OCAD University is proud to announce the recipients of the 2021-22 Teaching Awards.
Annually, the University celebrates outstanding faculty, instructors and teaching assistants who employ diverse, inclusive and evidence-informed methods to provide exceptional learning experiences for their students. This year, the winners are also applauded for demonstrating remarkable leadership in action.
Nominations for the annual awards are accepted from the OCAD U community including students, staff, faculty and alums. The categories include institutional and faculty level recognition, as well as the School of Continuing Studies and Teaching Assistant awards.
A committee composed of members from across the University, adjudicates the awards and is struck by the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost with support from the Faculty & Curriculum Development Centre (FCDC). Read about the award winners below!
Institutional Level Teaching Awards
JJ Lee
Associate Professor, Faculty of Art
Recipient of the Price Award for Leadership in Teaching, which is presented to tenured and tenure-track faculty in honour of JH and Mamie Price
Since 1999 Professor Lee has shared her passion for art with students at OCAD U. Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia to parents who immigrated from China and Hong Kong, Lee explores the hyphens between identities that result from colonization, immigration and its subsequent generations in the classroom and studio.
“I believe that art can initiate social change by impacting the way people see and think. I prioritize connection, caring and compassion, to create a sense of community and inclusion even across a digital divide,” Lee notes.
Reconstructing the intersections of Chinese and Western cultures, she combines appropriated images from diverse sources to produce reinvented and hybrid identities in her own creative practice. Lee builds positive relationships with her students by connecting with their personal lived experiences and responding to their individual needs in a culturally sensitive way.
“I view teaching as an integral part of my art practice. I believe that art making (my own or my students’) affects how we engage with the world around us. As a woman of colour, I hope that I can be a mentor and guide for our students who also identify this way,” Lee explains.
Lee is lauded by students for her ability to create community even in remote teaching circumstances. She is praised for her authenticity, warmth and encouragement.
“She taught us how to participate in critique and give feedback in a respectful, positive and constructive manner, which became a cornerstone of our learning experience. Throughout it all, she met us where we were and helped us elevate our expectations of ourselves despite pandemic challenges, leaving us believing “we can do this,” a former student describes.
Dr. Adam Lauder
Instructor, Faculty of Arts & Science
Recipient of the Non-Tenured Award for Leadership in Teaching, which is presented to sessional faculty, or faculty that are Teaching-Intensive Stream, Continuing or Contractually Limited Term Appointment (CLTA)
Since January 2017, Dr. Lauder has been celebrated by students at OCAD U for connecting art historical teachings to real-world activities by integrating in-person art viewing opportunities into his curriculum. He is generous in his reflections on student assignments and artworks while cultivating a student-centred, inclusive learning environment. He specializes in modern and contemporary as well as media art histories in courses that include Conceptual Art Practices and Canadian Art: The Modern Era.
“I’m interested in rewriting familiar narratives and exposing marginalized stories and protagonists. I want to engage students in processes of careful reading and critical research-creation," Dr. Lauder says of his pedagogical approach.
Students remark on his commitment to accessibility. Throughout the year he ensures all lectures are recorded and includes a transcript that support students in following along while viewing course material.
“Dr. Lauder’s thorough and constructive feedback shows how much he cares about our academic success. He genuinely takes the time to share insightful comments on our projects, proposing additional theories or artists we could explore to further develop our contemporary art and art historical perspectives,” reflects a recent student.
One of his recent undergraduate students notes, “Dr. Lauder skillfully bolsters student learning by balancing high expectations and extensive personal support. His lectures are well-organized and clearly articulated. By his own example he demonstrates how the use of elevated vocabulary and well-structured arguments can add nuance and depth to the understanding of critical art history."
Faculty Level Teaching Awards
Meera Margaret Singh
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Art
Recipient of the Faculty of Art Teaching Award
Meera Margaret Singh began teaching at OCAD U in 2010 as a Sessional Instructor. Building on her formal training as a photographer, she teaches courses across faculties including International Art Collaborations (INTAC) in the Faculty of Art and Photo For Communication in the Faculty of Design. Students describe a particular fondness for her course Reconsidering Documentary Photography, which explores the ethical implications of documentary practices, consent and power dynamics.
For Singh reciprocity, respect, wellness and care are central to learning.
She describes her approach: “Creating a socially conscious classroom environment begins with an instructor who has an investment and a passion for diversity and equity, a well as a true passion for the subject matter that they teach. Students garner a far richer academic experience if they are confident in sharing their ideas and feel that they are active participants in an exchange of information.”
Students celebrate Singh’s attention and responsiveness, making them feel counted and valued. Her approach in the classroom and commitment to mental health supports students’ general sense of wellbeing. “I want learners to know the power and possibilities of their unique voice and those of their peers. I aim to create a classroom of trust where students are comfortable asking questions and having open dialogue with their professor and peers,” she explains.
“As a student with disabilities, there are various barriers faced in my pursuit of an undergraduate degree. Professor Singh has always made it a point to establish a learning environment that supports the individual needs of her students. Through her consistent communication, patience and accommodative practices, she never fails to ensure academic success for every student she meets,” notes a recent student.
Bruce Hinds
Associate Professor, Faculty of Design
Recipient of the Faculty of Design Teaching Award
For the last 20 years Professor Hinds has taught at OCAD University, contributing to the vision of several core courses. He served as Chair of the Environmental Design from 2010 to 2019, sharing his expertise and imbuing his values around sustainability into the program throughout his tenure. Today, Hinds teaches across undergraduate and graduate programs including thesis students in Environmental Design and graduate students in Design For Health.
Hinds has built numerous partnerships with organizations and institutions to broaden engagement in his courses and provide meaningful, real-world experiences for students as they develop their unique design practices. Past partnerships include major organizations such as, Herman Miller, St. Joesph’s Health Centre, SickKids and Arizona State University.
“Professor Hinds has been a positive influence in both my academic and professional career as an advisor, professor and friend. I truly admire his leadership and wish many more faculty members were as dedicated as he is to his students,” remarks a former student.
Trained as an architect, Hinds has centralized sustainability in his practice for decades. After being inspired by the book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997) by Janine M. Benyus he introduced two courses on the topic at OCAD U, which continue to influence much of the Environmental Design undergraduate curriculum as well as the Design for Health graduate program. Many of the projects undertaken in the upper year courses of Environmental Design focus on issues of water, energy, food, transportation and regenerative architecture, and are united by a desire to re-establish the relationship between human needs in cities and the needs of nature.
Dr. Dot Tuer
Professor, Faculty of Arts & Science
Recipient of the Faculty of Arts & Science Teaching Award
As a professor of visual culture for over 20 years, Dr. Tuer has advocated for and designed courses that reach beyond traditional art history to encompass global perspectives and decolonial art practices. She was central to the development of the Visual and Critical Studies undergraduate program as its Founding Chair, and has taught courses on Latin American art, modern and contemporary art theory; postcolonial theory and visual culture; art and revolution; the history of photography; and the history of new media art. Her Latin American courses were the first and until very recently the only art history courses on Latin America to be offered at a Canadian university.
Dr. Tuer describes her primary goal as an educator as, “providing students with cultural, social and historical frameworks for the making of and thinking about art and design that are decolonial, accessible and critically engaged with global and local contexts.”
Dr. Tuer’s own writings on visual culture similarly engage with global and local contexts, ranging from the study of Canadian video, new media and performance art to Latin American photography and colonial history. Her current scholarly and creative work explores artistic practices of memorialization and visual storytelling in the Americas and incorporates her long-standing research interest in the decolonial agency of hybrid spiritual and ritual practices.
“Professor Tuer's welcoming energy and positive attitude towards teaching creates a rewarding learning environment. The passion for the topics Professor Tuer teaches encourages students, like myself, to become interested in art histories and curatorial styles beyond the Western canon that are rarely discussed in other spaces,” a recent OCAD U graduate notes.
“Dr. Tuer’s wealth of knowledge on the art and history of Latin America apply decolonizing contexts and critical analysis of Canadian and European art by challenging grand narratives. Dr. Tuer's research in the field and life experiences are vital as a professor of art history. Dr. Tuer's storytelling abilities are unrivalled,” a student reflects.
The author of Mining the Media Archive (2005) and numerous museum catalogue, book anthology and journal essays, Dr. Tuer also has an active curatorial practice. In 2012, she curated the major retrospective, Frida and Diego: Passion, Politics, and Painting at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Maya Mahgoub-Desai
Associate Professor, Faculty of Design
Chair, Environmental Design
Recipient of the School of Graduate Studies Teaching Award
Professor Mahgoub-Desai is a researcher and practitioner whose research investigates themes related to human-environment behaviour, public health and public realm design, addressing equity in design education (with a focus on disability) and inclusive pedagogies.
"I've been lucky to have Maya as my teacher, instructor and mentor. She encouraged my class to think outside the box and to view projects and ideas with an acute eye for detail, ethics, professionalism and profound honesty,” a mature student in the Design for Health graduate program notes.
Mahgoub-Desai brings a range of professional design experiences to the classroom. As the Senior Urban Designer for Moriyama Teshima Architects, Mahgoub-Desai led urban campus, community and municipal plans that focused on sustainability, cultural resilience and collaborative community engagement processes. She shares with her students lessons learned from past projects, which include, serving as a subject matter expert for Waterfront Toronto, developing master plans for Qatar's Education City, Surrey City Development Corporation and the Town of Whitby; and campus plans for the University of Lethbridge, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College.
“Associate Professor Mahgoub-Desai's mentorship has been essential to my career. Throughout my Major Research Project (MRP), she consistently inspired me to look further, to learn to unlearn, to be a better listener and to become a better designer. She challenged me to think purposefully and holistically about not only my academic work, but the influence of design overall,” reflects a recent graduate.
Kalina Nedelcheva
Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Arts & Science
Recipient of the Teaching Assistant Award, which is presented to a TA from any of the four faculties
Kalina Nedelcheva joined the OCAD U community in September 2020 as a graduate student in the Art Criticism and Curatorial Practice. In February 2021 Nedelcheva began supporting students as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate course, Professional Practices. They have also TAed the core courses Contemporary Art & Design, as well as Global Visual & Material Culture: 1800 to Present.
Nedelcheva is a multi-media artist, researcher, illustrator, curator and musician. In their medal-winning MFA thesis Nedelcheva explored the ways human consciousness engages in processes of meaning-making. With a passion for writing, film and experimental mapping as mediums for theoretical storytelling, they channel the potential of chaos and montage to challenge dominant ideological practices.
Nedelcheva brings compassion to the classroom where they engage in knowledge-sharing and productive dialogue with others, facilitating critical and safe learning environments where knowledge can be expanded on and contested.
“My teaching philosophy centres on an awareness of positionality, both my own and that of my students. While I approach education in an organized manner with optimism and humour, I also emphasize responsibility in teaching, learning and unlearning,” Nedelcheva remarks.
Heather Gentleman
Instructor, School of Continuing Studies
The School of Continuing Studies Teaching Award
Heather Gentleman is a painter whose work, which is inspired by literature, anthology and mythology, has appeared in exhibitions internationally. Her experience as a gallerist and internationally collected artist informs her classes, where she teaches drawing skills, watercolour painting, figurative painting, portraiture and drawing for seniors in the School of Continuing Studies.
With training from OCAD University, the University of Guelph and Chelsea College of Arts and recent exhibitions in South Korean, England and France, Gentleman brings an international perspective to her art and teaching.
“Decolonization not only underpins my approach to my art making but also my engagement with my students where I see the role of the instructor as mentor. I endeavour to create an environment where students feel heard and safe to express their individuality, are actively supported and encouraged both to explore possibilities and to realize the potential of their ideas, as artists, and as individuals,” Gentleman explains.
“Heather was engaging, enthusiastic, adaptable, creative and dedicated. I loved her class and learned a lot. I am eager to take another class with her,” remarks a former student.