Dr. Diane Symbaluk is no stranger to being recognized for her dedication to students. She’s MacEwan’s only 3M National Teaching Fellowship winner, was twice recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Award and has now been named the inaugural Teaching Leadership Award recipient.

The Teaching Leadership Award was created to recognize outstanding leadership and dedication to not only teaching, but to improving teaching and learning opportunities at an institutional, disciplinary, community or societal level.

“I’m thankful that MacEwan recognizes that I have continued to strive for teaching excellence in each and every class, and that I have endeavoured every day of my career to share what I have learned beyond my classroom,” says Dr. Symbaluk.

The professor of sociology’s story at MacEwan begins nearly three decades ago, when she started as a term lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences in 1995. She was originally one of only two lecturers who taught sociology courses. In the years that followed, Dr. Symbaluk was instrumental in establishing the Department of Sociology, from hiring and peer-reviewing faculty to creating courses and programming. 

“Once sociology became its own department, I assisted in the development of the Bachelor of Arts sociology major, in the creation of areas of specialization and in the development of our honours program,” says Dr. Symbaluk. She’s continued developing new courses throughout the years to support the growth of the Department of Sociology, most recently creating a senior 400-level seminar on organized crime in Canada.

Her expertise in her field and dedication to teaching has earned her a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, which recognizes teaching excellence and educational leadership. The honour, she says, helped her find like-minded peers to complete research with.

“Your 3M cohort rejuvenates you and reminds you of why you continue to do what you do, because they're just as deeply student-centred and committed to student success and pushing the envelope as you are,” she says. She is now co-leading an incubator project at MacEwan, offering mentorship to faculty whose professional development includes plans to prepare a 3M application. 

Dr. Symbaluk is also a member of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) community within the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Her dedication to SoTL is most evident in her research, which is focused on traits that describe exemplary instructors, resources that facilitate and support teaching practices, and guides for helping students succeed in the social sciences.

“Educational leaders contribute to workshops and share resources because they recognize the impacts of those resources on the successes of instructors, students and the discipline more broadly,” says Dr. Symbaluk.

She’s released an impressive 30 peer-reviewed publications – including 14 books, in which she has authored 43 chapters – and published an additional 43 pedagogical resources including articles containing teaching tips, instructor manuals, PowerPoints, lab activities and test banks designed to support other teachers, as well as study diagnostics and chapter resources aimed at facilitating student engagement and progress. She’s also given talks and interactive workshops on educational leadership, and is currently researching the topic further with Drs. Tiffany Potter (University of British Columbia) and Dave Andrews (University of Windsor). Their large-scale project examines how educational leadership is currently defined and enacted at universities across Canada.

Even with so many accolades and accomplishments, Dr. Symbaluk remains focused on her students’ needs above all else.

“Being student-centred means focusing on students; accounting for their perspectives, skill sets, interests and needs within a given course and program.”

She demonstrates her commitment to students in a variety of ways, including providing continual direction and feedback. She makes it a point to grade and return assignments with urgency and detailed feedback while the content is still fresh in students’ minds, and regularly receives reviews and informal feedback from students who appreciate this priority.

Outside of the classroom, she has other markers for her success as an educator. Dr. Symbaluk mentors former students so they can disseminate research originating in earlier classes for additional professional development.

“Graduate programs in sociology prioritize applicants with research experience,” she explains. “I am now at a point in my career where I practice ‘mentoring onward,’ directing much of my leadership efforts towards helping students get into graduate studies or secure employment with a competitive advantage.”

So how does she balance all of her teaching, research, mentorship and leadership projects? Dr. Symbaluk says that an ancient Chinese proverb has become her personal mantra: “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.”