MacEwan University’s Teaching Awards celebrate faculty members who provide exceptional learning environments for their students. This year, three faculty members will receive the Early Career Teaching Excellence Award.
“These awards allow us to celebrate the faculty members who are just starting their careers and are already exemplifying the greatness that MacEwan stands for, as well as those who are setting trends and helping their fellow faculty members to succeed in new ways,” says Dr. Craig Monk, provost and vice-president, Academic. “We’re excited to be able to present these hard-working faculty members with the recognition they deserve.”
The awards will be presented as part of the Fall Convocation ceremonies in November.
Meet the recipients
Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Assistant professor, music
An award-winning and JUNO-nominated producer and sound engineer, Padraig Buttner-Schnirer began his MacEwan teaching career in 2019 at the launch of the recording and production major in the Bachelor of Music program. He provides work-integrated learning opportunities and engages students by tailoring lessons and assignments to fit their interests. Padraig also partners with professional musicians, recording studios, and MacEwan’s own Bent River Records to provide hands-on experience and internships for his students.
Sheena Rossiter
Assistant professor, communications
Beginning her MacEwan teaching career as a sessional instructor in 2019, Sheena Rossiter continues to show her dedication to her students in her role as an assistant professor and head of media production. She provides her students with hands-on learning opportunities that reflect the real-world environments they’ll be entering when they graduate. Students in her classrooms encounter a collaborative environment with a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. Rossiter has personally mentored 40 students through internships and other projects in the university’s TV studio since beginning her position as an assistant professor, and she has also sought personal mentorship from other MacEwan professors to ensure she’s on track to become the type of faculty leader she aspires to be.
Dr. Kaitlyn Towle
Assistant professor, chemistry
Dr. Kaitlyn Towle wants her students to embrace their mistakes as tools for learning. She creates a safe environment for students to try – and sometimes fail – and to grow from the experience. She has worked to evaluate the scope and sequence of the introductory chemistry curriculum through a comparative analysis of similar programs across Canada. Through this research, she hopes to contribute to the design of new course formats that will help address the sequencing within the current chemistry program. She is also helping to proactively plan for the growth of our student population through the development of new dry laboratory experiments that will allow for increased student enrollment within introductory chemistry and help ensure that students have the best possible experience.ing resources for other instructors.