President’s Teaching Award

2024 Recipients

      About

      Founded in 2006, the President’s Teaching Award (PTA) is the highest honour for teaching at the University of Toronto. The PTA recognizes sustained and ongoing excellence in three interrelated areas:

      • Educational Leadership
      • Teaching Excellence 
      • Educational Innovation

      Across all three of these categories, nominees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

      Winners of the PTA receive an annual professional development allowance of $10,000 per year for a period of five years. In addition to this monetary prize, recipients of a President’s Teaching Award are also designated by the University as a member of the Teaching Academy for a minimum period of five years. Through their activities and participation within the Teaching Academy community, these educators play a prominent role in increasing the profile of the University’s commitment to high quality learning and teaching.

      Expectations

      The President’s Teaching Award (PTA) recognizes and celebrates high quality and innovative learning and teaching demonstrated through a sustained commitment to educational leadership, teaching excellence, and educational innovation, alongside a commitment to principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

      PTA winners are appointed to the President’s Teaching Academy for an initial five-year term. After this initial five-year term, the University encourages ongoing participation and engagement with the Academy. The goal of the Teaching Academy is to contribute to the advancement of teaching at the University. The Teaching Academy is committed to University-wide advocacy for teaching and learning based on their involvement in a range of yearly initiatives.

      As a member of the Teaching Academy community at the University, recipients are expected to

      • Meet regularly to discuss matters relevant to teaching and pedagogy
      • Offer advice to the Vice President & Provost and the Director of the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI)
      • Participate in activities that promote and model excellent teaching
      • Assist in the assessment of teaching when required
      • Act as advocates for excellence in teaching internally and externally to U of T

      Academy members may be invited to participate in a range of University events including addressing Convocation, delivering public lectures, participating in conferences and new faculty orientations, or facilitating teaching and learning workshops. The establishment of the Teaching Academy has created a valuable community of educators who provide ongoing leadership, advice and support to division, department, and central initiatives, as well as University administration.

      Recipients of the PTA will receive an annual professional development allowance of $10,000 per year for a period of five years. Use of the allowance is subject to all University policies applicable to operating funds, most importantly the requirement for one-up authorization of expense reimbursements through the normal departmental/Faculty structure. All expenditures posted to the account must also continue to adhere the University policies – Guide to Financial Management. Note: this funding is intended for PTA recipients who are teaching and actively participating in U of T activities. If a faculty member leaves the University prior to the end of their five year term as a member of the PTA Academy, they would no longer receive PTA funds.

      Eligibility

      The PTA is open to any appointed faculty member – tenure stream, teaching stream or clinical faculty – at the University who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to teaching excellence as well as educational leadership at the institutional level or beyond. For this reason, faculty who are pre-promotion are ineligible. Please note this is not an end-of-career award – while nominations of senior faculty are most welcome, this award carries an expectation of active ongoing involvement with the Teaching Academy and is therefore not well-suited to faculty nearing or entering retirement.

      For information on other awards more suitable for early career faculty, such as the Early Career Teaching Award, please see the Awards and Funding page on the website of the Vice-President & Provost.

      Criteria

      To be considered for the PTA, nominees must demonstrate excellence in three equally weighted categories. It is understood that these categories interconnect, continually animating and informing one another. The Selection Committee is committed to a holistic review of nomination packages and is looking for applicants whose packages tell a story and provide a rich narrative context for their approach to educational excellence.

      Promoting the integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility-related considerations in post-secondary education and practices, such as the goals identified in the University’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force, the Antisemitism Working Group, and the Anti-Asian Racism Working Group is foundational across the PTA criteria. Nominees should also consider their engagement with the recommendations outlined in Answering the Call: Wecheehetowin: Final Report of the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.  

      1. Educational Leadership

      Educational leadership can happen at any level, whether that is institutional, divisional, disciplinary, or community-based. Leadership involves advocating for and implementing significant transformation in teaching and learning. Examples might include building capacity to better integrate and support community-based learning experiences in curricula, designing and then sharing innovative approaches to engaging students in the practice of disciplinary research, or driving forward improvements for the preparation of students in professional practice. Equally key to leadership is the development and fostering of change leading to a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse post-secondary education landscape.

      2. Teaching Excellence

      Teaching excellence occurs in myriad ways both inside and outside the classroom. Given the necessarily diverse nature of teaching practices across disciplines, teaching excellence is understood as the intentional actions of an instructor to create an exceptional learning environment by engaging in pedagogical practices designed to maximize student learning. This will undoubtedly include a focus on inclusive practices, meaningful and authentic connections to disciplinary research, engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning, and continual and iterative critical reflection on teaching practices.

      3. Educational Innovation

      Educational innovation is the novel execution of ideas that contribute to more effective teaching and learning practices. Innovation is also about problem-solving – identifying a need and taking steps to investigate, assess and address that need. Innovation goes hand-in-hand with experimentation and may take the form of demonstrated success using teaching grants to improve teaching and learning, impactful adaptation of a new technology or technological practice, effective cross-disciplinary work (such as adapting a practice common in one discipline or professional area to a different discipline or professional area), practices of community-engaged and experiential learning, new approaches to integrating disciplinary research into teaching, and much more. Educational innovation also extends beyond the classroom and may lead to reciprocal benefits for partners beyond the University.

      Nomination Process

      Nominations are solicited through the Deans of Faculties who request submissions from within their divisions. The office of the Dean is responsible for the compilation of documentation. Nominations are due early spring each year. 

      When preparing a nomination package, nominators should review the PTA Nomination Guidelines and ensure they include a completed PTA Coversheet and Checklist.

      The following institutional supports are available for PTA nomination files: 

      Please submit the nomination package to awards.provost@utoronto.ca by the nomination deadline March 24, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

      Adjudication Process

      The President’s Teaching Award winners are determined by a process of nomination by divisions and selection by a Selection Committee chaired by the Vice-President & Provost. The Selection Committee includes:

      • Vice-President & Provost (Chair)
      • Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education
      • Director, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation
      • Up to 3 current members of the Teaching Academy
      • 1 external assessor
      • 1 non-voting member: Special Projects Officer, DVPP

      Once approved by the President, selected winners are usually announced by the beginning of June. At the discretion of the Dean of the nominating division, unsuccessful candidates are eligible to be re-nominated for PTA consideration a second time.

      Contact

      Enquiries regarding the President’s Teaching Award and nomination procedures should be directed to awards.provost@utoronto.ca

      Past Recipients

      The University of Toronto Teaching Academy consists of members who have received the President’s Teaching Award, the highest honour for teaching at the University of Toronto. While individual members of the Academy serve as teaching ambassadors, the collective advances teaching as a valued pillar at the University of Toronto.

      Through their activities, these educators play a prominent role in increasing the profile of the University’s commitment to high-quality learning and teaching. The establishment of the Teaching Academy has created a valuable network of people who provide leadership, advice, and support to division, department, and central initiatives, as well as to University administration. The Teaching Academy also plays an advisory role for the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI).

      The Teaching Academy is committed to University-wide advocacy for teaching and learning based on their involvement in a range of yearly initiatives. The Teaching Academy contributes to the advancement of teaching at the University and reflects the wide range of excellent teaching styles and approaches.

      The following individuals have received the President’s Teaching Award and are members of the Teaching Academy:

      2023

      Denise Belsham, Department of Physiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
      Jane Freeman, School of Graduate Studies
      Sharon Switzer-McIntyre, Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
      Steven Thorpe, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

      2022

      Maria Assif, Department of English, University of Toronto Scarborough
      Ken Derry, Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga
      Charlie Keil, Cinema Studies Institute, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Melody Neumann, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, Faculty of Arts & Science  
      Sanjeev Sockalingam, Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

      2021

      Jamie Kellar, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
      Jennifer Campbell, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Arts & Science

      2020

      Aarthi Ashok, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough
      Jeremy Lopez, Department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Micah Stickel, Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

      2019

      Michelle Craig, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Paul Piunno, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga

      2018

      Pier Bryden, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine
      William Cluett, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
      Jennifer Murdock, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Fiona Rawle, Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga

      2017

      Michelle French, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine
      Njoki Wane, Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

      2016

      Alison Gibbs, Department of Statistical Sciences, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Jonathan Rose, Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
      James Thomson, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Arts & Science

      2015

      Greg Evans, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
      Diane Horton, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Andrew Petersen, Department of Mathematical & Computational Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga

      2014

      Don Boyes, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Shafique Virani, Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto Mississsauga

      2013

      Chris Perumalla, Department of Physiology and Division of Teaching Laboratories (DTL), Faculty of Medicine
      Lawrence Sawchuk, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough
      Alissa Trotz, Women & Gender Studies Institute & Caribbean Studies Program, Faculty of Arts & Science

      2012

      Karen Reid, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Ivan Silver, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine
      Jim Wallace, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

      2011

      Paul Gries, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Mark Kingwell, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts & Science
      June Larkin, Women & Gender Studies Institute, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Michael Lettieri, Department of Language Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga
      Susan J. Lieff, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine

      2010

      Robert Brym, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Steve Joordens, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough
      Barbara Murck, Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga
      Paul Stevens, Department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Mike Wiley, Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine

      2009

      Andy Dicks, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Nick Mount, Department of English, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Martin Schreiber, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

      2008

      Zubin Austin, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
      Helen P. Batty, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
      Yu-Ling Cheng, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
      Clare Hasenkampf, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough

      2007

      Marion Bogo, Faculty of Social Work
      David Dunne, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management
      Corey Goldman, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Susan McCahan, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
      Judith Poe, Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga

      2006

      Ken Bartlett, Department of History, Faculty of Arts & Science
      John Percy, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga
      Richard Reznick, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
      Keren Rice, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts & Science
      Carol Rolheiser, Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning, OISE/UT