Aline Germain-Rutherford, director of the Centre for University Teaching at the University of Ottawa, has been awarded the 2005 3M Teaching Fellowship.
Since 1986, 3M Canada, in conjunction with the Society for Teaching and Leadership in Higher Education, recognizes up to 10 outstanding Canadian university professors annually. The 3M Teaching Fellowship is Canada's only national, interdisciplinary teaching award, which recognizes teaching excellence as well as educational leadership. The award includes a citation and an invitation to participate in a three-day retreat at Château Montebello in Quebec.
Germain-Rutherford is best known for her involvement in the creation of the Institute for the Advancement of Teaching in Higher Education. The Institute, which brings together educational developers, award-winning teachers, educational associations and institutions, as well as private-sector corporations, was inaugurated in February during the Teaching, Learning and Technology conference at the University.
She is a second-language education specialist who earned her doctorate from the Sorbonne. For the past twenty years, she has specialized in the creation of interactive learning environments using a unique blend of international collaborative research. Her research has also led to the development of speech technology that helps students learn French online. This technology is now being used by undergraduate students in Canada, France and the United States.
