News

Dr. Paul Manning was the receipient of the 2024 Early Career Teaching Excellence Award at the Faculty Awards ceremony held on Monday, May 6th. 

Paul has been a tenure-track faculty member in the Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences department since 2021, and has taught many courses in research methods, entomology, conservation biology and a multidisciplinary field course he co-developed and co-teaches.  His teaching style has been described as 'thought provoking and creative'.

Dr. Manning’s teaching philosophy is 'to create equitable and accessible learning environments that empower learners to use their unique skills to solve real-world problems.' This is accomplished through:
 
· Integrating equity, diversity and inclusion throughout all teaching activities

· Minimizing “lecturing” during lectures

· Committing to continuous improvement through training, experimentation, and evaluation

· Building meaningful student-instructor relationships, and

· Embracing the importance of vulnerability within the practice of learning.

Following are statements from some of Dr. Manning’s students and those who work with him:

To put it simply he is a joy to work with. His positive and infectious outlook makes him an ideal co-creator.

One of Dr. Manning’s greatest strengths as an instructor is the unwavering enthusiasm he brings to the subject matter he teaches.

I think he embodies what an academic mentor should be, completely motivated by wanting me to succeed and build skills.

Dr. Manning has participated in a multitude of radio and TV interviews, visited many local schools and community groups, helped with campus field trips and special events such as Community Day. 

He never shies away from an opportunity to teach.

Congratulations Dr. Manning.