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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.     

Award Description

The Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Award recognizes and rewards outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) for their commitment to teaching and learning. The winner(s), selected by members of the CTL team, is selected from GTA presenters at the annual Own Your Future (OYF) Conference on Teaching. The winning presentation will be announced approximately 3 weeks after the end of the OYF Conference. The winner is awarded a $100 gift card to the Western Bookstore or Hospitality Services.

Eligibility

The following represent the eligibility criteria for this award:

• Graduate Teaching Assistant at Western University within the last two years
• Accepted to present at one of two graduate educator talk panels at the Own Your Future Conference on Teaching
• Participates fully in their assigned panel on May 14, 2026
• Note: if the winning presentation consists of more than one presenter, the award will be shared amongst the co-presenters

Evaluation

GIFT Award evaluation will take place in two parts, the sum of which will determine who is awarded the GIFT Award: 1) adjudication by CTL staff; 2) adjudication and feedback from participants in the session as a part of the Future Prof reflection assignment.

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.

Past GIFT Award Winners Proposals

2022

• Storytelling in the Digital Age; YouTube video - Percy Sherwood, Information and Media Studies
• 1st Runner-up: Critical Thinking for Engineers: Programming scenarios, not coding instructions; YouTube video - Hareem Nisar, Engineering
• 2nd Runner-up: Lost in Interpretation: Teaching Basic Epidemiology Terminology; YouTube video - Majd Radhaa, Epidemiology & Biostatistics

2021

• Registered Reports for Psychological Science; YouTube video - Joseph Rovetti, Psychology
• 1st Runner-up: Communicating Science on Instagram; YouTube video - Danielle Spice, Biology
• 2nd Runner-up: Zine-ing it Out: DIY Approaches to Content Application; YouTube video - Jill Hoffman, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

2018

• Expressive Reading - Kathy Asari, French Studies
• Exploring Cultural Appropriation from Indigenous Perspectives - Candace Brunette-Debassige, Education
• Building Legislation and Ethics Search, Review and Application Skills; YouTube video - Heather Church, Health Sciences

2017

• Snapchatting Challenge: Learning a second language using the social media context - Ana Boller, Modern Lanugages and Literatures
• Casino Game - Diana Fernandez, Modern Lanugages and Literatures
• Incorporating Field Interpretations into the Archaeology Classroom - Arwen Johns, Anthropology
• Runner-up: Standoff of the Stakeholders: Panel debates on current genetic dilemmas - Shrikaar Kambhampati, Mandana Miri, and Keegan Leckie, Biology

2016