At the Annual Teaching Excellence Award (ATEA) ceremony held on 28 April 2009, 45 faculty members were honoured for their outstanding performance, dedication and commitment to teaching. They received their awards from Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Prof Tan Eng Chye.

Another event highlight was the Outstanding Educator Award (OEA) Public Lectures, presented by Assoc Prof Goh Say Song and Assoc Prof Kenneth Paul Tan. Assoc Prof Goh gave a stimulating lecture where he shared his thoughts on the multiple roles university educators take on to inspire students to be active and independent learners. His lecture was peppered with examples of strategies he adopted to help students reach their full learning potential, such as the “bottomup” approach to make abstract mathematical concepts concrete and accessible.

Assoc Prof Tan’s presentation was just as thought provoking. He emphasised the importance of equipping students not just with knowledge and technical competence, but also the capacity for philosophically informed critical thought, to guard against the dangers of uncritical pragmatism. He shared examples of projects he devised which challenged students to adopt an action-oriented approach to imaginatively apply the knowledge they have acquired, from 24-hour “takeaway exams” to case studies and role-play sessions.

From the lectures, it is clear that both OEA winners are commited to nurturing active learners and are truly inspiring educators.