Terri Peters Appointed as Teaching Fellow to Enhance Studio Culture in Architecture Programs
The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching has proudly unveiled its third cohort of the Teaching Fellows Program, featuring DAS Assistant Professor Terri Peters. Peters, known for her groundbreaking research on the impact of architecture on human well-being, has been appointed to a two-year teaching fellowship from 2024 to 2026.
In her research, Peters delves into the intricate relationship between spaces and human emotions, exploring the experiential qualities that architecture can contribute to enhancing people's well-being. Combining architectural and building science research methods, Peters aims to uncover ways in which design studio spaces, particularly those used in architecture programs, can positively influence student collaboration, productivity, and overall mental health.
During her fellowship, Peters will focus on a project aimed at improving studio culture in architecture programs. Her goal is to understand the dynamics of teaching spaces and how they contribute to student success, emphasizing collaboration and well-being.
The fellowship program, established by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, encourages faculty members to engage with pedagogical issues, challenges, or enhancements over a two-year period. The selected fellows, including Terri Peters, will contribute to the broader understanding of disciplinary teaching, innovative teaching and learning approaches, and pedagogies addressing social justice and inequity.
Peters has been a long standing member of the University’s Teaching and Learning Spaces Working Group, completed a two year course of teaching development instruction in 2021 called the University Teaching Development Program (UTDP), and has been the recipient of two TMU Learning and Teaching Grants from CELT.
Peters' research focuses on the intersections and co-benefits of healthy environments and high performance buildings. She leads several funded research projects including the evaluation of a new health center in Ottawa comparing people’s experience to the project’s design intentions and resource use, and an interdisciplinary project developing researched and illustrated design guidelines for high density housing that prioritizes resident comfort, healthy lighting, and views. She is also a collaborator in a large, multi-year research project with partners from all schools of architecture in Canada analyzing the concept of design quality in Toronto’s waterfront.
As part of her advocacy for healthier buildings, Terri Peters publishes her work in academic journals and presents at international academic conferences, often with DAS Research Assistants that she trains in methods and approaches. She is also encouraging fellow architects to join the cause. She contributed to the recent Canadian Architectural Practices Benchmark Report (external link) where she advocates for collective effort from the architectural community to ensure that our buildings not only stand as impressive feats of design ,but also contribute significantly to health and well-being of their occupants and promote climate justice.
Terri Peters' appointment as a Teaching Fellow is a testament to her commitment to teaching excellence, as shown in her recent Global Learning Award. The DAS community eagerly anticipates the outcomes of her innovative project aimed at enhancing studio culture in architecture programs.