Maryam Khan from Laurier's Faculty of Social Work, and recipient of the 2025 Faculty Mentoring Award, brings authenticity, care, community, and courage into every aspect of their teaching and mentorship. Maryam builds classroom and mentoring relationships rooted in trust and accountability where students take ownership of their learning and engage in critical conversations. Maryam shares advice for creating peer mentoring communities for students that helps reduce isolation, loneliness, and build networks that carry on into professional practice. Maryam models how educators can teach with authenticity, invite growth through dialogue, and sustain lifelong communities of learning and support.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier and discover more from Laurier's Teaching Excellence and Innovation team.

Christos Shiamptanis, from Laurier's Economics department in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and recipient of the 2025 Innovation in Teaching Award, shares how he transforms economics education through experiential learning, storytelling, and inclusive classroom design. From rethinking assessment rubrics to creating opportunities for quieter students to shine, his approach is about building confidence, skills, and curiosity that last well beyond the semester.

Christos reflects on the challenges and opportunities of hyflex teaching, the value of learning through practice, and why the journey of education is more important than the final grade. By removing barriers, encouraging diverse voices, and connecting theory to real-world experiences, he shows how innovative teaching can prepare students for success in their studies, careers, and communities.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier: https://bit.ly/award-winning-faculty

Steve Risavy, from the Lazaridis School for Business and Economics and recipient of the 2025 Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award, shares his approach to teaching and learning, centred on authenticity and the importance of having fun in the classroom. Steve creates a classroom environment where students can take risks, feel safe asking questions, and see their feedback put into action. Leaning into the energy students bring into the classroom, Steve utilizes music, group activities, reflection and formative feedback techniques to promote engaged, confident, and inspired students in his courses.

Outside of class, he is a trusted mentor who continues to guide students well beyond graduation. From helping students negotiate job offers to offering advice on professional challenges, Steve remains a steady presence in their career journeys. Colleagues call him a go-to source for teaching advice, and former students regularly return to him for career support, encouragement, and to share their experience with future classes.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier.

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2024 Hoffman-Little Award winner Elizabeth Mitchell from Laurier's Faculty of Music shares her journey into music therapy and the connective power of music in helping people express emotions, memories, and experiences.

She discusses the importance of improvisation, versatility, and self-awareness, skills that allow practitioners to meet clients where they are and engage them in dynamic ways, whether in hospitals or community settings. She prepares students for clinical settings by integrating theory with hands-on experience, ensuring students develop both technical musical skills and interpersonal competencies to best serve the diverse clients that these students will support. A passionate advocate for decolonizing music therapy, Elizabeth shares how she works to amplify Indigenous voices and ensure that diverse musical traditions are valued in musical therapy practices. She weaves these perspectives throughout the curriculum to foster a more holistic and inclusive approach to music therapy education that leaves a lasting impact on both students and community members.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier.

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Marybeth White from Laurier's Religion and Culture Department and recipient of the 2024 Sustained Excellence Teaching Award, shares insights on fostering a student-centered learning environment grounded in compassion, flexibility and inclusive design.

Marybeth discusses the changes she's seen in students throughout her career, including what students are better at now than when she started and what they need more support on. She reflects on how teaching is a continual process of learning and adaptation, responding to the evolving needs of students through flexibility and innovation. Marybeth shares ways she's creatively reimagined her course design to focus on essential takeaways and diverse assessment methods, such as quizzes, reflective journals, presentations, and an optional final exam based on a student's individual learning journey. Marybeth explores the importance of creating brave spaces for discussion and how she encourages students to engage critically and compassionately with diverse perspectives as keys to growth, as well as how she uses Universal Design principles to provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier: https://bit.ly/award-winning-faculty

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Join 2024 Faculty Mentoring Award recipient Michael Woodford from Laurier's Faculty of Social Work as he shares how some of the mentors along his personal and professional journey impacted him, the importance of sharing power in mentoring relationships, and the value of creating spaces where students can thrive as their authentic selves. Whether navigating difficult conversations, developing adaptable work plans, or helping students build lasting professional networks, his mentorship philosophy centers on collaboration, reflexivity, and meeting students where they are. Michael's mentorship is built on experience and vulnerability and he discusses how faculty can empower students, foster inclusive and interpersonal learning environments, and reflects on how great mentoring shapes not only academic success but also lifelong growth.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier.

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Avis Beek from Laurier's Faculty of Education and the recipient of the 2024 Early Career Excellence Award shares her hands-on, kinesthetic approach to STEM education. Through creative activities that include slime-making, terrarium building, and even live animals(!), Avis sparks curiosity and fosters collaborative and inclusive learning environments. Informed by her international teaching experiences, she integrates diverse Black, Indigenous and racialized voices, role models and cultural perspectives into her classes, empowering students to see themselves reflected in both STEM fields and the educational sector. Her STEMovation program fosters excitement and in-community support for STEM education by connecting local underserved communities with opportunities to engage in science learning alongside their families. In showing students how to be culturally responsive in their teaching and embrace experiential learning, she is helping to shape the next generation of STEM educators to create welcoming and vibrant educational experiences for their students.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier.

Discover more from Teaching Excellence and Innovation.

Jeremy Hunsinger from Laurier's Communication Studies department and recipient of the 2024 Innovation in Teaching Award, shares his approach to creating a student-centered, studio-like classroom environment. Jeremy discusses how he integrates active learning from the very first class by having students co-create the course syllabus. His approach to grading, which focuses on specification grading and intrinsic motivation, challenges students to exceed standards rather than just meet them. Jeremy fosters critical thinking and reflection while building a passion for lifelong learning in students by encouraging connections across disciplines and the thoughtful use of technology in everyday life.

Laurier's Donald F. Morgenson Awards for Teaching Excellence honour those who, through their commitment to exemplary teaching, have made significant contributions to the educational experience of Laurier students. Learn more about award-winning teaching at Laurier.