The Lethbridge Polytechnic Faculty Association and Lethbridge Polytechnic Students’ Association are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Teaching Excellence Awards. Karl Rejman, General Arts and Science instructor, was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award, while Emily Van Dasselaar, Engineering Design Technology instructor, was named Rookie of the Year. The Teaching Excellence Awards are determined by students, with over 120 nominations submitted this year.
Rejman holds a Master of Arts in philosophy along with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Management. He began his career working with accessibility offices in Alberta post-secondary schools, eventually joining Lethbridge Polytechnic as an assistive technologist in Accessibility Services. In that role, he supported students by identifying and implementing technologies to meet their accessibility needs.
Rejman’s transition to the classroom began with a single ethics course and quickly grew into a passion for teaching. Over time he shifted fully into instruction, teaching courses in both the Centre for Business, Arts and Sciences and the Centre for Justice and Human Services where he helped create and teach courses on ethics and critical thinking.
For the past five years, he has been a full-time instructor who values creating inclusive, supportive learning environments.
“I am able to do what I do because of how much students give to me,” says Rejman. “Lethbridge Polytechnic is a community garden. Tend the garden and harvest what you need, knowing that what you get from the garden was made by many hands and much effort. It is together with love we can learn and change ourselves and the world for the better.”
Van Dasselaar graduated from the Engineering Design and Drafting program in 2013 and this year she came full circle by returning to the program – only this time as an instructor.
After spending more than 13 years working at Alvin Fritz Architect Inc., Van Dasselaar developed a strong passion for building design and detailing, along with a desire to share that passion with future drafters. She strongly believes that one of the best ways to learn something is by doing it, not just watching someone else complete the work.
Throughout her courses, she has been able to draw on her extensive experience in commercial architecture to enrich the classroom experience and support student learning.
While she expected to enjoy the teaching side of the role, she was pleasantly surprised by how much she loved getting to know her students, and helping them succeed in their assignments, scheduling and tests.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to witness this group of students grow in both their knowledge and confidence in building design and drafting,” says Van Dasselaar. “Supporting their learning journey and getting to know each of them has been a truly meaningful experience, and I am deeply honored to have been nominated for this award.”
Rejman and Van Dasselaar will be celebrated at a Teaching Excellence Awards ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 16 in The Cave (CE1300).