We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Sylvia Bascou-Vallarino was awarded the Killam Teaching Prize for 2021/2022. The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence in teaching.
Dr. Sylvia Bascou-Vallarino is a lecturer in French and has taught at UBC since 2001. During her 21 years of teaching at UBC, she has established herself as one of the most dedicated language teachers in the Department.
As the sole developer of FREN 346, “French at Work”, Dr. Bascou-Vallarino has been extremely active in promoting experiential and community engaged learning at UBC. FREN 346 is a language course that gives students the linguistic skills to interact in a French-speaking workplace—from learning the appropriate etiquette to interact with colleagues and higher ranking employees in a respectful manner, to applying for bilingual job positions, writing a CV and cover letter, and participating in job interviews and job fairs in French. This course includes a Community-Based Experiential Learning component whose main objective is to increase understanding of how community engaged learning adds value to community partners and the student’s learning process.
Her excellent teaching skills and dedication have been recognized by the undergraduate students who have taken her courses and given her strong evaluations, by colleagues at Arts ISIT and at the Centre for Community Engaged Learning with whom she has collaborated extensively, and by the many academic colleagues who have witnessed firsthand the remarkable impact that she has in the classroom and beyond.
