Provost Award for Teaching Assistants & Tutors

This award is open to undergraduate or graduate teaching assistants, Supplemental Learning leaders, and Student Learning Hub tutors at UBC Okanagan who act or have acted in this position during the current and/or the preceding academic year.

The award is given to individuals who have demonstrated knowledge, skills, and other contributions that result in a high level of respect from students, academic and course supervisors, and other TAs/tutors. The Selection Committee considers the following criteria:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the field and course material and the ability to help students actively learn new knowledge, skills, and perspectives:
   • explains facts and concepts clearly and logically
   • models excellent lab/demonstration skills, if applicable
   • encourages student participation
   • provides timely, constructive feedback
2. Creates supportive learning environment:
   • is enthusiastic and demonstrates interest in the subject, cultivates student curiosity, and engages and motivates students
   • respects students’ diverse backgrounds and strengths
   • is accessible and responsive, providing support and guidance
3. Shows evidence of working in a professional manner with students, faculty supervisors, and teaching assistant and tutor colleagues:
   • works in a collegial manner with students, faculty, staff, and other TAs/tutors
   • demonstrates high standards, ethics, academic integrity
   • exhibits excellent organization skills
   • works to improve the learning environment
   • demonstrates leadership to other TAs and tutors

The Selection Committee, chaired by the Academic Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning, includes members drawn from faculty, staff, and students.  The committee will only consider nominations deemed eligible and complete. The committee will not carry forward unsuccessful nominations to the next competition.

Nominations must come from supervisors (course instructors, senior laboratory instructors, Academic Resource Centre staff, Student Learning Hub staff) of the TA/tutor. Students who would like to see their teaching assistant or tutor nominated for the award are encouraged to speak with their course instructors or leaders in the Academic Resource Centre and Student Learning Hub.  TAs and tutors cannot nominate themselves for the award.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning is responsible for issuing a call for nominations to the Deans of each faculty/school, AVP Students, and Chief Librarian. Those leaders are responsible for directing unit/department heads to collect nominations from their respective areas.

Once all nominations are collected by the unit/department head, they are submitted to the Dean of their Faculty or School, AVP Students, or Chief Librarian. The AVP Students, Chief Librarian, and Deans will review the nominations they receive and may submit up to four outstanding nominations from their faculty/academic area to the Centre for Teaching and Learning for the Selection Committee to review.

Completed nomination packages must be submitted to the Dean or Student Learning Hub Coordinator by the 3rd Friday in February (February 16, 2024).

Reviewed nominations must be submitted to the Centre for Teaching and Learning digitally by email to ctl.ubco@ubc.ca by the 1st Friday in March (March 1, 2024).

Required documents:

• Nomination form. Note the nomination form requires signatures from both the nominee and the supervisor making the nomination.

NOMINATION FORM – PROVOST AWARD FOR TAS TUTORS (PDF)

• A letter of nomination, typically written by the faculty member or supervisor making the nomination, that refers to the selection criteria and indicates why the nominee should receive the award.
• A teaching statement written by the nominee, not to exceed 2 pages, describing their approach to teaching and learning, highlighting teaching activities, and reflecting on why they feel they’ve earned the nomination.
• A summary of recent teaching responsibilities, not to exceed 1 page and compiled by the nominee, including the types of teaching undertaken, number of students, hours per week in contact with students.

Supporting evidence:

Supporting evidence strengthens the nomination package. The nominating unit/department, nominating faculty member or supervisor, and the nominee are encouraged to gather as many of the following as possible. Please note that this award recognizes work done by teaching assistants or tutors, so evidence of work performed as the instructor-of-record (adjunct professor, sessional instructor, etc.) for a course should not be included.

• letters/emails of support from students in the sessions led by the nominee describing of why they deserve the award
• letter of support from the nominee’s course instructor or supervisor, if different from the person making the nomination
• testimonial letters from sources other than the faculty member or Centre staff member making the nomination
• confirmation of completion of the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s TA Foundational Training program. This can be obtained by contacting the CTL (ctl.ubco@ubc.ca).
• teaching certificates earned by the nominee at other institutions
• evidence of professional development in teaching including participation in seminars and workshops about teaching and learning offered by CTL, units/departments, professional societies, at conferences, in person and online, etc.
• a summary of Student Experience of Instruction (SEI) reports from the current and previous courses. Note that SEI reports for Winter Session Term 2 will not yet be available when nominations are due so nominees and nominators are encouraged to reference and include SEI reports from previous terms and courses.

Cara Johnston – Student Learning Hub

Jesse Ghashti – Student Learning Hub

Megan Schroeder – Student Learning Hub

Mahmoud Sakr – Faculty of Engineering

Negin Jalili – Faculty of Engineering

Jacqueline Barnett – Faculty of Science

Sandun Tharaka Wanniarachchi – Faculty of Applied Science

Tina Olfatbakhsh – Faculty of Applied Science

Riley Petillion – Faculty of Science – Chemistry

Reza Sourki – Faculty of Applied Science

Jasper Pankratz – Student Learning Hub

Clerissa Copeland – Student Learning Hub

Robin Metcalfe – Faculty of Health and Social Development – Social Work

Jo Scofield – Student Learning Hub

Arash Dalili – School of Engineering

Maryam Golestani – School of Engineering

Alyssa Koziol – Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Riley Petillion – Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Ahmad Rahmzadeh – School of Engineering

Alireza Sadeghifar – Department of Chemistry, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Alexandre Santos – Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Dinesh Adhikary – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Alyssa Koziol – Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Connor Langton –  AVP, Students Supplemental Learning Program

Sepehr Zarif Mansour – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Sara Stanton – AVP, Students Supplemental Learning Program

Isabelle Therriault – Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Peyman Yousefi – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Dinesh Adhikary – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Vasileios Kokkoris – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Pouria Mehrabi – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Riley Petillion – AVP, Students, Supplemental Learning Program

Nishat Tasnim – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Devin Walline – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Sina Kheiri – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Devin Walline – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Tiah Lee – AVP, Students, Supplemental Learning Program

Monica Good – Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Alexandra Yacyshyn – School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Holli-Anne Passmore – Department of Psychology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Mathieu Aubin – Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Trevor Billows – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Behzad Mohajer – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Walaa Moursi – Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Matt Waterhouse – Department of Biology, Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Jeewon Yoo – AVP, Students, Supplemental Learning Program

Alex Cloherty – AVP, Students, Supplemental Learning Program

Daniella DeCoffe – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Lindsay Diehl – Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Jeff Kerkovius – AVP, Students, Supplemental Learning Program

Saber Moradi – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Joanne Taylor – Department of Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Jamie Scott – Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Colin Wallace – School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Samuel Schaefer – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Jacqueline Kanippayoor – Department of Psychology, Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Elham Shamekhi – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Carey Simpson – School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Nathalie Hager – Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Brian Ohsowski – Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Julie Nutini – Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Nikolai Kummer – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applies Science

Jonathan Kohout – Academic Resource Centre, Supplemental Learning Program

Eric Johnston – School of Engineering, Faculty of Applies Science

Levi Gahman – Department of Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Jannik Eikenaar – Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Kelly Doyle – Department of Critical Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies