​​Principal's Teaching and Learning Awards

The Principal's Indigenous Education Award recognizes excellence and innovation in Indigenous teaching and learning, and/or the development of curriculum or programs relating to Indigenous peoples with a focus on decolonizing education and/or incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, believing, and feeling. 

Individual faculty members, individual staff members or teams that include both faculty members and staff are encouraged. A maximum of 2 awards per year will be conferred (can be individuals or teams). Teams can be composed of a combination of Indigenous and non-Indigenous members.

This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

For the purpose of this award, Indigenous Education at Queen’s can include:

• Curricula and programs where the content relates to Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing
• Curricula and programs involving meaningful relationship-building and collaborations with Indigenous communities or partners
• Academic or professional staff who have made an important contribution to Indigenous higher education by furthering scholarly learning, teaching and learning practices, or increased public knowledge of Indigenous issues and/or made significant contributions to Indigenous peoples or communities
• Academic or professional staff who are working to promote an understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, believing, feeling across the University
• Academic or professional staff who demonstrate active relationship-building and collaboration in teaching and learning environments by including Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic and non-academic voices.
• Critically engage and unsettle the non-Indigenous population in the spirit of truth, healing and reconciliation.

Selection Criteria:

There will be three streams for this award:

• Presented to an Indigenous educator contributing to decolonizing/Indigenizing teaching and learning
• Presented to a non-Indigenous educator contributing to unsettling/decolonizing teaching and learning
• Presented to a team of Indigenous educators and/or non-Indigenous educators contributing to unsettling/decolonizing teaching and learning.

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee who best meets or exceeds the following criteria:

Criterion #1: Motivating and Inspiring
Nominee’s approaches to teaching and learning have motivated and inspired students to learn about, and collaborate with, Indigenous peoples or communities

Criterion #2: Knowledge of Indigenous Worldviews
Nominee has developed curricula, resources or innovative approaches that reflect deep knowledge of Indigenous worldviews or teaching and learning practices.

Criterion #3: Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Doing, Believing, Feeling
Nominee has developed evaluation practices that bring about improvements in teaching and learning and emphasize Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, believing, and feeling.  

Criterion #4: Indigenous Higher Education
Nominee has contributed to Indigenous higher education

Criterion #5: Meaningful, Ethical Collaborations
Nominee has contributed to meaningful and ethical collaborations with Indigenous peoples/communities

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s). 

For the Indigenous Education Award, the letters may come from students, colleagues, administrators, or others who have benefited from the teaching of the nominee. Letters from Indigenous communities/individuals positively affected by the nominee’s work are particularly encouraged.  The letters should focus on the candidate's accomplishments and should complement and elaborate upon claims made in the nomination letter. 

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award at the annual Teaching Awards Reception;
• receive a $2,000 award to be used at their discretion; and
• receive a commemorative Indigenous artwork

2024 Dr. Jamaica Cass, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Queen’s Health Sciences and Brittany Pratt, Educational Developer of Indigenous Curriculum and Ways of Knowing, Queen’s Health Sciences

2023 Indigenous Community Research Partnerships Team (Janet Jull, team leader)
2023 Indigenous Healthcare Education and Practice: Applying Digital Teaching and Learning Resources to the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action (Nancy Dalgarno, team leader)
2022 Celeste Pedri-Spade, Global Development Studies 
2021 Armand Ruffo, Department of English Language and Literature
2020 Lindsay Morcom, Faculty of Education
2020 Melanie Howard, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

The Principal’s Alumni Award for Engaging Students as Partners in Learning recognizes innovative curricular design and instructional approaches where educators, instructors and learners work together to achieve deep and meaningful learning. Students as Partners refers to a model of power-sharing between students and other members of the community and instructors. Students are valued as collaborators, bringing their prior learning perspectives and expertise into the co-creation and co-design of their own experiences in higher education. This award is given to recognize an individual who engages students as partners, lending power to student voices and supporting them to become the champions of their educational journeys. Please note that this award focuses on a single course rather than whole programs.

A maximum of 2 awards per year will be conferred. This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

In 2023, this award replaced the Curriculum Development Award (in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning) for the Principal’s Teaching and Learning Awards suite and the Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award coordinated by QUAA. The rubric has been updated to merge with the one used for the Curriculum Development Award.

Selection Criteria:

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee with the strongest package, who best meets or exceeds the criteria of the award:

Criterion #1: Intentional approach to including students as partners

The nomination discussed the design of the course and how it innovatively includes students as partners – especially as it pertains to the discipline.  This includes describing how students are intentionally included as part of the process – e.g. co-designed assessments, partnership development etc.

Criterion #2: Student-Led initiatives in the curriculum are outlined

Clearly outlines activities and initiatives that are designed and led by students, including the intellectual direction of the learning.  This includes demonstrating how the activities integrate and mobilize diverse student voices and perspectives into the proposed work.

Criterion #3: Evidence of student learning life-long learning

Evidence is presented that demonstrates positive and successful student learning.  This includes products of learning (e.g. reflection, art, presentations, programs, etc) that demonstrate how learners change, enhance or confirm their intellectual contributions in the course.

Criterion #4: Complementary Evidence of instructor commitment to life-long learning

Evidence is presented that demonstrates the instructor’s approach to continuous improvement.  This includes describing what an instructor engages in, and how that learning is utilized to enhance learner-centred, inclusive, and equitable course design, partnership development, assessments, and course processes etc.

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s).

For the Alumni Award for Engaging Students as Partners in Learning, letters of support should come from students, colleagues, administrators or other instructors who have benefited from the intentional approach to include students as partners of the nominee. The letters should focus on the candidate's engagement with students as partners and commitment to life-long learning, and should complement and elaborate upon claims made in the nomination letter, specifically responding to the named 

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award at the annual Teaching Awards Reception;
• and, receive a $2,000 award to be used at their discretion.

2024 Dr. burcu habibe baba, Assistant Professor, Gender Studies and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science

Visit the Alumni Award for Engaging Students as Partners in Learning page on the QUAA website to learn more about this year's recipient. 

This award became a partnership between the Principal's Office and the Queen's University Alumni Association (QUAA) in 2023. It was merged with and replaces the Curriculum Development Award (in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning) for the Principal’s Teaching and Learning Awards suite and the Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award coordinated by QUAA. All partners respectfully acknowledge past recipients of both awards for their contributions to the Queen's community.

For past recipients of the Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award, visit the QUAA website. 

Past recipients of the Curriculum Development Award in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning:

2023 Not awarded this year
2022 Faculty of Arts and Science Online Learning Development Team
2021 Not awarded this year
2020 Not awarded this year
2019 Richard Reznick, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Leslie Flynn, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Ross Walker, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Denise Stockley, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Damon Dagnone, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Laura McEwen, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Richard van Wylick, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Rylan Egan, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Jena Hall, Faculty of Health Sciences
2019 Jennifer Railer, Faculty of Health Sciences
2018 William Nelson, Department of Biology
2018 Randy Flanagan, Department of Psychology
2018 Alan Ableson, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
2018 Wanda Beyer, Faculty of Arts and Science Online
2018 Erik Bigras, Faculty of Arts and Science Online
2018 Julian Enright, Faculty of Arts and Science Online
2018 Rachel Eagen, Faculty of Arts and Science Online
2018 Nadia Morel, Faculty of Arts and Science Online
2017 Rachel Laforest, School of Policy Studies
2017 Robert Wolfe, School of Policy Studies
2017 Joel Jahrsdorfer, School of Policy Studies
2017 Andrew Graham, School of Policy Studies
2017 Fatemeh Mayanloo, School of Policy Studies
2017 Fiona Froats, School of Policy Studies
2015 Heather Murray, Department of Emergency Medicine
2015 Melanie Walker, Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology
2015 Linda Levesque, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research
2015 Sheila Pinchin, School of Medicine
2015 Suzanne Maranda, Bracken Library
2015 Sandra Halliday, Bracken Library

The Principal’s Educational Leadership Award acknowledges and celebrates exemplary educational leadership of a faculty member, staff member or student, demonstrated through initiatives that have a significant and sustained impact on teaching and learning at a departmental, faculty, student and/or institutional level. Nominations will be assessed based on evidence of the nominees’ demonstrated abilities in one or more areas that may include but are not limited to:

1. Leading specific initiatives that enhance student learning, the teaching development of colleagues, or administrative practices that recognize and reward teaching.
2. Sharing teaching or curriculum development expertise with others through mentoring or moreformal workshop or program initiatives.
3. Actively engaging colleagues in enhancing their teaching practices and/or scholarship.
4. Contributing teaching and learning expertise in ways that have influence beyond one’s own teaching practice, including sharing knowledge and research with others.
5. Demonstrating critical reflection on the effectiveness of teaching and learning and responding to the challenges identified in ways that engage others in understanding and improving student learning.

This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

Selection Criteria:

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee who best meets or exceeds the following criteria:

Criterion #1: Educational Leadership

Demonstrates ongoing commitment to teaching and learning above and beyond their normal roles and responsibilities in one or several of the five areas listed in the award description (above).

• Nomination demonstrates that initiative(s) go beyond their normal roles and responsibilities.
• Nomination describes the values, context underlying the leadership contributions.
• Nomination clearly describes the rationale for initiative(s).

Criterion #2: Significant Positive Impact

Describes how initiative(s) have had a significant, positive, and demonstrable impact on teaching and learning at a departmental, faculty, student and/or institutional level.

• Nomination provides sufficient amount and breadth of evidence both:
  • a) demonstrating impact through multiple sources of evidence
  • b) demonstrating impact over time
• Nomination provides details of demonstrated impact that has been sustainable and ongoing. 
• Nomination demonstrates reflection of initiative(s) in response to evidence and impact.

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s). 

For the Educational Leadership Award, letters of support should come from students, colleagues, administrators or others who have benefited from the leadership of the nominee. The letters should focus on the candidate's leadership accomplishments, and should complement and elaborate upon claims made in the nomination letter, specifically responding to the named criteria. Bullet points or paragraphs clearly delineated in support of each criterion are recommended.

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award at the annual Teaching Awards Reception, and;
• receive a $2,000 award to be used at their discretion.

2024 Mala Joneja, Professor and the Division Chair, Division of Rheumatology, EDI Lead, Department of Medicine, Queen’s Health Sciences

2023 Meghan Norris, Undergraduate Chair, Department of Psychology 
2022 Aynne Johnston Faculty of Education
2021 Not awarded this year
2020 Not awarded this year
2019 Michael Adams, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences
2018 Laura Murray, Department of English Language and Literature
2017 J. Damon Dagnone, Department of Emergency Medicine
2016 Robert Lovelace, Global Development Studies
2015 Tony Sanfilippo, Undergraduate Medical Education

The Principal's Educational Technology Award is designed to recognize and encourage the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning at Queen’s. This award honours faculty and/or staff (individuals or teams) from any Faculty, School or Department. Excellence is exemplified through evidence-based approaches that are learning and student focused.

Individual faculty members, individual staff members or teams that include both faculty members and staff are encouraged though a maximum of 2 awards per year will be conferred (1 individual; 1 team).

This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

For this award, new technologies are recognized, but consideration will also be given for effective uses of existing technologies. Technologies could include hardware and/or software. 

Selection Criteria:

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee who best meets or exceeds the following criteria:

Criterion #1: Problem-solving through Use of Technology
An evidence-based approach is outlined in nomination.  Nominee (or team) innovatively solves problems with technology. New resources generate measurable efficiencies and effectiveness over existing practices. Nomination includes clear articulation of the need for the use of the technology, examples of its application, and evidence of its success.    

Criterion #2: Impact on Student Learning
Evidence of the positive impact from the use of technology on students’ learning is provided. A direct connection between technology usage and learning outcomes is demonstrated. Technology introduced motivates students to learn, facilitates in‐depth learning, and promotes experiential learning. 

Criterion #3: Enhancement of Teaching
Innovative use of technology demonstrates partnership of teachers and students in the learning environment and enhances methods for evaluating student learning.    

Criterion #4: Alignment with Goals
Nomination presents evidence that innovative use of technology aligns with goals (Strategic Framework, faculty-wide strategies, or departmental goals) specifically in terms of promoting the Student Learning Experience, Internationalization, and Research.  

Criterion #5: Accessibility and Collaboration
Technology usage enhances blended or distance learning, peer-based learning and collaboration, and accessibility.

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s). 

For the Educational Technology Award, the letters of support for the nomination should come from colleagues and students addressing the criteria. The letters should outline the case for the nominated team to receive the award based on the criteria required. Bullet points or paragraphs clearly delineated in support of each criterion are recommended.

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award certificate at the Annual Teaching Awards Reception;
• receive a $2,000 award to be used at their discretion;

2024 Student Academic Success Services (SASS), Student Affairs

• Susan Korba, Director
• Ian Garner, Manager (Outreach)
• Leslie Paterson, Manager (1:1 Programs)
• Lindsay Heggie, Academic Skills and Writing Specialist
• Alyssa Foerstner, Academic Skills Support Coordinator (EAL)
• Lydia Skulstad, Intercultural Academic Support Coordinator
• Johanna Amos, (Academic Skills and Writing Specialist)
• Mikayla Sebesta, Outreach and Peer Programs Coordinator
• Gail Eaton-Smith, Academic Skills and Writing Specialist
• Greg Hicks, Academic Skills and Writing Specialist
• Ana Norris, Departmental Assistant

2023 L.F. Carver, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences
2022 Paul Hungler Engineering and Applied Science
2021 Christian Muise, School of Computing

2021 Team Award:

• Mohammad Auais, School of Rehabilitation Therapy
• Nancy Dalgarno, Office of Professional Development & Educational Scholarship
• Julie Cameron, School of Rehabilitation Therapy
• Jennifer Turnnidge, Office of Professional Development & Educational Scholarship
•  Lucie Pelland, School of Rehabilitation Therapy
• Klodiana Kolomitro, Office of Professional Development & Educational Scholarship

2020 Ryan Martin, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy
2019 Marian Luctkar-Flude, School of Nursing
2019 Deborah Tregunno, School of Nursing
2016 Lindsay Davidson, Surgery (Faculty Recipient)
2016 Lynel  Jackson, School of Medicine (Faculty Recipient)
2016 Michelle  Gibson, Department of Medicine (Faculty Recipient)
2016 Stephen Mann, Surgery(Faculty Recipient)
2016 Sheila Pinchin, School of Medicine (Faculty Recipient)
2016 Amir Heidari, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Recipient)
2016 Katherine Prescott, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Recipient)
2016 Leigha Covell, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Recipient)
2016 Rob Bertschi, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Recipient)
2016 Simon Bailey, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Recipient)
2015 Jennifer Hosek, Languages, Literature and Cultures (Faculty Recipient)
2015 Natalie Simper, Office of the Provost (Staff Co-Recipient)
2015 Jake Kaupp, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Staff Co-Recipient)

The Principal’s Globally Engaged Education Innovation Award (formerly the International Education Innovation Award) recognizes innovation in internationalization of both teaching and learning in programs or courses. Successful innovation is exemplified through evidence-based approaches to learning outcomes that are student-focused.

This award honours the outstanding efforts of an individual or a team of students, staff and/or faculty (in any combination) who innovatively internationalize a course or program of teaching and learning, by embedding global content, perspectives and dimensions into the course or program.

Globally Engaged Education Innovation can take place on campus or as part of a field program.

This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

Syllabus

For the Globally Engaged Education Innovation Award, the online nomination form will require the nominator to upload a copy of the syllabus of the course or summary of the program.

Selection Criteria:

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee who best meets or exceeds the following criteria:

Criterion #1: Innovation in Course/Program Development
An evidence-based approach is outlined in nomination. Nominee (or team) innovatively embeds global content, perspectives, and dimensions into core of course or program. Innovation goes beyond discussion of an international topic.    

Criterion #2: Global Engagement in Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are student focused and measurable. There is clear alignment with course or program’s innovative global engagement elements. Assessments are directly reflective of the course or program learning outcomes.     

Criterion #3: Impact on Student Learning
Evidence of the positive impact on students’ learning is provided. There is direct connection to learning outcomes/global approaches.    

Criterion #4: Alignment with Strategic Goals
Evidence of alignment with strategic university goals for global engagement at the course or program level is provided. Wider context towards the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is demonstrated.

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s). 

For the Globally Engaged Education Innovation Award, the letters of support for the nomination should ideally come from two different stakeholders addressing the award criteria. The letters should outline the case for the nominated team to receive the award based on the criteria required. Bullet points or paragraphs clearly delineated in support of each criterion are recommended.

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award at the annual Teaching Awards Reception;
• receive a $2000 award to be used at their discretion and;
• be featured in international Queen’s communications stories.

2024 Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) Team for their Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship (JL MCF)

• Greg Bavington, Executive Director
• Jim McLellan, Academic Director
• Joanna Tinus, Program and Community Manager
• Chloe Beisheim, Program and Outreach Manager
• Megan Sieroka, International Programs Manager
• Virginia Sytsma, Program Coordinator
• Paige Kasaboski, Finance and Operations Coordinator
• Bruna Guarino Moraes, Program Coordinator

2023 Jane Chin, Adjunct Faculty Member, Faculty of Education
2022 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, School of Rehabilitation Therapy
2021 Isabelle Brent, Bader College
2020 Jennifer Hosek, Languages, Literature and Cultures
2018 Yuxiang Wang, Department of Biology
2018 Stephen Lougheed, Department of Biology
2016 Ajay Agarwal, Department of Geography and Planning
2015 Susan Lord, Department of Film and Media Studies
2015 Karen Dubinsky, Global Development Studies

The Principal's Promoting Student Inquiry Award recognizes innovative instructional design which enables active student engagement in learning. Please note that this award focuses on student inquiry experiences in a single course rather than overall teaching excellence.

This award honours faculty and/or staff (individuals or teams) from any Faculty, School or Department.

This award may not be conferred if qualifying nominations are not received.

Syllabus

For the Promoting Student Inquiry Teaching Award, the online nomination form will require the nominator to upload a copy of the syllabus for the course or description of the lab or project in which the instructional design is applied.

Selection Criteria:

The successful nominee is decided through the main committee adjudication as the nominee who best meets or exceeds the following criteria:

Criterion #1: Innovative Approach to Inquiry
The nominee demonstrates an innovative approach to inquiry where the design of the inquiry experience is a transformation to teaching; it is a significant redesign of a learning task or redefinition allowing for new, creative forms of learning.
    
Criterion #2: Student-Led
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students to take active control of their own learning and participate in determining what they need to learn
There is evidence of student independent decision-making such as determining research sources (community, images, primary materials), research tools (databases, archives, interviews), how research will be shared and mobilized (presentation, website, conference, artistic work, etc.).    

Criterion #3: Collaboration
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students work collaboratively. There is evidence of students meaningfully working together with other students as a team.    

Criterion #4: Development of Critical Thinking Skills
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students to engage in a level of deep thinking that reveals aspects of personal interpretation and analysis, reflection on positionality and bias, and synthesis and evaluation of information. Examples of this include student expressions regarding the depth of their learning, being challenged with using new research tools and approaches, and thinking about concepts in a new way or from a different perspective.
    
Criterion #5: Exploring and Applying Information Resources
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students to strategically explore information resources and how best to apply and learn from them.
    
Criterion #6: Assessing Progress
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students to reflect on and assess their progress in learning.
    
Criterion #7: Knowledge Sharing
The nomination package demonstrates how the inquiry instruction enables and supports students to share their learning through innovative knowledge sharing within the class, the campus, and/or the community.    

As with all Principal's Teaching Awards, two (2) letters of support are required, each authored by an individual or group other than the nominator(s). 

For the Promoting Student Inquiry Award, the letters of support for the nomination should come from at least one student addressing the criteria. The letters should outline the case for the nominated team to receive the award based on the criteria required. Bullet points or paragraphs clearly delineated in support of each criterion are recommended.

Award recipients will:

• be presented with the award at the annual Teaching Awards Reception;
• receive a $2,000 award to be used at their discretion; and
• be recognized with a plaque with recipient's name in Stauffer Library.

2024 Dr. Ian Fanning, Assistant Professor, Languages, Literatures and Cultures and Department of Global Development Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science

2023 ASCX400 Course Team (Christina Dinsmore, team leader)

2022 L.F. Carver Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

2021 Asha Varadharajan, Department of English Language and Literature
2020 Una D'Elia, Art History and Art Conservation

2018 Lindsay Morcom, Faculty of Education