The Niagara College Student Administrative Council (NCSAC) has announced that Marsha Baddeley, a full-time professor in the School of Media Studies, and part-time School of Nursing professor Jeffrey Ko have been named Niagara College’s 2021-2022 Educators of the Year.
For nearly 20 years, two educators — one full-time and one part-time — have been selected for the award from nominations received by students. The award recognizes significant contributions to the education of Niagara College students.
Baddeley joined Niagara College in 2000 after wrapping up her first career as a counsellor therapist at Niagara University in Western New York. She teaches Contemporary Storage Systems Programming and the Art of Script Programming in the computer programming and computer programming analysis programs.
“Back when I was a counsellor therapist, PCs were just coming out and I was given some responsibilities — as part of my job — to do some administrative work,” Baddeley recalled of her first introduction to working with computers. “At that time, you had to figure everything out, and I just loved it. I was ready for a career change and so I think that curiosity led me to explore becoming a computer programmer. So I left my job and re-educated myself, and I was lucky enough after a short while out to get a teaching job.”
Nominators praised Baddeley’s unique teaching approach, her dedication to teaching, and the way she’s able to engage everyone in her sessions.
“Marsha is everything that student dreams about how a teacher should be,” wrote one student. “She is smart, dedicated and passionate about teaching. She is capable of having all of her students actively participating during all the sessions at the same time she is doing a live demo, finding solutions, and answer questions at once. She does everything a teacher should do in order to have a rich and enjoyable learning experience.”
Wrote another: “The first thing you notice [when you’re] being instructed by Marsha is her kindness and how much she cares about her students. She wants everyone to succeed. She never makes you feel silly for asking any question and is always willing to take the time to make sure everyone understands core concepts.”
Being selected by her students for an Educator of the Year award “means the world,” Baddeley said. “Their experience matters so much to me, and to think that there was meaning and fun in the classroom, that’s all I need to know.”
Part-time faculty member and registered nurse Jeffrey Ko joined the college in 2017. He previously worked for Niagara Health in the intensive care unit, and also at George Brown College. He currently teaches Nursing Assessment, Pathophysiology, and mental health courses and works in Niagara Health’s Hemodialysis unit.
Ko’s students said he’s deserving of the recognition because of the way he connects and encourages them, even in an online setting.
“[He] always tries his best to make sure his lectures are interesting for us,” one student wrote. “He sees to it that we participate in his class by asking questions and always wants to know our opinions. He respects the diversity of his students. He always makes sure that we learn something at the end of his class and always tries his best to explain what we don’t.”
Another nominator described Ko’s teaching style as “enthusiastic and dynamic,” and said he’s “the kind of person that will assist you anytime you need.”
Ko said being named an Educators of the Year means a lot to him, “because students noticed how I put my heart [in] when I teach.
“Teaching should touch the hearts of the students for them to remember your lessons; that will ignite their passion and [help] them to move forward on their career goals,” he said. “I always encourage my students to share their experiences in class and process them so that everyone will learn. I believe that anchoring new lessons to past experiences will have better traction and has been proven for better memory retention–especially in nursing where you combine the three aspects of learning: knowledge, skills, and attitude.”
Since 2004, NSAC has been handing out the Educator of the Year award to two exemplary educators who’ve positively changed, impacted or contributed to the success of their students.
Ninety-five individual nominations were received this year, NCSAC president Samantha Jemison said. Educators with the most nominations are short-listed and then judged by NCSAC’s Special Events Planner, who organizes the campaign each year.
The winners were announced in NCSAC’s Year in Review video, which was posted on April 13 on Facebook and Instagram. In it, Jemison thanked Baddeley and Ko for their “passionate, welcoming and important work.
“The impacts you continue to have on your students will last for lifetimes,” she said.
Baddeley and Ko were also each presented with a commemorative award to mark the recognition.
