Adrienne Wright receives the 2015 William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Not much has changed since the first time Adrienne Wright stood in front of a class in 1997.
"I remember thinking, 'Oh my god, I love this!' It did not feel like work to me. It felt exciting, and I knew straight away that I wanted to be involved in teaching from just one lecture," she recounts with a smile.
At the time, Wright was a PhD student in the University of Alberta's Department of Pharmacology, studying under the supervision of Wendy Gati, whose suggestion that Wright try teaching arguably changed Wright's career path: when she began her postdoctoral fellowship soon after, she realized that she was no longer enjoyed research as much. Shortly thereafter, she became involved in sessional teaching.
On May 21, Wright received the William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at the 2015 University of Alberta Awards for Teaching Excellence award ceremony. The award honours educators who, among other traits, instil enthusiasm and critical thinking in students.
Wright, who will be promoted from teaching associate professor to teaching professor in July, teaches Biochemistry 200, 310 and 401, and discovery learning in endocrinology and oncology. In addition to teaching, she also co-ordinates Biochemistry 200 and 401, and the study abroad program, which provides students with the opportunity to study in Germany and England.
"I really expect the students to be able to think for themselves," she says of her teaching style. "I try to teach them not be fearful of expressing themselves so they don't just listen all the time and write down everything I'm saying.
"It's trying to teach them to think for themselves, test their ideas, see if it fits in with the knowledge they have and get them to not be afraid to do that-and to not be afraid to be wrong. Students are often afraid to be wrong these days. It's about getting that confidence in yourself so that you are not afraid to think outside the box and possibly get an unexpected answer. You need to be able to move forward with this knowledge and continue working on the problems that need to be solved."
In addition to Wright, Jerome Melancon at the Augustana Campus and Yumi Sieben in the Faculty of Arts also received the William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award ceremony. Other award recipients for the evening include Brian Maraj in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and Masoud Ardakani in the Faculty of Engineering, who received the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and Dominic Sauvageau in the Faculty of Engineering, who received the Provost's Award for Early Achievement of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.