Excellence in Teaching Prize Winner

Dr. Fok-Shuen Leung

University of British Columbia

After earning a D.Phil. in Mathematics at Oxford University in 2008, Dr. Leung taught at the University of Waterloo for two years before joining the faculty at UBC. There he immersed himself in a wide range of teaching and curriculum projects, which led to Killam Teaching Prizes in 2012 and 2022, as well as the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences Education prize in 2020. In that same year, he was promoted to the rank of Professor of Teaching, the highest rank in the (tenured) Educational Leadership track at UBC.

Making the Grade

For most of our undergraduate students, the last -- and most lasting -- communication they will receive from us is the one telling them their course grade. What does a grade mean? What do we want it to mean? And if there's a difference between the two responses, can we find some way to bridge the gap? In this talk, I'll propose some answers and suggest one way forward.