Laura Ingram, a Chemistry Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor, has been awarded the 2021 WUSA Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Waterloo Undergraduate Association.
She is an engaging instructor who promotes and practices evidence-based teaching and learning strategies. Her knowledge about current teaching and learning approaches in higher education allows her to successfully integrate educational technologies into the classroom and laboratory.
“Dr. Ingram deserves this award because she genuinely engages her students in all aspects and concepts of chemistry. She always tries her best to uplift us and make us feel less stressed and relaxed whenever quizzes/tests/examinations are approaching. Her teaching style is fantastic, she includes active recall methods before every lecture and extra practice after every unit/module. She truly is an amazing professor and made my transition from high school into university less stressful and more fun!”
Ingram also co-developed an online learning platform, OpenScience, that provides free online lessons in general chemistry, covering topics from the Canadian 11th and 12th grade curricula. Each lesson is designed to work as a stand-alone topic and contains several interactive elements to help students learn. Ingram was also awarded a 2018 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s PromoScience grant to expand the program.
Ingram is also the current Science Teaching Fellow for the Department of Chemistry. The Science Teaching Fellows meet regularly and work with the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to determine best teaching practices and how to best achieve the teaching related goals of the Faculty of Science strategic plan. They organize teaching and learning workshops and retreats for their department, develop new teaching inititatives, advise students, staff and faculty and connect teaching staff and faculty with on-campus resources.
Ingram is the first Chemistry recipient of the award. Previous Faculty of Science recipients of WUSA's Teaching Award are: Josh Neufeld (Biology), Brenda Lee (Physics & Astronomy), Rohan Jayasundera (Physics & Astronomy) and Robert Mann (Physics & Astronomy).
WUSA’s Teaching Award is a yearly award that celebrates professors who have displayed quality teaching, shown commitment to student success, and looked beyond the classroom. This is also the only award presented by the University of Waterloo Senate selected entirely by undergraduate students.
In addition to Ingram, two other individuals were recognized for their outstanding contributions to undergraduate learning this year - Anton Mosonov (Math) and Nick Ray (Arts).
The UW community has a dedication to academic achievement and to creating a culture that fosters, supports and celebrates teaching excellence. Excellent teaching creates excellent student life for our members.
Congratulations Laura!