Concordia University professor among best in Canada

Version française

Montreal, February 13, 2014 - The chair of the Département d'études françaises at Concordia University, Philippe Caignon, has been awarded a 3M National Teaching Fellowship in celebration of his dedication to teaching, learning and educational leadership in Canada.

The Fellowship was created in 1986, when the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M Canada joined together with the goal of rewarding exceptional contributions to teaching and learning at Canadian universities. The community of 3M National Teaching Fellows is now nationally renowned for its commitment to enhancing the educational experience of students across the country.

"This honour is a reflection of Concordia’s commitment to providing our students with the most stimulating classroom experience," says Alan Shepard, president and vice-chancellor of Concordia. "Our faculty members are dedicated to their teaching practice and creative in communicating their passion for learning."

Caignon received a PhD in linguistics and a Master’s in translation from Université de Montréal. He joined Concordia in 1999, and in the past decade has taking an active role in curriculum development within his department. Concordia’s Département d’études françaises is the only one of its kind in Canada, covering the three pillars of its field, language, literature and translation, within its programs of study.

Caignon’s extensive service with a number of professional organizations also helps ensure his students are kept up to date on the latest developments within the field of language studies and translation. Caignon has notably worked for the International Organisation for Standardization and been a member of the editorial board of Circuit, the official publication of l’Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec.

“My students accomplishments are a tremendous source of inspiration to me,” says Caignon. “Their inquiries will often lead me to an unexplored facet of pedagogy that has occasionally become a subject of research.”

A certified terminologist and translator, Caignon has also encouraged his students to publish their work via articles, blogs or TermWiki. “They continually exceed my expectations on these tasks,” says Caignon. “Working on concrete examples and making that work public establishes an essential link between theory and practice and allows my students to compare their findings with those of language professionals.”

Rather than a cash prize, the 3M National Teaching Fellowship allows new winners from across the country to gather together for a special retreat. There, they engage in in-depth discussions on teaching and learning and form lasting connections with one another as they strive to find innovative ways to improve university education in Canada.