Late last month, I received a special honour: I was named Wilfrid Laurier University’s 2017 Teaching Fellow. It was exciting news, both in terms of the opportunities the fellowship presents (more on that in a moment) and because I’m the first fellow appointed from the Brantford campus.

So, what, you’re no doubt asking, is a teaching fellowship? In this case, it’s a type of teaching award administered by the university’s Centre for Teaching Innovation and Excellence.

According to the program’s guidelines, it: “honours faculty members who demonstrate exceptional contributions to teaching and learning and who have established an exemplary record of achievement in educational leadership. The community of Laurier Teaching Fellows embodies the highest ideals of teaching excellence and leadership and works to encourage the success of all students at Laurier.”

One of the best aspects of the fellowship is that it comes with funding to conduct a research project related to teaching and learning. My project will explore how the use of storytelling and elements of game design can increase engagement and help students better understand the connections between theory and practice.

It is quite different from the type of research I usually do, which is both exciting and a little terrifying. So, I’m thrilled that the fellowships exists to encourage and support professors in stretching themselves to do this sort of work. I’ll have more to share about my project in the next few months.

In the meantime, you can read more about the fellowship in The Cord.