An inspiring educator who finds ways to challenge her students while complementing their knowledge, new media professor Leanne Elias (BFA ’95, MEd ’03) is this year’s recipient of the Board of Governors Teaching Chair.
Elias plans to develop and deliver a series of interdisciplinary workshops for both undergraduate and graduate students with the goal of understanding how teaching changes when working with multiple disciplines and how students are impacted. While Board of Governors Teaching Chair, she also intends to bring together a community of practice for interdisciplinary teaching.
Elias will be presented with her award during the University’s fall convocation ceremonies.
Leanne Elias
As a professor of new media, Leanne Elias not only inspires students to think creatively in her graphic design courses, she also approaches her teaching creatively, always finding ways to challenge students and complement their knowledge. She encourages them to explore and experiment with new media tools while focusing on relevant ideas.
Elias ensures her students have opportunities to maximize their learning through extra-curricular activities related to the profession. Twice she has led student fundraising activities to enable attendance at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Focused on emerging creative technologies, the festival draws the best creative minds in the world.
In addition, she has co-facilitated several interdisciplinary workshops for the Faculty of Fine Arts and was instrumental in bringing a series of award-winning animations to Lethbridge. Elias has also been a champion for the importance of teaching development in the University community. In 2012-2013, she was awarded a Teaching Fellowship from the University’s Advancement for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Elias has become a facilitator for the Instructional Skills Workshop, a course designed to enhance teaching effectiveness for both new and experienced educators.