“An exceptional teacher, utterly devoted to her students” receives highest teaching honour at McMaster

Congratulations to Nikol Piskuric on receiving the 2024 President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and Learning.

Nikol is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior.

The President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and Learning is the highest distinction for teaching excellence that a faculty member can receive at McMaster University. The award recognizes the sustained contributions of an individual or group to education through innovation, continued excellence in teaching, and enhanced student learning.

In their award nomination, colleagues wrote that Nikol is “an exceptional teacher, utterly devoted to her students, their learning, and their university experience. She is also a generous mentor to countless junior teaching faculty members, providing feedback on their teaching and sharing opportunities to grow and connect with communities of practice.”

Nikol has championed experiential and community-engaged teaching methods, inspiring her peers to follow suit using her courses and assignments as a model. She has also demonstrated her commitment to continuously improving in her teaching practice, soliciting and applying feedback from students and her peers, engaging in professional development activities, and conducting research on teaching and learning.

Her teaching excellence has also been recognized by the McMaster Students Union and the Ontario University Student Alliance.

And as a former student wrote, Nikol’s “commitment to transdisciplinary teaching methods, compassion towards her students, and ability to weave engrossing narratives throughout her course materials make her an exceptional educator and leader in the PNB community. I am immensely grateful for the impact she has had on my education and person.”

This is the third President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and Learning in two years for Science faculty member. Associate Professor (Biology) and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies Rosa da Silva and Assistant Professor (Chemistry and Chemical Biology) Sharonna Greenberg were among the faculty to receive the President’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and Learning in 2023.