CBU’s Kate Krug honoured with AAU Distinguished Teaching Award

Kate Krug, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Cape Breton University has been recognized by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) with the prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award for 2021.

“What a great honour to be recognized by the AAU with this award,” says Professor Krug. “Teaching and learning are transformative processes as well as political acts. The most important thing about good teaching is that it challenges and changes teachers and students.”

Professor Krug is chair of the Department of L’nu, Political and Social Studies in the School of Arts and Social Sciences. Their classroom has been described as a place where diverse student learning needs can be met while providing the building blocks for creative and critical discovery.

Dr. Richard MacKinnon, CBU Vice-President Academic, says that Professor Krug is a champion of student engagement at CBU.

“Over the last 20 years, Kate has honed their teaching practice, always striving to provide students with an effective and inclusive learning environment, where all voices are heard and given due respect,” says Dr. MacKinnon. “They are willing to take chances and allow their students ownership and agency over their own and their classmates learning.”

One colleague describes their teaching methodology, the Pedagogy of Play, as follows: “Play – as Kate understands it – produces a classroom setting in which the instructor and students are not only co-creators of new knowledge, but openly negotiate the structure of the class and methods of evaluation.”

Outside the classroom, Professor Krug has had a transformative impact on the CBU community and beyond. They have participated in CBU faculty development initiatives, and have shared their innovative teaching approaches at external events such as the AAU Teaching Showcase. With a commitment to service, they work with community volunteers on the annual GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) conference for local junior-high and high-school students, held at CBU.

Professor Krug’s former student, who is now an assistant professor of anthropology, shared a message that resonates with many, “I have had the privilege of learning from many gifted teachers from all over the world, and none have impacted me as much as Kate has.”

The AAU Distinguished Teaching Award is presented to those who demonstrate a proven commitment to enhanced student engagement and learning, a reflective and intentional approach to teaching practices, and dedication to teaching improvement.

The CBU community would agree that Professor Kate Krug exemplifies the spirit and the depth of practice the Distinguished Teaching Award represents and celebrates their success!

The AAU represents the 16 universities in Atlantic Canada and serves as an advocate for the important role Atlantic universities play in preparing future leaders of our communities, in path-breaking research and innovation and in contributing to the economic prosperity and quality of life of the Atlantic region.