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This year’s Teaching Excellence Award winners, from left to right: Alison Brown, Hamed Aghakhani and Jun Zhou.

A group of faculty, staff, students, and guests gathered to hear heartfelt appreciation of this year’s Teaching Excellence Award winners. The event, sponsored by the Black Family Foundation, is in its 21st year and featured three students introducing faculty who have made a significant impact on their time at Dalhousie.

The audience heard about the different ways that Hamed Aghakhani, Alison Brown and Jun Zhou foster engaging classrooms, and help their students grow valuable skills.

Encouraging students to take risks

Rowan Moore, a Master of Information student, says Alison Brown challenges her students to reflect and to push themselves. Moore says “she always has been one of those people who encourages us to take risks. To get outside of our comfort zone in a way that both builds us, and lets us have personal growth, but also professional growth.”

Jake Paron, who is finishing his BComm, travelled to Brazil with Hamed Aghakhani, as part of the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course. He recalls how Aghakhani adeptly ensured that the class connected with, and learned from, the organizations they visited. Paron says “he was always the first person with his hand up asking interesting questions to the presenter. This engaged the entire class. I can genuinely tell how much he loves teaching and learning from others.”

Bringing energy and enthusiasm to her lectures

Fellow BComm student Lexi Crooks Hurdon has taken multiple courses with Jun Zhou. She says that Zhou prioritizes making connections between course work and the world of finance.

Crooks Hurdon says “her interest and passion in the subject matter is really evident to all her students. It’s a good reminder for all of us that what we're learning is far from theoretical, but oftentimes more complex and nuanced.”

At the end of her speech, Crooks Hurdon also read messages from classmates. One said Zhou “constantly brings enthusiasm and energy to her lectures and is always available to support her students.”

Students deserve a voice

Bill Black, who attended the award ceremony with family, told students how integral their nominations are in determining these awards. He says the awards committee only selects winners who have glowing student recommendations. “You're spending a lot of your time and a lot of your money to get an education, and you deserve a voice,” he says.

Aghakhani, upon receiving his award, acknowledged that he’s grown during his time at Dalhousie, alongside the students he’s teaching.

“I've been here for 10 years as a faculty member. I’m not one of those people who were born as a teacher,” says Aghakhani. “I owe this award to the learning I’ve had from my students.”

Jun Zhou, Alison Brown and Hamed Aghakhani with their students.