West Coast Teaching Exellence Awards Speaker Series: Natasha Ramroop Singh

Our identity as educators is shaped over time through the choices we make, the relationships we build, and the way students experience our teaching. In this presentation, I will reflect on how open education and engaging students as partners has changed my work in biology and biochemistry. I will share examples of students creating open resources, designing authentic learning materials, and contributing to projects that reach beyond the classroom. These experiences have deepened student learning, strengthened belonging, and shifted students from being consumers of knowledge to active contributors.

I will also explore the idea of teacher reputation. What do students say about us when we are not in the room? What values become associated with our teaching? I argue that a strong educator reputation is not built through popularity alone. It grows from consistency, academic rigour, care, openness, responsiveness, and a genuine willingness to share ownership of learning with students.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Natasha Ramroop Singh is an Associate Teaching Professor in Biological Sciences at Thompson Rivers University and a recipient of the 2026 West Coast Teaching Excellence Award.

She teaches biology, genetics, and biochemistry, with a strong focus on open education, Students as Partners, and evidence-informed teaching. Her students contribute to open textbooks, videos, and creative learning resources that support future learners.

Her work also includes community-engaged curriculum development with the Cayoose Creek Band of Sekw’el’was and scholarship examining open pedagogy, student learning, and educational innovation. She is committed to creating rigorous, inclusive learning environments where students are not only learners, but active contributors to knowledge.

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