(October 27, 2022) - The Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning is very pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Teaching Excellence Awards.
The Teaching Excellence Award for Part-Time Faculty Members 2022 is awarded to Michelle Reid, B.Arts Sc., M.Sc., M.S.Com. (LU), Sessional Instructor, Science Communication Graduate Program, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture.
Michelle Reid has been teaching as a sessional instructor in the Master of Science Communication program since 2017. Ms. Reid is described as “a champion of innovative teaching methods, especially in using educational technologies and in her application of active learning techniques to engage students to maximize participation and experiential learning.” In her teaching philosophy, she states that she tries “to establish a learning environment where students feel supported to take creative risks, stretch their comfort zone by communicating through new media formats, and openly share the challenges they are facing in their research and practice, so that we can approach them together.”
The Teaching Excellence Award for Full-Time Faculty Members 2022 is awarded to Jean-Philippe Saucier, B.Sc.Arch., M.Sc., M.Arch., Master Lecturer, McEwen School of Architecture, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture.
Jean-Philippe Saucier has taught at the McEwen School of Architecture (MSoA) since 2016. Teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in both English and French, he has distinguished himself for the high quality of his instruction, especially in the context of the studio courses that he leads. He has been described as a “highly organized, rigorous and dedicated professor,” who shows a “passion for the material in the courses he teaches.” Not only has Mr. Saucier shown excellence in the classroom, but he is known for the considerable time and effort that he gives to his students outside of class time, “encouraging excellence out of his students, even if that student is one in a 70-person studio.”
Moreover, Mr. Saucier has contributed much, both formally and informally to the overall teaching enterprise of the MSoA. He has chaired the BAS Curriculum Committee and as Program Coordinator, he has shown “tireless professionalism” in the evaluation of applicant portfolios. He has also designed the MSoA Graduation Awards ceremonies, led class trips to Detroit and Chicago, organized lecture series, among many other contributions. He has been a valuable resource to his colleagues as a frequent guest lecturer in their courses, but also in their adoption of teaching technologies. In general, Mr. Saucier is esteemed by his colleagues and students for his devotion to the success of his students and of the School as a whole, going “far beyond expectation in every way.”
The Teaching Excellence Award certificates will be presented at the afternoon ceremony of the fall convocation on October 29, 2022. We congratulate Ms. Reid and Mr. Saucier on their notable achievements in teaching at Laurentian University.