Tianne Jensen-DesJardins wins 2023 Teaching Assistant Teaching Award

The SFU Department of English congratulates Tianne Jensen-DesJardins on winning the department’s 2023 Teaching Assistant Teaching Award. ENGL 115 students nominated Jensen-DesJardins for her excellent work as a TA.

They noticed improvement in their essays, as she help them discover how to write a solid thesis. Also, students found Jensen-DesJardins’ hands-on, research skills workshops incredibly helpful.

Students also credited their TA for designing discussions that “really allowed [them] to think more deeply about the topics in lecture.” In general, they felt “very fortunate to have [Jensen-DesJardins] as a TA” because she was “considerate” and “very kind.”

Upon receiving the award, Jensen-DesJardins said, “I'm very proud of the work my students did these past two terms, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from such amazing supervising professors, fellow TAs, and the students themselves.” 

SFU English’s TA Teaching Award began in 2019 and is awarded annually to a first-year teaching assistant in a writing-intensive, 100-level course. Its purpose is to acknowledge the work TAs do as an important form of contact between first-year students and the department. TAs must be nominated by at least three students in one or more of their tutorials. Criteria include excellence in support for student writing, excellence in teaching research methods, excellence in linking with and generating discussion of the professor’s lecture, and excellence in personal support. The award comes with a $500 cash prize.