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- May 13, 2009

Tracy Taylor-Helmick. (Danny Abriel Photo)

For Nikola Hartling, it was a gesture that made an immeasurable difference in her life. Back when the graduating student was in second year and struggling with university, she found herself in Tracy Taylor-Helmick’s large cognitive psychology class of 200-plus students.Ìę

Prior to the second midterm, Ms.ÌęHartling says Dr. Taylor-Helmick suggested applying the cognitive theories taught in class to her study habits and seeing if that would help. It did, reports Ms. Hartling,Ìę “and for the first time I got an A+.”

Not only that. The psychology professor sent out congratulatory emails to the students who received an A or an A+ grade, Ms. Hartling among them. But she also received a second email, this one telling her that of all the students in the class, she had made the most improvement.

“For the first time at ±«Óătv, I no longer felt like ‘just a number,’ I felt as though someone cared about my success; and at that moment, I realized I wanted that success,” says Ms. Hartling, who treasures that message and reads it over whenever she needs a boost.

No stranger to large classes, Dr. Taylor-Helmick says she makes it her mission to reach out to students—she notices them and she knows their names. It’s that extra effort, not to mention her enthusiasm for the subject matter and engaging style, that has led to her being awarded ±«Óătv’s top teaching award, the Alumni Award for Excellence for Teaching.

“I remember being back in their shoes and feeling invisible,” says Dr. Taylor-Helmick, 40, who tries to make herself less anonymous too, by using examples from her own life in her teaching instead of from the textbook. “So I try hard to make sure I can see everyone and to let them know I care.”

But teaching has never been easy. Even after 10 years on faculty at ±«Óătv, she still finds her nerves are frayed before the start of class and compares the feeling to mounting the crest of a steep incline in a rollercoaster.

“But it’s manageable anxiety,” she reassures with a smile. “It actually feels like fun. A three-hour class will fly by.”

Teaching award winners

Faculty of Health Professions Teaching Excellence Award: David Gardner, College of Pharmacy

±«Óătv Sessional and Part-Time Instructor Awards of Excellence for Teaching:Ìę DaniĂšle Allard, Department of French

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching: Christopher Bell, Department of History

Srini Award for Teaching Excellence in Computer Science:ÌęValdo Keselj

±«Óătv Dental Students Society Honours Award: Sachin Seth

Faculty of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award:ÌęGordon Fenton

Professor Appreciation Award (Years I & II B.Eng):ÌęChris Watts and Sergei Iakovlev

The ±«Óătv Law Students' Society and Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching: Jennifer Llewellyn

±«Óătv Medical Alumni Association Residency Teaching Award: Allison Ball and Karthik Tennankore

Professor of the Year Award, Medical Students' Society: Bill Baldridge and Dana Farina

The Silver Shovel Award, Medical Students' Society:ÌęLynne McLeod, Department of Obstetrics and Genealogy

Faculty of Science Award for Excellence in Teaching:ÌęNeil Burford, Department of Chemistry

Nurse Educator Appreciation Award:ÌęKim Hebert, Colleen Kiberd, School of Nursing

Dr. Jessie I. MacKnight Award for Excellence in Pharmaceutical TeachingÌęAssociate: Hoan Linh Banh

Hanna & Harold Barentt Award for Excellence in Teaching First Year Law: Stephen Coughlan

Gordon Archibald Teaching Excellence Award, School of Business Administration: Shamsud Chowdhury

First-year MBA Professor of the Year Award: Jim Power

Second-year MBA Professor of the Year Award: David Roach, Gudrun Curri

Commerce Professor of the Year Award: Tammy Crowell

Lea C. Steeves Award for Excellence in Teaching of Continuing Medical Education: James R. Bentley

Earth Sciences Professor of the Year Award: Nicholas Culshaw

Dr. Forbes Langstroth Memorial Award, Physics & Atmospheric Science: Laurent Kreplak

The President's Graduate Teaching Assistant Award:Ìę

  • Yuen-Ying Carpenter, Chemistry;
  • Cheryl Saunders, Chemistry;
  • Jonathan Fawcett, Psychology

W. W. Wood Award for Excellence in Dental Education:ÌęCara Tax

±«Óătv Student Union Teaching Awards:

  • Winston Barnwell, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
  • Claire Campbell, Department of History
  • Lesley Choyce, Department of English and Transition Year Program
  • Jen Gauthier, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science
  • Shannon Johnson, Department of Psychology
  • Simon Gadbois, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program
  • Darrel Doman, Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • Jim Power, School of Business Administration

Outstanding (staff) advisor: Linda Conrad, Engineering

Outstanding (faculty) advisor: Patricia Laws, Chemistry

Outstanding graduate advisor: Frank Harvey, Political Science, and Ray Klein, Psychology

±«Óătv Association of Psychology Students Excellence in Teaching: Simon Gadbois and Shannon Johnson
Ìę
±«Óătv University Excellence in Teaching, Neuroscience: Stefan Krueger, Department of Physiology & Biophysics

±«Óătv University Educational Leadership Award: John A Ross, Department of Emergency Medicine

-- compiled by Trevor Ritchie

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