Professionals Making A Difference
As the Senior Lab Coordinator for the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, Stefan works with about 400 pupils each year. In February, Stefan received the prestigious Gilian Sherwin Alumni Award for Excellence in 
Teaching from the University of Victoria Alumni and Friends for his continuous commitment to his students:
What brought you to your current position? I did my MSc. here at the University in 2001, and I absolutely fell in love with teaching. I originally completed my graduate studies hoping to work with elite athletes, but my passion shifted as I worked as a TA. This job opened when I was almost finished my degree and I was lucky enough to be the successful applicant.
What does your job involve? As the lab coordinator, my job is a mix of instruction and administration. I teach half of our anatomy labs and oversee the rest. We ran 22 labs this year alone. The coursework we teach is very involved and students often say it is the hardest they’ve enrolled in, so we take a very open approach to learning and encourage students to speak with us about any hurdles they may face during their work.
When you say we, who are you referring to? Although I am the sole coordinator for this lab, I have the pleasure of overseeing five Master’s-level TAs who also instruct students through human anatomy coursework. Additionally, there are 22 lab assistants who are mostly volunteer second, third, and fourth year undergraduate students.
If the coursework is so hard, how do you get students to become excited about their work? That’s exactly why we try and foster such an open learning environment. This lab is open for eleven two-hour labs each week and an additional 37 hours a week for drop-in study time. There’s always at least one of us here to assist students with their lab work. We really want to create a supportive environment for students to ensure they succeed.
About three weeks into the courses, we make sure we’ve sat down one-on-one with each student and see how they’re handling the workload. We’ll do what we can to make sure students get the most out of their experience with us and encourage things like study partners to help with their grasping of the material.
Why do you think such heavy courses are so popular among students fresh out of high school? I think the main reason is because the material is so inherently interesting. You’re learning about your own amazing body. The coursework is hard, but a lot of fun. We ask for feedback from students after they complete the course, and the trend usually shows students putting the most effort into our classes, but also getting the most out of it.
What does the administration part of your job involve? During May and June, I often take care of the little odds-and-ends involved with the lab – ordering new equipment, updating our teaching and lab manuals, fixing and cleaning the skeletons, etc. There’s a lot of administration involved with instructing our students as well, such as ordering fresh preparations for dissection and dealing with students who miss labs for various reasons.
Can you speak on the Gilian Sherwin Award you just received? The director of our school approached me asking if I would be interested in being nominated, an honour in itself. The award distinguishes people who strive to teach well and who want students to benefit as much as possible from their time here at UVic. There are a lot of deserving individuals at the University who make a long-lasting impact on hundreds of students’ lives. It’s great when eight years after teaching someone, you run into them and find out what an impact you’ve actually had on their future and career.
For me personally, this award is a reflection of a lot of people – especially my colleagues and the lab staff over the years here at UVic. I share this honour with all of them.
What do you like to do outside of work? I try to keep fit by playing hockey regularly and enjoy running. I also lead a Bible study at my church every week – which is pretty much another form of teaching!
