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Three superb teachers have been awarded the Andy Farquharson Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching for this year: Jonathan Chui (chemistry), Jonathan Morris (child and youth care) and James Rowe (environmental studies).
Chui. Photo: UVic Photo Services Jonathan Chui is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemistry with several years of experience as a teaching assistant. He grew up in Hong Kong and studied in Italy, Vancouver and Montréal prior to arriving in Victoria. Chui has devoted hundreds of volunteer hours to UVic’s peer-helping program providing one-on-one peer counseling to students on personal and academic issues. He has also served as a volunteer with the NEED Crisis and Information Line.
“For me, the most meaningful part of teaching is seeing the students’ lightbulbs go on,” he explains. “I teach labs, tutorials and at the chem help-centre—relatively small classes—so I get many opportunities to know the students, gauge where they are at, and try to respond to their questions in a way that leads them on the right track but not rickshawing them to the destination.”
One of his nominators describes him as having “a perfect blend of personability and leadership.” Another says, “There is no doubt that he had a large impact on my approach to learning, my success and my career path.”
Morris. Photo: UVic Photo Services Jonathan Morris is a master’s candidate in the School of Child and Youth Care studying a school-based suicide prevention curriculum. Morris has volunteered for the NEED Crisis and Information Line, been a residence advisor, held elected positions in the UVic Students’ Society and the UVic senate, and is the Healthy Minds-Healthy Campuses Project Coordinator for the Canadian Mental Health Association-BC Division.
“I love having lively conversations with students about child and youth care practice,” says Morris. “I am often struck by what the students in my classes teach me about working with children, youth, and their families.”
His nominators praise his commitment to innovative and ethical practice and his supportive and compassionate approach to teaching.
Rowe. Photo: UVic Photo Services James Rowe is a senior instructor in the School of Environmental Studies. His teaching and research interests include environmental politics, alternative economies and social movement politics. He is co-chair of the board of directors of the Victoria Street Newz.
“What I enjoy most about teaching is the creativity,” he says. “The classroom is a creative space where we can collectively experiment with different ideas and spark new approaches to pressing problems. I particularly love teaching because of how much I learn from students.”
“His tireless enthusiasm and relentless hopefulness create a classroom environment that is inspired and inspiring, where students can believe in the possibility of a more socially and ecologically just world,” says one of his nominators. Another says he “creates a trusting classroom environment where students from diverse backgrounds and skill levels feel invited to participate, and where tensions between perspectives are treated as possibility, not conflicts.”
Named in honour of Dr. Andy Farquharson, 3M Teaching Fellow and former director of the UVic Learning and Teaching Centre, the awards are administered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and recognize those who have excelled in teaching during their graduate studies.
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