Teaching and Learning Excellence

The Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a continued record of excellence in teaching students and future alumni of Acadia University with a focus on the faculty member’s professional and teaching accomplishments. Candidates for this award must be current full-time, part-time or contract members of the teaching faculty and have taught at Acadia University for at least three years.

• External Nomination deadline: November 30, annually. View the external Nomination Form
• Internal Nomination deadline: January 31, annually. View the Internal Nomination Form

Every year, the Acadia Students’ Union recognizes the top professors and Teaching Assistants of the past year through the ASU Teaching Recognition Awards.  

Below are the criteria and nomination forms for both awards:  

• Awarded to Professors or Instructors known for their outstanding teaching ability, as well as their dedication to the development of their students.  
• Any professor or instructor may be nominated. 
• They must be nominated by a student, for whom it is their responsibility to submit the name of the professor, as well as a write-up about the reason for the nomination. 

The Faculty of Arts Awards are given to inspirational and exceptional Faculty annually.   

The Faculty Awards - Faculty of Professional Studies recognizes a nominated individual in excellence in university teaching, characterized by a proven commitment to enhanced student engagement and learning, a reflective and intentional approach to teaching practices, and dedication to teaching improvement. This award recognizes excellence in university teaching over a minimum of three years in the Faculty of Professional Studies. 

Faculty members of Pure and Applied Science are nominated yearly; Contact your Head or Director for more information.

The 3M National Teaching Fellowship is Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the post-secondary level. 

In 1986, the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada partnered to recognize exceptional contributions to teaching and learning in Canadian post-secondary education. The community of 3M National Teaching Fellows embodies the highest ideals of teaching excellence and scholarship with a commitment to encourage and support the educational experience of every learner. Up to 10 Fellows are selected annually. 

The D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning, sponsored by D2L (Desire2Learn), celebrates and recognizes up to five post-secondary collaborative teams each year for their innovative approaches that promote student-centred teaching and learning.

2024 Recipients of the AAU Regional Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Educational Leadership Announced

Established in 1964, the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) is a voluntary association of the 16 universities in the Atlantic region and in the West Indies which offer programmes leading to a degree or have degree-granting status. The AAU represents the interests of universities across the region, ensuring public visibility for the important role they play in preparing future leaders of our communities, in path-breaking research and innovation, and in contributing to the economic prosperity of life in Atlantic Canada. The AAU also provides a forum where university executive heads reflect, consult and collaborate on all aspects of the whole university; define common objectives and positions; develop strategies to promote, collectively and co-operatively, the highest ideals of post-secondary education; and exercise leadership to promote the objectives of the collective. One of the fundamental roles of our association is to create greater awareness and understanding of the important contribution of universities to the social and economic development of the Atlantic Provinces.

Up to two awards for Distinguished Teaching will be made annually that recognize excellence in university teaching over a number of years, primarily at the undergraduate level.

Past Award Winners from Acadia: