The 2021 winners of the Excellence in Teaching Awards are three inspiring educators, nominated by faculty and students, and recognized for their enthusiastic and innovative teaching, their ability to stimulate students to think creatively and critically, and their demonstrated caring for student learning.

And the winners are:

Diana Cukierman, university lecturer, School of Computing Science, Faculty of Applied Sciences

Cukierman is a teacher known for her dedication to serve students as well as her passion for teaching and computing science education.

Her teaching philosophy includes motivating students to take responsibility in their learning and actively participate in their courses. She encourages students to reflect on their understanding of the course material and to provide feedback on her courses. This is then used to improve her teaching methods, aiming to provide a stimulating and supportive learning environment. Her research in computing science education focuses on developing tools to improve students’ education, and providing strategies for studying and learning in computing science.

To learn more, read the full story on the School of Computing Science's website.

Sarah Walshaw, senior lecturer, Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Observe Sarah Walshaw in the classroom and it’s immediately clear that her teaching always centres her students.

Walshaw’s attention to diversity and inclusion, decolonization, reconciliation, and increasing the ways in which students can demonstrate their learning reflect her focus on the student in all of her work. She embodies her principles and values through a commitment to decolonial approaches and pedagogies; empathetic and transparent teaching that models mutual respect; and by acknowledging the role of students as collaborators in the creation of knowledge. The result is a community of care that is evident in her connections with her students.

To learn more, read the full story here.

Nadine Wicks, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK), Faculty of Science

Wicks is a valued member of BPK’s teaching faculty with a passion for physiology – notably, our human systems and how they function.

She teaches undergraduates from first-year to upper level and a vast breadth of subjects from nutrition to neuroscience. Among her colleagues, Wicks is considered a “pedagogical powerhouse” and has contributed significantly to BPK curriculum redevelopment and teaching innovations.

Wicks received her PhD from Brown University and has been teaching full-time at SFU since 2016. She is also a past recipient of the Faculty of Science’s Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching (2007) and Excellence in Teaching (2020) Awards.

To learn more about Wicks, read her full story on the Faculty of Science's website.