For the 2016 winner of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Excellence in Learning Support Award, you would expect a strong dedication to student learning, and that鈥檚 exactly what Claudia Buttera brings to the table.

Buttera, who is a lab co-ordinator with the Department of Biology, is intimately familiar with excellence; in 2014, she was one of three 杏吧原创 winners of the prestigious Capital Educators鈥� Award. Her award-winning philosophy of teaching is simple: foster student engagement in unexpected ways.

鈥淲hat works best is to make connections with disciplines that are not plant material-based, especially for those students who aren鈥檛 interested,鈥� she says.

For Buttera, this manifested itself clearly in a student who she says seemed completely disinterested in the lab, one who would only come in to do his work and avoid talking with others. But when Buttera spoke about the connection between biology and architecture and engineering, the student perked up and would jump into the class conversation with enthusiasm.

鈥淭he important thing to remember is that just because you鈥檙e talking about a certain topic, it doesn鈥檛 mean you shouldn鈥檛 or can鈥檛 relate it to something else that would be much more interesting or important to another person,鈥� she says.

Buttera instills this philosophy in her teaching assistants when she runs training sessions that are aptly named 鈥楥uriosity.鈥� In many math- and science-based courses like biology, she says, the students aren鈥檛 always registered because they want to be. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 the lab co-ordinator and TAs鈥� jobs to keep students engaged with the material.

Finding out what interests students personally isn鈥檛 always obvious, so Buttera and her TAs try to connect with students through one-on-one and group conversations to develop strong learning relationships. That way, curiosity can flourish.

鈥淸Biology labs] are all mandatory and very scripted. You have a protocol you have to follow. Curiosity and creativity aren鈥檛 usually obvious things related to science labs, but ultimately they have to be,鈥� she says.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e not teaching students to become that way, how can we automatically expect them to go from recipe followers to these creative individuals when they鈥檙e done?鈥�

One of the ways Buttera achieves this is through her emphasis on helping students think about how they can use the skills learned in class for their own personal career or educational goals.

鈥淢aking them aware of those things early on will increase the value of the course for them. They鈥檙e more invested because they鈥檙e looking for what it is that they鈥檙e doing here that they can take away.鈥�

What techniques do you use to increase engagement in your courses? How do you show your students links between the real world and the classroom? Leave a comment below and let us know your techniques.

Erik Stephenson, a professor teaching for the Bachelor of Humanities program, knows what it鈥檚 like to be a young student at 杏吧原创 thrown into the complex and often confusing world of philosophy courses; he completed his undergraduate degree here. As someone who can put himself in his students鈥� shoes, he wants to help.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 think when you鈥檙e scared,鈥� says Stephenson, one of 杏吧原创鈥檚 2016 New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award winners.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to put [students] at ease somehow. Cracking jokes, keeping things light, and smiling. I firmly believe that these little things are just as important to know as the latest and greatest pedagogical approaches.鈥�

Stephenson teaches the history of philosophy, a subject that even he admits can be challenging. But having grappled with these ideas himself, he knows how to guide students through his courses.

鈥淢y goal is to leave no one behind. Everyone makes it safely ashore,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat means going over the points that I鈥檝e come to recognize as difficult for students, or even me, to grasp. My job is to make it accessible and simple.鈥�

Stephenson does this by breaking down concepts in class slowly and interacting with his students rather than simply transferring information. He mostly forgoes technological aides such as PowerPoint in favour of the traditional 鈥榗halk and talk鈥� method, which he finds suits his relatively smaller, seminar-style classes.

Another tool Stephenson uses is something he has plenty of: enthusiasm.

鈥淲hat I get over and over on course evaluations is that they appreciate the passion and enthusiasm, and how it seems I have a knack for breaking complex arguments down into simple bite-sized forms,鈥� he says.

That enthusiasm translates into letting students know he鈥檚 always available for consultation no matter how small their issue may be, and giving plenty of helpful feedback not only about submitted assignments but for students鈥� reading and writing skills in general.

His passion for guiding his students was the basis for a writing boot camp Stephenson initiated with fellow humanities professor Greg MacIsaac. They found that students were coming out of high school with little knowledge of academic writing, so they created an intensive tutorial to help students improve their writing skills and make academic-level connections in the material.

For Stephenson, what drives him to be present for his students and to help them strive for excellence, not only in his course but also throughout their university careers, is simple.

鈥淚 just really enjoy what I do,鈥� he says.

At its annual certificate program graduation celebration, the OAVPTL honoured four of 杏吧原创鈥檚 recent teaching award and grant recipients for their efforts, including:

• Rachelle Thibodeau 鈥� 杏吧原创 University Excellence in Learning Support Award
• Cynthia Cruickshank 鈥� CMHC Excellence in Education Award
• Andrew Robinson and Steve MacLeod 鈥� 杏吧原创 University Contract Instructor Teaching Innovation Grant

Graduates from Teaching and Learning Services鈥� four certificate programs were also recognized, including those from the Certificate in University Teaching (CUT), the Certificate in Blended and Online Teaching (CBOT), the Preparing to Teach certificate (PTT), and the Certificate in TA Skills (CTAS).

Are you interested in participating in one of these programs? Learn more about the programs and upcoming cohorts .

The 2014-15 Certificate in University Teaching graduates with program facilitator Anthony Marini.

The 2014-15 Certificate in Blended and Online Teaching graduates with program facilitators Samah Sabra and Anthony Marini.

The 2014-15 Certificate in TA Skills graduates with program facilitator, Morgan Rooney.

The 2014-15 Preparing to Teach certificate program graduates with program facilitator, Morgan Rooney.