Announcing the 3M Teaching Fellowship winners

The 3M National Teaching Fellowships are Canada’s most prestigious teaching award. Each year since 1986, 10 university faculty members have been recognized for their leadership and contributions to university teaching by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. One professor, Marjorie Johnson of Western University, was profiled in our annual student issue. To read about how she engages kinesiology students, click here. Over the coming weeks we’ll be profiling the other nine winners right here on Maclean’s On Campus. They are:

Marshall Beier, Department of Political Science, McMaster University

Beier, in addition to research, teaching and mentoring students, creates courses like Weapons and War in the Digital Age, connecting research to the real world.

Adrian Chan, Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University

Chan, more than just a teacher, shares anecdotes and family stories, captivating students both in and out of the classroom, building a “learning community.”

A.R. “Elango” Elangovan, Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria

Elangovan teaches organizational behaviour, knowledge management, trust and leadership. It is no accident he’s known for spotting student talent.

Sarah Forgie, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta

Bringing a jazz band into the classroom is just one of many creative risks Forgie takes to make medicine fun—to the delight of her students.

Marjorie Johnson, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario

Johnson uses everything from human props to photos of basketball star Steve Nash to keep her anatomy students keyed in.

Charles Lucy, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta

Lucy says he’s on a quest to find the essence of teaching. Considering his students routinely collect awards and jobs, he may already have found it.

Toni Samek, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta

Samek calls herself an activist teacher. Her research into global citizenship animates classes like Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility.

Susan Vajoczki, School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University

Vajoczki’s relentless pursuit of improved teaching and learning methods has made her a prolific scholar and speaker on new teaching practices.

Connie Varnhagen, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta

Varnhagen uses evidence-based teaching to tap into student potential, doing whatever it takes to help students learn—even if it means treating statistics more like philosophy.

Fiona Walton, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island

Walton, who specializes in Aboriginal education, helped establish the first master of education program in Iqaluit, run by UPEI.