Dean's Teaching Award – Faculty (TFA) Recipients

2026 recipients

Areej Al-Hamad

Faculty of Community Services

Dr. Areej Al-Hamad is an exceptional educator whose teaching radiates compassion, intellectual rigor, and transformative impact. She redefines nursing education through inclusive, community-centered pedagogy that bridges scholarship, equity, and humanity. As the architect of innovative courses like PPN 301 and UH 9011, she cultivates critical inquiry, cultural humility, and authentic student engagement. Dr. Al-Hamad’s mentorship empowers students and colleagues alike to find their voice, pursue excellence, and lead with empathy. Her unwavering dedication to fostering belonging and reflective practice has reimagined what learning can be: deeply human, socially conscious, and profoundly inspiring. She genuinely embodies the essence of transformative teaching.

Kristopher Alexander

The Creative School

Dr. Kris Alexander is recognized by Fast Company for teaching "the most popular course at Toronto Metropolitan University" in 2025, scaling the non-mandatory elective RTA 928: Introduction to Game Design to 864 students across 36 disciplines while fostering skills like empathy and iteration. The gender distribution, 43% female, 52.3% male, and 3.9% non-binary, evidences equitable engagement, with 91% retention, stable A- grades, and alumni placements at Ubisoft and Behavior Interactive. Contributions include TA mentoring, curriculum redesign embedding Al ethics, and SoTL research on ethical pedagogy, inspiring transformative, interdisciplinary learning at TMU.

Hasina Amanzai

Faculty of Community Services

Dr. Hasina Amanzai exemplifies teaching excellence through her innovative, compassionate, and equity-driven approach to nursing education. She transforms complex pathophysiology into engaging, clinically relevant lessons using storytelling, visuals, and real-world cases that enhance understanding. Beyond the classroom, she mentors students through research, inclusion, and personal support. Her leadership extends provincially as she develops real-life case scenarios for Ontario’s nine nurse practitioner programs. She also fosters interprofessional communities, offering students from multiple universities opportunities for research and publication training. A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Amanzai inspires excellence, empathy, and lifelong learning, truly deserving of the Dean’s Teaching Award (TFA).

Alyssa Counsell

Faculty of Arts

Dr. Counsell exemplifies teaching excellence through her curricular innovation and student-centered teaching approaches. She is an award-winning instructor of psychology statistics courses and a current Teaching Fellow through the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Dr. Counsell’s compassionate pedagogy has had a transformative impact on students’ mental health and engagement with statistics. Her innovative authentic assessments focus on real-world applications, scaffolding, flexibility, and personalized learning goals. She also employs open education resources and principles of Universal Design for Learning that promote equity and inclusion. Dr. Counsell is a recognized educational leader who advances pedagogy at TMU and beyond.

Okechukwu (Jake) Effoduh

Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Jake Okechukwu Effoduh exemplifies teaching excellence through innovation, empathy, and impact. His courses – which span AI, technology law, and social justice – blend critical theory with experiential learning. Professor Effoduh aims to transform his students into reflective practitioners. Known for pioneering ethical and responsible AI pedagogy and integrating real-world advocacy into the classroom, Effoduh empowers students to lead with integrity and imagination. His mentorship extends beyond the classroom, inspiring research, global engagement, and conferences that advance inclusion and responsible technology. A creative educator and mentor, he is redefining legal education at Toronto Metropolitan University for the digital age.

Owais Lightwala & Ramona Pringle

The Creative School

Ramona Pringle and Owais Lightwala exemplify excellence in teaching and innovation through their visionary leadership, collaborative pedagogy, and commitment to equity and student success. Their groundbreaking Creative School Experience course redefines large-class instruction, integrating hybrid learning, design thinking, and real-world problem-solving to empower 500 first-year students as creative changemakers. By merging creativity, technology, and experiential learning, they model adaptability, agency and lifelong learning in action. Their collaborative efforts democratize access to innovation education, challenge assumptions about scale and engagement, and cultivate a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and resilience, making them outstanding candidates for the Dean’s Teaching Award.

Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan

Ted Rogers School of Management

Dr. Atty Mashatan demonstrates outstanding undergraduate teaching excellence in cybersecurity, a strategically vital and rapidly evolving field. She has designed and implemented three innovative courses that integrate real-world applications, hands-on learning, and emerging technologies, equipping students with critical skills for today’s digital landscape. Her creative teaching strategies foster deep engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while her inclusive approach ensures all students thrive. By connecting theory to practice and inspiring students with applied examples of cybersecurity in everyday life, Dr. Mashatan transforms the learning experience, preparing graduates to excel academically and professionally in a high-demand and strategically important domain.

Rai Reece

Faculty of Arts

Dr. Rai Reece is an accomplished faculty member and associate professor in the department of sociology. She is a passionate interdisciplinary scholar-activist who teaches courses such as SOC 507: Understanding Racism in Canada, SOC: 576 Colonialism and Anti-Blackness, SOC: 705 Law, Justice, and Abolition, and CC 8849: Everyday Abolition: Activism, Practice, and Policy. Her work is also grounded in community-based collaboration, illustrated through her roles as a co-ordinator for the Walls to Bridges program at Toronto Metropolitan University, the National Co-Director at Walls to Bridges, and the chair of the HIV Legal Network.

Reza Samavi

Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

Dr. Reza Samavi, Associate Professor in Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, is celebrated for his continuing teaching excellence and profound educational impact. He cultivates an innovative, inclusive learning environment by integrating his pioneering research in trustworthy and ethical AI into the curriculum, inspiring curiosity and responsible innovation. As a dedicated mentor and leader of TAILab, he empowers and guides students to become future leaders in the field, fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Dr. Samavi’s unwavering commitment to pedagogical creativity, transformative curricular design, and meaningful student engagement exemplifies the outstanding qualities recognized by the Dean’s Teaching Award.

Stephen Sheps

The Creative School

Dr. Stephen Sheps is a deeply compassionate and innovative educator who inspires his students and colleagues through his inclusive, creative, and engaging approach to teaching. He is a dedicated leader in RTA’s Sport Media program, whose thoughtful approach to curriculum design blends theory, technology, and empathy, creating classrooms where curiosity and creativity flourish. His students appreciate his genuine mentorship and his steadfast commitment to equity and accessibility. Dr. Sheps’s teaching and leadership truly reflect TMU’s commitment to transformative student-centred learning and the excellence celebrated by the Dean’s Teaching Award.

Fiona Thomas

Faculty of Arts

Dr. Fiona Thomas is a talented educator who creates a welcoming and inclusive space, where students from all backgrounds are invited to share their perspectives and encouraged to be curious about the perspectives of others. The new required course that Dr. Thomas developed on Culturally-Informed Clinical Practice strives to help Clinical Psychology graduate students develop cultural humility and provide culturally-responsive care to clients from underrepresented and marginalized groups. Dr. Thomas ensures there are a variety of teaching approaches and assessment methods in her courses that take into consideration diverse student interests and learning styles.

Tarushika Vasanthan

Faculty of Science

Dr. Tarushika Vasanthan provides an avant-garde approach to traditional classroom teaching by delivering immersive and interactive learning experiences to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary thinking. She. advocates for underrepresented communities by incorporating evidence-based strategies of equity, diversity and inclusion. Her curricular design includes culturally responsive pedagogies, equitable assessments, team-based learning and use of real-world examples that has strengthened student outcomes and improved student performances. Dr. Vasanthan’s mentorship, which extends beyond the classroom, continues to have a transformative and impactful influence on her students’ professional and personal growth. Dr. Vasanthan personifies educational leadership and is very deserving of the Dean’s Teaching Award.

Xingwei (Nancy) Yang

Ted Rogers School of Management

Dr. Xingwei (Nancy) Yang demonstrates teaching excellence through innovative pedagogy, curriculum design, and mentorship. Dedicated to creative teaching and impactful student development, she helped integrate ProfGPT, a generative AI learning tool, into a core course in the Business Technology Management program, enhancing self-directed and engaged learning. Her leadership in GenAI-enabled teaching was recognized at AMCIS 2025 (Top 25%). She also designed a new elective course that connects real-world applications with collaborative, peer-based learning, which resulted in 12 student-led projects, 2 graduate admissions, and 2 industry internships. Dr. Yang has advised 14 students and served on 9 PhD and MSc committees.

Past recipients