Dr. Erin Austen, psychology professor and department chair at St. Francis Xavier, is the recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the post-secondary level. Dr. Austen is dedicated to bringing a compassionate and empathy-centered approach to the classroom. She routinely invents new ways for students to engage in her classes and focus on community learning. Her goal is always to create an experience that is meaningful to the student, herself, and the community.
In her applied health course, she asks students to conduct checklist accessibility audits based on building codes and accessibility procedures around the campus. After doing preliminary audits, students were paired with disability partners from the local chapter of the Inclusion Canada (formerly the Canadian Association for Community Living), helping students rethink their initial impressions from a new perspective. “When the partners come in, students can have meaningful interactions while also revisiting the same locations, re-auditing and seeing some of the gaps between the accessibility codes and lived experiences,” explains Austen. “Things become more relevant, and students become more aware of the role we all have to play.”
Across her courses, Dr. Austen is a big believer in project-based assessments. Aside from the accessibility audits, students have developed projects for promoting a healthy campus and created websites identifying various nature locations on and off campus. “Projects are important because they help get students to think about our subject matter and how they can apply what they are learning to create more inclusive spaces, not just regurgitate facts for an exam,” says Dr. Austen. “These projects have an impact on the students, on me, and now on our community.”
Outside the classroom, Dr. Austen has also been a cornerstone of the StFX Teaching and Learning Center, helping to secure funding and resources as Chair of the Faculty Development Committee. Providing resources and professional development, the Teaching and Learning Centre proved more important than ever when the pandemic caused a massive shift to online learning in 2020. “We were focused on how do we support people, and how do we get people thinking about their pedagogy as we transition to this new medium,” recalls Dr. Austen. Nowadays, the committee is working to figure out how they can make the center sustainable and where it fits within all the different facets of the university.
Dr. Austen looks forward to working with the nine other 2024 3M National Teaching Fellows over the next year and into the future. “I’m super excited about working with the other fellows this year because I’ve heard from past fellows that the connection with the other fellows and the opportunity to work together and collaborate is what’s most meaningful.” Dr. Austen’s dedication to community-minded and collaborative practices is only growing, and she is incredibly grateful for the support she has received from colleagues and friends. “I was lucky to have people who were willing to put the time into this nomination package. In our small Maple League institutions, we need champions who come and say: ‘You are doing all this invisible work—it’s impactful work—and we want to support you.’”
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