The faculty recipient of the 2020 FPA Teaching Excellence Award is Megan Gaucher, a professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies. She received the award for consistently high teaching evaluations, her passion for teaching, as well as her sensitivity to diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
Gaucher has taught introductory courses, research methods, small seminars and graduate courses, all while ensuring diverse voices and social relevance in course readings and encouraging student engagement.
“Exceptional teaching is integral to the student experience,” says Dean Brenda O’Neill. “The award was first presented in 2004 to recognize commitment to innovation in classroom instruction and curricular development. The award is presented each year to one faculty member and one contract instructor for their commitment to student advising and engagement and consistently excellent teaching evaluations.”
Moving from in-person to online teaching has been a challenge. “When we were advised to move our classes online in response to COVID-19 restrictions, I immediately felt overwhelmed at the thought of ending the term through virtual forums,” says Gaucher. “As someone who feeds off face-to-face interactions with my students, I was concerned that my approach to teaching would not necessarily translate, specifically during such a stressful time.”
“It was in that moment I realized I needed to rely on the relationships of trust I had built over the course of the term through clear, honest communication and recognizing that course accessibility is student-specific,” she says. “Sending regular emails, facilitating both synchronous and asynchronous opportunities for engagement and implementing flexible situation-specific deadlines allowed me to foster a dialogue with my students where they were able to express what they needed from me to complete these courses.
“With all of this happening in real time, this shift required me to pivot and prioritize what I wanted students to take away from my courses. While hectic, I have learned so much about the instructor I want to be going forward.”
At the FPA Excellence Awards ceremony in June 2020, Gaucher said, “I feel so lucky to be in such a supportive department and Faculty where I’m able to adopt and execute a teaching agenda and a teaching vision that is truly interdisciplinary and critical and focuses on engagement with students, which Carleton does quite well.”
2021 FPA Excellence Awards
We are now accepting nominations for the 2021 FPA Excellence Awards in the following categories:
Research Excellence Award (Faculty)
Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty)
Teaching Excellence Award (Contract Instructor)
Teaching Fellowship Award (Faculty)
Public Commentary Excellence Award (Faculty)
Staff Excellence Award (Staff)
Previous Recipients of the Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty)
2019
Joan DeBardeleben
Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS) and Department of Political Science
2018
Gopika Solanki
Department of Political Science
2017
Danette Nearing-Guibord
Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice
2016
Simon Power
Department of Economics
2015
Mira Sucharov
Department of Political Science
Stacy Douglas
Department of Law and Legal Studies
2014
Christopher Penny
Norman Paterson School of International Affairs
Betina Appel Kuzmarov
Department of Law and Legal Studies
2013
Melanie Adrian
Department of Law and Legal Studies
Brian Schmidt
Department of Political Science
2012
Evelyn Maeder
Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Klaus Pohle
School of Journalism and Communication
2011
Achim Hurrelmann
Department of Political Science
Roy Hanes
School of Social Work
2010
Vince Kazmierski
Department of Law and Legal Studies
Simon Power
Department of Economics
2009
Christopher Stoney
School of Public Policy and Administration
Christiane Wilke
Department of Law and Legal Studies
2008
Logan Atkinson
Department of Law and Legal Studies
Shaun Young
Department of Political Science
2007
Edward Jackson
School of Public Policy and Administration
Ira Wagman
School of Journalism and Communication
2006
Uma Kumar
School of Business
Edward Osei-Kwadwo Prempeh
Department of Political Science
Dane Rowlands
Norman Paterson School of International Affairs
2005
Cheryl Picard
Department of Law and Legal Studies
Jeff Sahadeo
Department of Political Science
Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
Simon Power
Department of Economics
2004
Matthew Bellamy
Department of Economics
Roland Thomas
School of Business
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 in Department of Law and Legal Studies, FPA Excellence Awards, News
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