Congratulations to Dr Fenn Stewart, this year’s recipient of the Ian Fairclough Teaching Prize.
Fenn Stewart (PhD York; MA UBC) has been a member of our department since 2014, with excellent teaching evaluations almost right from the start. She teaches both traditional classes and online courses in courses ranging from ENGL 112 (Strategies for University Writing) to ENGL 348 (Shakespeare). Her current research focuses upon literature and culture in Canada, with particular attention to critical race and Indigenous studies approaches.
Fenn is always generous in sharing her expertise and even teaching materials with new faculty members seeking a successful model for course design, and also for University-wide administrative processes like external reviews of programs where ENGL 112 is a requirement. Her course materials represent us very well indeed.
Fenn’s student evaluations are very impressive in all of the formats in which she teaches. ENGL 112 is a course taken by non-Arts students meeting a graduation requirement: not the group from which one might expect stellar student evaluations, but Fenn’s students rank her highly year after year and are full of praise. And typically 80-90% of her students complete the evaluations, so it’s not just her fan club who consistently generate SEoT scores of over 4.5, and as high as 4.7 in first-year composition.
Fenn’s students report on the usefulness of her class and its organization, but most fulsomely on her enthusiasm and the energy that she devotes to creating a supportive, collaborative learning experience in the classroom. They express gratitude for the detailed feedback that she offers on their work and the insights she provides in office hours to help them to develop the skills they will need for success in their programs.
“It is marvellous to spend my days working through the possibilities (and limits) of texts, ideas, and methods with my students and colleagues in the Department of English and the Coordinated Arts Program. At the moment, I’m particularly interested in the challenges that Indigenous studies scholarship poses to traditional academic practices.”
— Fenn Stewart
The Ian Fairclough Teaching Prize is awarded annually to a sessional lecturer in the Department of English and/or the UBC Writing Centre. 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.
In their own words:
This was my first experience of a university level English course and Fenn Stewart made it a great experience. She was always encouraging, helpful, and respectful. Her sense of humour during class discussions coupled with classmates’ suggestions and comments during discussions made for an enjoyable term. I was able to meet with her two times by appointment to go over some pieces of writing. There, she gave me great feedback and I felt motivated to keep trying my best. Overall, I feel like I have learned the tools needed to succeed in writing papers or essays in second year.
Fenn is contagiously energetic and keeps the class engaged through the whole 3 hours [summer term] by mixing up the activities. Also, she gives clear and precise tips on how to write a proper academic paper and how to organize our thoughts so that they are true to the actual meanings we want to communicate.
Overall, her teaching style and personality makes me want to become a better writer and encourages me to think critically.
She is very passionate about the course and how she teaches it. I have been told by students that have previously taken the course that it is not the most exciting; however, she really goes out of her way to make it an exceptional class.
Fenn did an amazing job making me interested in this English course. I’ve never really been a fan on English as a class, but Fenn’s teaching style, and helpful guidance helped me achieve so much in this lecture, and made me far more interested in English at a university level. She was always very interesting to listen to, and it was an absolute pleasure to be taught by her.
I really enjoyed English class. Although I’m a science student, I liked English more than all my other science courses. Fenn encouraged us to discuss, and she presented new ways to think about writing in a really interesting way. She is always willing to make appointments and answer long emails, which has been greatly helpful. I really appreciate her taking the time to help us.
Professor Stewart was always energetic and very well prepared for class. Although I did not enjoy highschool english, I found Professor Stewart’s clear expectations and instructions very refreshing. She was always accomidating to meet outside of the classroom. I believe her dedication to her students and extra effort to make class interesting is why I enjoyed this English course significantly more than my highschool English courses.
Best English teacher I ever had! Fenn consistently dazzled the class with her masterful use of the English language
Dr. Stewart was one of the best profs I have had while at UBC and I have really enjoyed taking her class. I was quite nervous to take English in university, but she has been extremely helpful and readily available. Her class is always interesting and engaging due to her positive attitude and great teaching skills. Dr. Stewart has done an amazing job of connecting with us as a class and making the material relatable. I would definitely recommend her course to other UBC students!
Fenn Stewart (PhD York; MA UBC) has been a member of our department since 2014, with excellent teaching evaluations almost right from the start. She teaches both traditional classes and online courses in courses ranging from ENGL 112 (Strategies for University Writing) to ENGL 348 (Shakespeare). Her current research focuses upon literature and culture in Canada, with particular attention to critical race and Indigenous studies approaches.
