Excellence among educators recognized in 2022 Celebration of Teaching

Two years of rapid change and new challenges have led students and faculty alike to become more adaptable, innovative and open-minded in their approaches to teaching and learning.

This year's in-person celebration of the 2022 University of Calgary Teaching Awards recipients recognized the extraordinary efforts that educators have put into creating valuable learning experiences for their students in blended, online and in-person environments. 

Since 2014, the teaching awards have been an opportunity for the acknowledgement and celebration of outstanding contributions to teaching and learning. Recipients of a University of Calgary Teaching Award are nominated by their fellow students, faculty and staff. They are recognized for their expertise and commitment to enriching the quality and breadth of learning.

A University of Calgary Teaching Award is a distinguished honour for members of our university community. Awards are available in 14 categories, recognizing teaching excellence in diverse learning contexts by individuals and teams, through curriculum design and educational leadership. 

Recognizing meaningful contributions to student experiences

Dr. Victoria Fast, PhD, assistant professor from the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts, is just one of many educators who were recognized at the Celebration of Teaching on June 28. Fast was celebrated for her commitment to the integration of experiential learning and applied learning across all levels of courses she teaches and received the Award for Experiential Learning Initiatives. Her continual consideration for access, equity, diversity and inclusivity within the student experience has helped her stand out in the field of experiential learning.

Fast is responsible for the development of the urban studies program capstone course (UBST 591). Grounded in service-based and work-integrated learning experiences, the course is a part of a multi-year partnership with the Federation of Calgary Communities. Groups of four to six students are paired with community associations and their residents to work on locally important projects.

As one of Fast's former students said, “The engagement with the community was an incredibly valuable learning experience. Learning to work with a community association in a real-world scenario helped me gain valuable skills and experience.”

Fast has also volunteered as a research stream supervisor for the UNIV 302 Research on Global Challenges course, where she developed and led the research stream on Toward a More Accessible Canada: Urban and Digital Design. This important work speaks to university priorities in both experiential learning and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

2022 University of Calgary Teaching Award recipients

Award for full-time academic staff 
Assistant professor: Dr. Morgan Vanek, PhD, Faculty of Arts 
Associate professor: Dr. Craig Jenne, PhD, Cumming School of Medicine 
Instructor: Dr. Lauren DeDieu, PhD, Faculty of Science 
Senior instructor: Dilshad Pirani, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary in Qatar

Award for graduate assistants (teaching) 
Kathryn Blair, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts 
Alexandra Guebert, Faculty of Science 
Maimuna S. Khan, Faculty of Social Work 

Award for graduate supervision 
Dr. Christine Walsh, PhD, Faculty of Social Work 

Award for sessional instructors 
Jane Slessor, Faculty of Social Work 
Dr. Jeff Turner, PhD, Werklund School of Education 
Charlene Richard, Faculty of Social Work

Award for educational leadership
Individual, formal: Dr. Dawn Johnston, PhD, Faculty of Arts 
Individual, informal: Dr. Lorelli Nowell, PhD, Faculty of Nursing

Award for non-academic staff 
Maria Fernandez, Faculty of Social Work

Award for workplace-integrated education 
Dr. Divya Garg, MD, Cumming School of Medicine

Award for experiential learning initiatives 
Dr. Victoria Fast, PhD, Faculty of Arts

Award for blended and online learning 
Dr. Roswita Dressler, PhD, Werklund School of Education

Award for curriculum development 
Bioengineering Summer Institute Curriculum Development Team: Dr. Qiao Sun, PhD, Dr. Laleh Behjat, PhD, Dr. Elena Di Martino, PhD, Miriam Nightingale, Alina Ismaguilova, Robyn Paul and Kat Dornian, Schulich School of Engineering

Award for continuing and professional education 
Ivy Young, Continuing Education and Cumming School of Medicine

Award for team teaching 
Dr. Régine King, PhD, and Dr. Patrina Duhaney, PhD, Faculty of Social Work 

Award for Indigenous ways of knowing 
Sandra Manyfeathers, Werklund School of Education 
Dr. Erin Spring, PhD and Dr. Aubrey Hanson, PhD, Werklund School of Education 
Dr. Pamela Roach, PhD, Cumming School of Medicine 

For more information on the University of Calgary Teaching Awards, visit the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.