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Laurentian University celebrates teaching excellence

Laurentian University celebrates teaching excellence

Reception held to honour Teaching Excellence Award Recipients and Inaugural Teaching Fellows

Laurentian University is proud to honour Dr. Joy Gray-Munro, Dr. Andrée Beauchamp, and Dr. Michelle K. Brunette with 2017-2018 Teaching Excellence Awards.  In addition, two Teaching Fellows, Mr. Charles Daviau and Dr. Aaron Langille, were announced today at a ceremony held in the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre.

Teaching Excellence awards are presented annually to faculty members who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to impart knowledge and invoke enthusiasm from their students. One full-time and up to two part-time awards are awarded each year.

“At Laurentian University, teaching and learning define us,” said Serge Demers, Interim Vice-President, Academic and Provost of Laurentian University. “This award celebrates teaching that has lasting, positive effects on students and deepens their learning. It is a pleasure to give these remarkable educators the recognition they deserve.”

The Laurentian Teaching Fellowship Program is designed to engage faculty in leading change, practise the scholarship of teaching and learning and support faculty communities that provide mentorship and leadership in teaching and learning. In line with Strategic Plan Outcomes 13 and 14, one fellow was chosen with expertise in technology-enabled learning and a second with a focus on the integration of Indigenous content into the curriculum.

“Our teaching fellowship program is designed to elevate teaching and to positively impact student learning, engagement, retention, and success,” noted Shelley Watson, Acting Associate Vice-President, Learning and Teaching. “Our Strategic Plan speaks to enhanced support for professors through peer-mentoring and collaboration. Each of these award winners and teaching fellows exemplifies the attributes of excellent educators, and we are so fortunate to have these professors at Laurentian.”

 

Recipients of Laurentian’s 2017-2018 Teaching Excellence Awards include:

Joy Gray-Munro

Dr. Gray-Munro is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She received the full-time award in recognition of her teaching style that is described as both engaging and rigorous.
 

Andrée Beauchamp

Dr. Beauchamp teaches both on campus and online in the Anthropology and Archaeology departments. She received one of this year’s part-time awards because of her ability to engage students through a variety of teaching approaches and innovative assignments.
 

Michelle K. Brunette

Dr. Brunette teaches in the Human Kinetics Department and received one of the part-time teaching awards in recognition of her strong connection with students and her emphasis on providing students with positive and constructive feedback.

 

Recipients of Laurentian’s 2018-2019 Teaching Fellows Awards include:

Charles Daviau

Mr. Daviau is a Master Lecturer in the Labour Studies and Economics departments. He was chosen as the inaugural teaching fellow with expertise in Indigenous approaches because he is an Indigenous community leader at Laurentian and considered a role model by students.
 

Aaron Langille

Dr. Langille is a Master Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. Because of his integration of social media and novel uses for technologies, he was chosen as the technology-enabled learning teaching fellow.

Dr. Aaron Langille receives Laurentian University's 2016-2017 Teaching Excellence Award

Dr. Aaron Langille receives Laurentian University's 2016-2017 Teaching Excellence Award

Students and colleagues honour professor’s passion, innovation, and dedication to teaching

Laurentian University is pleased to announce that Dr. Aaron Langille has been awarded the 2016-2017 Teaching Excellence Award for his work both inside and outside of the classroom in the Department of Math and Computer Science.

“I am both humbled and honoured to have been nominated for this award,” said Dr. Aaron Langille. “As teachers, we strive every day to give our students a fulfilling classroom experience and to prepare them for their next steps. To be recognized by those students and colleagues for that work is touching and I will not soon forget it.”

A graduate of Laurentian University’s Math and Computer Science program (1998), Dr. Langille worked in the computer technology industry before returning to Laurentian as a technologist in the department in 2002. He has held teaching related employment as a Master Lecturer in the Department of Math and Computer Science since July 2011. Before that, he taught in the department as a sessional lecturer from 2005-2011.

Dr. Langille is lauded for his classroom technique, which includes the use of humour, analogy, and his own professional experience and expertise to bring his subject matter to life for students. Of particular note is Dr. Langille’s development of “gamification” as a teaching technique, involving goals, incentives, and motivation for students as they work through classroom material.

“I recently read a quote that to be a good teacher essentially involves being part stand-up comic, part door-to-door salesman, part expert, and part counselor,” said Dr. Langille. “That sums up my philosophy quite well. Using all those tools is a great way to bridge the gap between teacher and student and help foster success.”

The annual award, given to full-time faculty members, recognizes exceptional teaching performance. All nominations must be supported by students, peers, alumni, and other members of the university community.

Dr Langille’s dedication to his students does not end in the classroom. In 2015, he assumed the academic counselling role for the Computer Science programs and works closely with Laurentian’s Counselling Services, Liaison, and the Centre for Academic Excellence. He believes students should have someone to talk to about issues outside of university life that may be affecting their academic performance.

“I want to congratulate Aaron Langille for receiving this year’s Teaching Excellence Award. His demonstrated excellence in course development and teaching delivery are great assets to our community,” said Dr. Pierre Zundel, Vice-President, Academic and Provost. “The extraordinary number of letters and messages of support submitted by students and his colleagues are a testament to the impact Dr. Langille has already had, and will continue to have, on so many people’s lives.”

 

About Laurentian University

Laurentian University offers an outstanding university experience in English and French, with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education. Laurentian University, situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinabe peoples of Atikameksheng First Nation, prepares students as agents of change and empowers them to create innovative responses to local and global challenges. Laurentian’s students benefit from small class sizes and exceptional post-graduation employment rates. With nine Canada Research Chairs and eighteen research centres, Laurentian is a recognized leader in its specialized areas of research strength, which include mining innovation and exploration, stressed watershed systems, particle astrophysics and rural and northern children’s health. Laurentian University has secured over $100 million in research income in the past five years.