The Department of English Language & Literatures is delighted to announce Tara Fleming as the 2017 – 2018 Fairclough prize winner. Tara is the first ever two-time winner of the prize, which she first was awarded in 2009.
The Ian Fairclough Teaching Prize is awarded annually to a sessional lecturer in the Department of English. The Prize was established in 1996 as a memorial to Ian W. Fairclough (1951-1995), who obtained his BA (Hons.) and MA in the Department of English, and taught as a sessional lecturer for a number of years both in the Department of English and in the UBC Writing Centre.
This second awarding of the Fairclough Prize recognizes Tara Fleming as a teacher who has done outstanding work for well over a decade in the Department of English Language & Literatures. She teaches ENGL 112 (Strategies for University Writing) exclusively and exceptionally well, receiving high praise from her students. This is a remarkable achievement in any teaching, but particularly so for a course that is required, rather than chosen by its students, all of whom are from outside of the Faculty of Arts, and so might not universally be expected to be lovers of English Studies from the start.
She was outstanding in her commitment to student learning, being available on email and extending her office hours much later than expected! Excellent professor.
As one student put it, the course was “Very effective but difficult. I was never ‘an English person’ but I enjoyed the class a lot and it’s my favourite English class ever.” Another writes, “Even though the course and the workload itself was very tough, I have to say, it was the first English that I actually enjoyed and learned something. I really loved the discussions because it was relatable (topics like digital literacy) and I actually was able to contribute. Also, I am sure everything I learned will be very useful in the coming years. And this is all thanks to my great professor!!”
Students emphasize particularly Tara’s commitment to their learning and the time she spends beyond the classroom providing feedback and supporting their work:
*“She was outstanding in her commitment to student learning, being available on email and extending her office hours much later than expected! Excellent professor.”
*“She gave the most effective and detailed writing feedback I ever received from a teacher in my life.”
*“She provided amazing feedback on my work and was accessible through email appointments and office hours. I’ve never had any professor who’s as caring as she is.”
Students also commented on Tara’s excellent course design, with collaborative discussion and assignments scaffolded with a series of smaller projects: “Professor Fleming’s ability to make the class engaging and the course content interesting was highly appreciated. Additionally, the way the course was organized meant the workload was spread evenly throughout the semester, and it was not at all difficult to keep up with the class.”
Tara Fleming has also contributed to teaching beyond her own classroom with her service on the First-year English Committee.
We congratulate her on this award and thank her for her outstanding work for our students.
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