Dal DNA: Purpose-Driven

Excellence in teaching and learning is a key priority at Dalhousie. It takes place in a variety of ways and venues, with the university committed to the continuous development of programs and classes that enhance the student experience.

1838 Dalhousie University offers its first instruction. The official timetable for the autumn of 1838 includes Latin, Greek, algebra, logic, mathematics, moral philosophy and natural philosophy.

1865 The Department of English, one of the oldest in Canada, is founded with the appointment of James de Mille as the first professor of rhetoric.

1879 A Department of Science is set up and includes Dr. David Honeyman, the first, but unpaid and part-time, professor of geology, paleontology and mineralogy. Geology continues to be a one-man operation for 75 years.

1883 George Munro (BA1878) launches the fourth of his chairs, in constitutional and international law. Professor Weldon accepts the appointment and the Faculty of Law is created.

1904 Gilbert Stairs (BA’03) succeeds as Dalhousie’s first Rhodes Scholar.

1968  The Department of Music is founded with an emphasis on music education and performance. The BMusEd (Applied, General) degree is granted.

1979 The Dalhousie Alumni Association Award of Excellence for Teaching is established and presented annually to the professor who, in the eyes of his or her students and peers, has displayed the qualities of superior teaching, enthusiasm for the subject and interest in the needs of students.

1998 The annual Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning is created to promote an ongoing exchange of information about innovative practices in post-secondary teaching and learning among the Dalhousie faculty and beyond.

2012 The Faculty of Dentistry is the first Canadian dental school to be honoured with the William J. Gies Award for Achievement (Academic Dental Institution) for exemplifying dedication to the highest standards of vision, innovation and achievement in dental education, research and leadership.

2013 Accounting professor Joan Conrod (BComm’77) becomes a 3M National Teaching Fellow, the only national cross-disciplinary recognition of excellence in university teaching in Canada.

2016 Dr. Matthew Schnurr, an associate professor in the Department of International Development Studies is one of five individuals across Canada to receive the 2016 Brightspace Innovation Award for Teaching and Learning, which recognizes innovative approaches that promote student-centered teaching and learning.