The University of Saskatchewan says Professor Dr. Loleen Berdahl (PhD) has received the 3M National Teaching Fellowship which is the most prestigious national teaching award in Canada. She is also the first woman from USask to receive the award.

Berdahl is executive director of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School (JSGS) of Public Policy and professor in the USask College of Arts and Science political studies department.

In a news release Berdahl says a big part of the award is educational leadership and to that end she has been trying to think about and reimagine the University of Saskatchewan’s programming to make sure it is working for students.

One of her former students wrote in a nomination letter that Berdahl encourages active participation by all students “ensuring inclusion of diverse voices in classroom discussions.” Kristen Samson says Professor Berdahl starts each class session with a description of learning outcomes for the day and ends each session by dedicating two minutes to student reflection which left her with a clear understanding of the day’s teachings.