Faculty Lunch and Learn
Reflecting on Teaching Excellence with Dr. Loleen Berdahl
Friday, December 12, 2025
Agriculture 2C61
11:45 am – 12:50 pm
Join the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning for a special Lunch and Learn Workshop featuring Dr. Loleen Berdahl, 3M National Teaching Fellow and USask’s Acting Deputy Provost.
Dr. Berdahl will introduce The Joy of Learning—a new resource co-created by the 2024 cohort of 3M National Teaching Fellows. Every participant will receive a copy of this inspiring collection, designed to help educators bring renewed joy and purpose into their teaching.
Dr. Berdahl, a regular contributor to University Affairs, shares practical strategies for educators, including her upcoming piece “How to Get Students to Read” and other insights to spark student engagement. You can also explore her reflections on joyful teaching in University Affairs.
In addition to the featured session, attendees will learn more about the Certificate in University Teaching & Learning (CUTL)—a self-directed, competency-based program that helps participants build confidence in supporting student success, reflect on growth in their teaching, and document evidence of achievement. In addition, we will share how the GMCTL supports instructors in preparing award-winning teaching portfolios, including for the 3M National Teaching Fellowship.
This is a great opportunity for faculty to explore pathways for development and recognition in your teaching journey.
Lunch will be provided and registration is required through our online system below.
About Dr. Loleen Berdahl
Executive Director, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and 3M National Teaching Fellow
With a strong background in both educational leadership and policy research, Dr. Berdahl previously served as department head in Political Studies at USask from 2016-2020. During this time, she led her department through a period of significant renewal and revitalization, with the hiring of six faculty positions and the promotion of four faculty members. She also led the introduction of the Certificate in Indigenous Governance and Politics and the Certificate in Politics and Law, the expansion of the Certificate in Global Studies, the online development of the Political Studies BA, and the adoption of the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program across the department.
With a PhD from the University of Calgary, Dr. Berdahl began her career working for the Canada West Foundation for ten years.
Her time spent in a policy-related work environment inspired her commitment to help students recognize and develop career-relevant skills that employers and society need. It has also guided her SSHRC-funded research on career skills training in graduate education. In addition to her SSHRC project, Dr. Berdahl also examines how institutional, cultural, and political factors shape individual attitudes and collaborative decision-making practices, with a focus on public attitudes regarding Canadian public policy, federalism, and regionalism.
Beyond her extensive research program, Dr. Berdahl is the recipient of 3M National Teaching Fellowship—the most prestigious national teaching award in Canada. In addition to being the recipient of three USask teaching awards, including the Distinguished Teacher Award (formerly titled Master Teacher Award), she was awarded the Canadian Political Science Association Prize for Teaching Excellence, the American Political Science Association Policy Excellence in Mentoring Award, and most recently, the Lieutenant Governor’s Post-Secondary Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching.
She has also been a Faculty Fellow with the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning, and her Graduate Transformative Skills project informed the redesign of graduate career skill training programs at USask.