Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Award

Have you ever had that moment in the classroom when your students finally grasp a difficult concept and you know that all of your hard work and planning has paid off? The Centre for Teaching and Learning wants to recognize and reward outstanding Teaching Assistants for their commitment to undergraduate student learning! All current graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are welcome to apply.     

The Centre for Teaching and Learning selects the winners of the GIFT Award from a competitive pool of proposals submitted by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Each proposal provides a summary of an in-class activity, creative assignment, or another strategy that supports undergraduate student learning. Great proposals describe a course- or discipline-specific teaching idea but also include thoughts on how the strategy could be modified for use in other disciplines.

The winner will present their innovative teaching method to an interdisciplinary audience as part of a CTL workshop or panel.

Benefits:

  • A teaching award looks great on a CV and Teaching Dossier - especially when applying for future teaching positions.
  • By presenting their "Great Idea" as part of CTL programming, winners have the chance to share successful teaching methods with the broader Western community.
  • Winner receives a $100 gift certificate to the Western Bookstore or Hospitality Services.

Instructions:

A call for applications for the 2025 GIFT Award will be circulated in the 2025 winter semester. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to know once applications open.

Past GIFT Award Winners Proposals

2022

2021

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2012

2010

  • Virtual Virtuality - Jennifer Martin, Media Studies
  • The Question Game - Angel Petropanagos, Philosophy
  • Post-it Empowered - Megan Popovic, Kinesiology

2009

  • The Medium is Still the Message: Generation Text Meets Marshall McLuhan - Mike Arntfield, English
  • Fossil Analogies: Correlating Primate Behaviour and Morphology - Zoe Morris, Anthropology
  • Art Theory Review Pie - Helen Parkinson, Visual Arts

2008

2007