Kitchener, Canada, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), in partnership with D2L, are proud to present five outstanding post-secondary educators with the 2018 D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning . Selected from an international pool of applicants, the award recognizes these outstanding educators who are redefining the learning experience of students through innovative practices:
- Lyn Baldwin, Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University
- Bernard Charlin, Department of Surgery, University of Montreal
- Alec Couros, Faculty of Education, University of Regina
- Stephen MacNeil, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University
- Barbara Sinclair, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University
“Each year we have an amazing group of individuals who are nominated for the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning and our adjudication committee is tasked with the difficult decision of determining the recipients. This year was no different, and we have five talented individuals who provide a glimpse into their classrooms, showcasing their innovative practices, and giving all of us something to aspire to in our own teaching,” said STLHE President, Denise Stockley.
“The world is changing at a breakneck speed – and we are thrilled to honour five leading educators that are demonstrating significant innovation and inspiring the future of learning. Please join us in celebrating their achievements in making learning experiences better and enabling students to excel,” said John Baker, President and CEO of D2L.
This year’s award recipients are at the forefront of innovation both within their academic institutions and higher education more broadly. Congratulations to:
Lyn Baldwin, Thompson Rivers University By integrating drawing and creative writing into her botany courses, Dr. Baldwin reaches outside her discipline to engage students in deep and meaningful learning. In her natural history and ecology classes, her innovative use of place-based pedagogy provides important scaffolding to contextualize abstract and theoretical concepts. Her students use the tools of both art and science to transform and translate their learning beyond the classroom. Through the Pedagogy of Place community of practice she initiated, Dr. Baldwin developed and field-tested many place-based teaching assignments. These and others are now available through the STLHE Green Guide: Place-Based Education: An Inter and Multidisciplinary Approach.
Bernard Charlin, University of Montreal Dr. Charlin has made exceptional contributions to Health Sciences teaching and learning nationally and internationally. Recognizing the challenges of teaching and developing clinical reasoning skills in medical students, he developed an innovative approach to explore the nature of clinical reasoning using knowledge modeling and a concordance test (an assessment approach that helps determine whether students have successfully organized information to make accurate clinical decisions). He developed the Concordance of Judgment Learning Tool that allows students and professionals-in-practice to compare their judgment(s) with that of experts, and learn from their reasoning and justifications. This innovation has been widely adopted in the health professions. In 2015, Dr. Charlin received the Duncan Graham Award for Lifelong Contributions to Medical Education.
Alec Couros, University of Regina Dr. Couros is a well-known pioneer in the field of open education and online learning. His innovative courses feature educational technology-facilitated student engagement such as the #ETMOOC lipdub assignment where creative relationship-building occurs among 12,000 students from different countries. Not only do his assignments result in his Education students creating effective personal learning networks that transcend the boundaries of the course, but his students also gain competence using a wide spectrum of educational technology tools, while establishing their online identity. Student self-assessments and reassessments both empower his students and facilitate mentoring opportunities as they continue to learn and exchange ideas with experts from around the world.
Stephen MacNeil, Wilfrid Laurier University Dr. MacNeil is a consummate innovator and institutional leader who is nationally recognized for his theoretically sound pedagogical innovations in chemistry education. His research-based metacognitive co-curriculum, for example, introduces students to the concept and importance of metacognition, while learning about organic chemistry. Weekly learning task inventories and learning task lists paired with asking students to rate their confidence when responding to clicker questions and to predict their grade one week and 24-hours prior to test-taking, challenges them to reflect on and assess their learning (perceived and actual) and overall test preparedness. Two-stage collaborative testing and blended/flipped classroom methods with a focus on formative assessment are also signature to Dr. MacNeil’s teaching. Through his national leadership roles, Dr. MacNeil seeks to build capacity in chemistry education research. Barbara Sinclair, Western University Barbara Sinclair is a passionate educational leader. Her dedication to incorporating simulation in nursing education, while still a relatively new approach, resulted in technology-enhanced simulation being integral to all four years of Western’s nursing curriculum, thus providing students the opportunity to apply theory to practice and master essential nursing skills in a safe environment. Her electronic health (eHealth) record simulation system, for instance, engages students in complex case scenarios with a focus on patient safety and medication errors. Similarly, a collaboration with a fourth year student to develop an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) incorporating barcode technology, now aids nursing students in learning how to administer medications using technology they will encounter in Canadian healthcare facilities.
D2L award recipients will be recognized at the annual STLHE conference (June 19-22) on Wednesday, June 20 during the Society’s award ceremony. Each recipient receives a two-year STLHE membership, a certificate of recognition, and funding to support travel and attendance at the conference and the D2L award retreat.
Refer to the STLHE website to learn more about the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning or contact the STLHE Awards Chair – Valerie Lopes .
ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (STLHE) STLHE strives to be the pre-eminent national voice and a world leader for enhancing teaching and learning in higher education. STLHE supports research, its dissemination, increased awareness and application of research through scholarly teaching and learning. Visit the STHLE website at https://www.stlhe.ca for more information.
ABOUT D2L D2L believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests. Working closely with organizations globally, D2L has transformed the way millions of people learn online and in the classroom. Learn more about D2L for schools, higher education and businesses at www.D2L.com .
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