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Two TWU educators celebrated for ‘distinguished’ and ‘innovative’ teaching

A Langley university honours a pair of teachers during virtual grad ceremonies this month
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During a pandemic year, teaching well can be extra challenging.

That’s why it is more special than ever that two Trinity Western University professors won the Davis Distinguished Teaching Award and the Provost Innovative Teaching Award.

Nominations were received from students and faculty earlier this year, and the winners were announced at TWU’s virtual graduation ceremony this month.

Chadron M. Friesen, a professor of chemistry, is winner of the 2020 Davis Distinguished Teaching Award.

Friesen was recognized for his “superior” teaching, including the ability to “provide stimulating engagement and enhance transformational growth.”

Friesen has been teaching chemistry at TWU since 2000.

An expert in fluorine chemistry, Friesen was recently recruited for a U.S. Air Force special project to work on aerospace materials.

Friesen was commended for being “creative and flexible, always re-inventing and adapting classroom demonstrations,” said Laurie Matthias, associate provost of teaching and learning.

One of Friesen’s students said of him: “He is one of the most passionate and engaging professors I have encountered during my time at TWU. He explains an abstract concept using relevant and memorable analogies, while also maintaining technical proficiency and abstract understanding.”

Another student said: “He is creative in the way he engages students and forces them to become critical thinkers.”

In the meantime, Nina Pak Lui, assistant professor of education at TWU, won the 2020 Provost Innovative Teaching Award for scholarly experimentation and innovation.

Lui was celebrated for “tirelessly researching, creating, developing, and adapting new methods to improve and enrich student learning.”

Her students said that she is “constantly researching and making changes to her teaching strategy, lecture delivery, assessment, and educational transparency. She’s adopted new ways of teaching and actively searches for the best content and the best way to deliver her content.”

Lui has been teaching at TWU since 2015 in the school of education, where she trains and inspires future teachers.

Lui was commended for her “fresh ideas, passion for and commitment to excellence, and deep and genuine care for students,” said Allyson Jule, the dean of the school of education.

“Lui is passionate about connecting theory and practice. She has been an active and emerging scholar in the field of assessment,” Jule elaborated.

“She connects with other experts in the field through an active social media presence and networking with partner schools and teachers. She has a broad sense of the education community in B.C. and Canada.”

Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a Christian liberal arts university. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture.

It has five campuses and locations, including the primary headquarters on Glover Road in Langley, plus two operations in Richmond, a campus in Ottawa, and another in Bellingham, Wash.

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Nina Pak Lui and Chad Friesen are two TWU teachers who were recognized for their excellence in their professions during this month’s virtual grad ceremonies. (Special to Langley Advance Times)