Louder Voices, Broader Visions:
Living the New Story of Teaching and Learning

In what practical ways can universities and colleges strengthen the teaching and learning environments in their organizations?

Chair:
Dr. Doreen Neville, Associate Vice-President (Academic), Memorial University of Newfoundland

The newest member of senior administration at Memorial University, Dr. Neville has just this month taken up her duties as Associate Vice-President (Academic). Besides holding a B.Sc. (Nursing, MUN)), a M.Sc. (Nursing, UT), she also holds a M.Sc. (Health Services Administration) and a Sc.D. (Health Policy and Management) from Harvard University. She is presently an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Humanities in the Faculty of Medicine and is the administrative lead for the e-Health Research Unit of the Faculty of Medicine. She is a principal in the four-university collaborative degree program known as the Atlantic Regional Training Centre in Applied Health Services Research. Dr. Neville is highly respected as a committed and caring teacher, and is known for her energy and determination, her organizational skills, collaborative and consultative manner, clear vision, and strategic thinking.

Panel Members:

Dr. Michael Collins, Associate Vice-President (Academic), Memorial University of Newfoundland

Originally educated in England, Dr. Collins has taught at Memorial University since 1969, most of that time in the Department of Biology. A full professor, he was Director of General Studies from 1988 to 1994 and became Associate Vice-President (Academic) in June 2001. In addition to being an active researcher, he has distinguished himself in the areas of teaching excellence and in educational leadership. In 1996 he was the winner of Memorial University's President's Award for Distinguished Teaching and in 1998 was named a 3M Teaching Fellow. Throughout his career, Dr. Collins has been a pioneer in the uses of computers in teaching and learning. He developed the university's first computer-based courses (1984), first course electronic bulletin board (1994), and first web-based course (1996). He has given presentations on teaching at numerous national and international conferences, and his work has been published in a wide variety of educational journals.

Dr. Georg Gunther, Professor, Division of Science, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Dr. Gunther, a professor of mathematics, has been employed since 1977 in the Division of Science at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, the provincial west-coast campus of Memorial University. He has held various administrative positions at the College, exerting powerful leadership influence in program development on that campus. Dr. Gunther is known as an outstanding teacher. In 1994, he won Memorial University's President's Award for Distinguished Teaching and in that same year also garnered the Association of Atlantic Universities' Distinguished Teacher Award. In 2005 he was honoured with a 3M Teaching Fellowship. Under his leadership, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College began a program of Supplemental Instruction (SI) that targets "high risk" courses and then trains student leaders to offer peer support. Dr. Gunther shepherded the project, and through his workshops and presentations across the country has become a leading advocate for Supplemental Instruction.

Dr. Shannon Murray, Professor, Department of English, University of Prince Edward Island

Educated at Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta, and holding an MA and PhD in English Literature of the Late Renaissance, Dr. Murray is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Prince Edward Island. In 1997, she was recognized by UPEI with the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2001 was awarded a 3M Teaching Fellowship. Her infectious enthusiasm for teaching is grounded in an academic rigor which has deeply affected the lives of many of her students. She is an innovator who is prepared to take risks in implementing new, carefully considered ideas and sharing the results of these efforts by way of a learning community program called First Year Advantage which is designed to help students succeed in their transition year. A past Director of Faculty Development at UPEI, she has also been very active in a variety of workshops on teaching and learning within UPEI and in learned societies including the STLHE. She co-chaired the annual STLHE conference in 2005.