Dr. Anka Lekhi, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Chemistry and Vantage College, is the recipient of one of this year's West Coast Teaching Excellence Awards.
"I am thrilled and honored to receive this acknowledgement," says Dr. Lekhi. "Teaching is a joy for me because of my inspiring students, dedicated teaching assistants, and collaborative colleagues who aim for an inclusive, student-centered learning environment."
Dr. Lekhi plays a leading role in major UBC initiatives to enhance higher education opportunities in science for international students who are English language learners. Over the past decade, Dr. Lekhi has introduced evidence-based instructional strategies that have improved the academic careers of more than 4,000 undergraduate students.
Her teaching philosophy is rooted in empathy, curiosity, and a vision for building more equitable and interdisciplinary learning spaces. Through this lens, Dr. Lekhi has transformed her first-year chemistry course based on Universal Design for Learning principles, allowing English language learners to experience content in multiple modalities. She developed case studies and team-based pedagogy for academically diverse students, promoting interdisciplinary thinking through real-life applications in her third-year aqueous environmental chemistry course.
For over 14 years, Dr. Lekhi has led the Chemistry department's Teaching Assistant Training Program, building in materials that recognize and support the significant impact that teaching assistants can have on fostering inclusion. More recently, she developed and hosted a one-day Laboratory Foundations event for incoming first-year students with no prior laboratory experience, with the goal of increasing learner confidence as they transitioned into laboratory courses and the post-secondary environment.
Dr. Lekhi’s focus in her scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) projects aims for excellence in teaching that also reduces inequalities often experienced by underrepresented groups in STEM. She has incorporated content highlighting authentic connections to Indigenous knowledge and histories in multiple courses, advancing UBC’s commitments under the Indigenous Strategic Plan. Dr. Lekhi’s leadership and efforts have been instrumental in diversifying and enriching science learners at UBC.
“Anka has an enduring commitment to designing context-rich chemistry classroom and lab experiences that support students’ motivation and meaningful learning,” says Dr. Jaclyn Stewart, Associate Dean, Academic with the Faculty of Science. “Her teaching approach honours where students are coming from and invites them to connect with science to deepen their sense of belonging.”
The West Coast Teaching Excellence Awards were established by the British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council, a community of public post-secondary leaders with a mission that includes enhancing high-quality teaching and learning cultures in British Columbia and Yukon.