunliffe, Physical Education
2001Marsha Salmon, Psychology
2001Mike Boland, Communications, Popular Culture & Film
2000Randy Thompson, English Language & Literature
YearRecipient
2024Richard Trotter, Faculty of Education
2023Nwakerendu (Kay) Waboso, Child and Youth Studies
2022Megan Magier, Health Science
2021Ehsan Nayeri, Business
2020Jessica Salvagna, MA Recreation and Leisure Studies
2019Jennifer Roters, MA Graduate TA Award, Psychology
2019Caitlyn Gallant, PhD Graduate TA Award, Psychology
2018Malcolm Matthews, Humanities
2017Harrish Aggarwal, Applied Health Sciences
2016Stephanie Culp, Classics
2016Dinara Salaeva, Community Health Sciences
2015Eleftherios (Terry) Kyprianos Soleas, Education
2014Regan Fitzgerald, Psychology
2013Kathleen Moore, Education
2012Deborah Jehu, Community Health Sciences
2012Jacob Bernam, Biology
2011Alison Innes, Classics
2010Samantha Dear, Recreation & Leisure Studies
2010Tarah Csaszar, Classics
2009Joseph Brown, Computer Science
2009Kerry Ransom, Community Health Sciences
2008Bethan Kingsley, Physical Education & Kinesiology
2007Bonita Gracey, Physical Education & Kinesiology
2006Sarah Johnson, Physical Education & Kinesiology
2005Trudy Tattersall, Communications, Popular Culture & Film
2004Joanna Sheppard, Physical Education & Kinesiology
YearRecipient
2024Huma Khalid, Faculty of Education
2023Thien Bao Le, Biology (co-recipient)
2023Zihang Bu, Child and Youth Studies (co-recipient)
2021Esther Wainaina, Education
2020Philip Dwomoh, MA Geography
2019Yihong Bai, Economics
2018Evans C. Boadi, Mathematics and Science
2016Chimaobi Amadi, Mathematics
2015Oksana Pichugina
Health Science teaching assistants showcasing their awards and certificates