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We are excited to share the announcement of the recipients of this year's Distinguished Teacher Awards. Each year, four ��ݮ��Ƶ instructors are recognized. Congratulations to 2018's Distinguished Teachers: Wayne Chang, Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre; Shannon Dea, Philosophy; Jake Fisher, Chemistry; and Julie Kate Seirlis, International Development. Read on to learn about what stood for nominees about each of the recipients' approach to teaching. 

Wayne Chang 

Lecturer, Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre

As the Enterprise Co-op Program Coordinator, Wayne Chang has had an outstanding influence on the students he teaches. One of his undergraduate students commented that “his practical approach and his ideas of process over product allowed for a course that I won’t forget after the exam.” He has supported several students through the Enterprise Co-op Program who have gone on to become CEOs of their own companies. One such student noted that “Wayne's mentorship and guidance does not end when the semester does. He continues to have one of the most genuine interests in his student’s lives that I have ever seen.” Chang has been recognized by his students for human qualities “beyond his wealth of technical know-how and teaching excellence.” One alumnus recounted “countless late nights engaging in valuable discussion” with Chang and acknowledged that he “repeatedly placed his reputation on the line” to guide his students to success. Wayne Chang has had the honour of being recognized for teaching excellence from the Dean of Engineering and received the Outstanding Performance Award in

Shannon Dea

Associate Professor, Philosophy

Associate Professor of Philosophy Shannon Dea has been called a “champion of the Women Studies program.” One of her graduate students noted, “I definitely feel like I’ve learned and still learn a lot from Prof Dea. Nearly every day I’ve left a class of hers, my head feels like it’s just buzzing and brimming with new information and ways of thinking about aspects of the world I hadn’t considered before.” Colleagues commented that, “in a nutshell, Shannon does the unexpected in her teaching. She uses the unexpected and untraditional for several reasons, including: it keeps the learning atmosphere interesting, and it allows her to personally model risk and innovation to her students.” Another colleague acknowledged that “risk-taking, of course, is only valuable if the risks are worthwhile, and all of Professor Dea’s risks both aim at improving student learning and the student experience, and are studiously informed by evidence and research.” Shannon Dea has previously been the proud recipient of the 2016 Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2012 Province of Ontario's Leading Women Building Communities Award.

Jake Fisher

Laboratory Instructor, Chemistry

Jake Fisher is a Lab Instructor in the Department of Chemistry and is renowned for his teaching by his students and colleagues alike. One of his undergraduate students remarked that “his course notes are the most well written and in-depth course notes I’ve come across during my undergraduate career. Jake is always welcoming and willing to help, his open-door policy for asking help ensures that students fully understand. You can tell that teaching is not just a job for him, but a passion.” Fisher was also recognized for his patience by a graduate student: “I remember going to him with the same problem multiple times and he was always as patient as he was the first time. Patience is his character trait. It’s also great to know that someone as knowledgeable as Dr. Fisher is positive about the student’s growth and success.” Fisher’s approach to mentorship extends his impact to the Chemistry Department as a whole, as noted by a colleague: “Jake mentored me in such a way that I felt like I was responsible for supervising my students and not just simply ‘keeping an eye on them.’” Jake Fisher has had the honour of receiving the 2011 Excellence in Science Teaching Award.

Julie Kate Seirlis 

Assistant Professor, International Development

Julie Kate Seirlis is an Assistant Professor at St. Paul’s University College whose “transformative and memorable” teachings have inspired students, alumni, and colleagues. Nominees praise her “graceful guidance” in the development of students’ “tools for ‘critical thinking.’” Her undergraduate students value that she “constantly challenges her students to go further and deeper. She has a desire to produce critical thinkers, people who ask questions.” Graduate students are “motivated by her genuine interest and engagement with issues of environmental justice, and [are] powered by her creativity and experience in development work, research, and professorship.” An alumnus wrote: “I was able to look back and see that she had led us on a brilliant learning journey.” Several colleagues of Seirlis’s nominated her because “she has been a consistent voice of support, has connected us to many valuable contacts, and has encouraged us to bring our work into the academic sphere.”