Each year, the Red River College Students’ Association presents a Teaching Award of Excellence in recognition of one instructor’s outstanding teaching practices and dedication to students.

The recipient of this year’s award is Treena Chabot, an instructor with RRC’s Applied Commerce and Management Education (ACME) department.

Back when Treena Chabot was of babysitting age, she used to seat her younger sisters in desks and assign them homemade quizzes.

No surprise, then, that she went on to build a career in education — or that her passion for making a difference in people’s lives has led to recognition from her very own students.

An instructor with RRC’s Applied Commerce and Management Education (ACME) department, Chabot got her start at the College’s Portage Campus in 2000, where she taught Office Technician courses for the School of Continuing Education.

She moved to the Notre Dame Campus a year later and joined the ACME team (then known as Marketing Management), where she developed the Office Management major and taught various Business Administration courses.

Having earned both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba, Chabot was uniquely well-suited to work with students in RRC’s business programs.

Over the years, she’s taken a lead role on a number of related initiatives, including the development of the College’s new Human Resource Management major, and last year’s launch of First Impressions — a speed-dating-style networking event that has already led to employment opportunities for a number of RRC business students. 

In addition to her classroom duties, Chabot has served as Chair of RRC’s Teaching and Learning Technology Roundtable and of the School of Business’s annual Directions Conference. She has also served on the College’s Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Committee (now Recognition of Prior Learning), and currently sits on the Health and Safety Committee at the Exchange District Campus

Her students describe her as an exemplary instructor who goes out of her way to ensure curriculum is interesting and relatable.

“She draws from her personal experiences to clarify points and … she cares if we learn the material or not,” say her students. “We knew from Day One what we were going to learn, what our objectives were, and how best to go about achieving her goals.”

For her part, Chabot says she committed to making an impression on her students — by treating them with respect and ensuring coursework is both practical and realistic.

“I just want to add value to whatever I’m teaching,” says Chabot, who’ll receive her award at this week’s Spring Convocation ceremonies.

“I look at it in terms of, ‘What should these students know that will help them in the workplace? And how can I do something that the textbook isn’t doing for them?’”