Teaching Awards

The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA) supports efforts to acknowledge and reward instructors' efforts related to various aspects of teaching and learning. The following information includes details about institution-level internal and external teaching awards. For information about department-, faculty-, and discipline-specific teaching awards, please contact your department. 


Institutional Teaching Awards

Institutional teaching awards are university-wide awards that celebrate teaching excellence across campus that has lasting and positive impacts that deepens students learning experience. The following are a variety of different institutional teaching award at the University level along with links for more information on their specific details and nomination processes.

Award Description Contact

Distinguished Teacher Award

Honours instructors who have demonstrated excellence in teaching at the University of Waterloo.

Previous winners

Faculty Programming Coordinator, Centre for Teaching Excellence

Online Teaching Awards

Recognizes teaching and course design excellence in fully online undergraduate or graduate level courses and programs.

Previous winners 

Online Teaching Awards - Centre for Extended Learning

Certificate in University Teaching Award

Awarded to a graduate student who shows a strong commitment to their development as a university teacher on the completion of the Certificate in University Teaching program. 

Graduate Awards - Centre for Teaching Excellence

Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student

Recognizes outstanding student instructors. 

Previous winners 

Faculty Programming Coordinator - Centre for Teaching Excellence

Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision

Recognizes exemplary faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in graduate student supervision.

Previous winners 

Coordinator, Graduate Financial Aid & Awards Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

External Teaching Awards

The AVPA office has capacity to support award nominations with respect to building an effective package and writing a strong narrative. A strong nomination team will include a nominee and a nominator who have a good working relationship with capacity to work together to build a strong nomination package. For additional support in nominating a team for this award, contact Alisa Sivak, Communications Associate, Office of the AVPA.

Award

Description

Deadline

3M National Teaching Fellowship

The 3M National Teaching Fellowship, a collaboration between The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada, is Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the university and college level. The 3M nomination process is about applying to be accepted into a fellowship more than receiving recognition. Fellows connect with and learn from other Fellows while continuing to shape higher education in Canada. 

TBD

OCUFA Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) annually recognizes outstanding teachers in Ontario Universities through their Teaching and Academic Librarianship Awards. This award acknowledges the contributions from both graduate and undergraduate levels of teaching with a focus on excellence and innovation. 

TBD

QS Reimagine Education Awards

The QS Reimagine Education Award recognizes the pioneers of education across the world that foster a vibrant community of instructors who are committed to innovation and redefine teaching and learning for students and their futures. They have a combination of eighteen diverse award categories, which focus on transformative and forward-thinking programs, technologies, and pedagogical approaches to innovative education. 

September 1st 2024

D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning

The D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning recognizes and celebrated collaborative teaching and learning in post-secondary education. The Award is open to groups of two or more individuals, at least one of whom must be currently teaching, regardless of discipline or level of appointment. D2L Innovation Awards focus on demonstrable records by applicants that represent innovation in all aspects of teaching and learning.

TBD

External Award Recipients, 1980-present

External Teaching Award Recipients

Year Name Faculty Award
2021 Katie Plaisance Environment  OCUFA
2017 Steven Bednarski Arts D2L
2017 Gordon Stubley Engineering 3M
2016  Carol Hulls Engineering D2L
2012 Robert Sproule Arts D2L
2010 Alan Morgan Environment 3M
2009 Gordon Stubley Engineering OCUFA
2007 Rohan Jayasundera Science LIFT (inactive)
2007 Gord Stubley Engineering LIFT (inactive)
2004 Howard Armitage Arts 3M
2004 Jean Andrey Environment OCUFA
2000 Ronald George Scoins Mathematics OCUFA
1993 Phyllis Forsyth Arts OCUFA
1987  Donald Irish Science OCUFA
1986 Ralph Krueger Environment 3M
1979 Laurence Cummings Engineering OCUFA
1975 Paul Seligman Arts OCUFA
1975  Hugh MacKinnon Arts OCUFA
1973 Park Reilly Engineering OCUFA