Stephen MacNeil, associate professor in Wilfrid Laurier University's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in the Faculty of Science, has been named a 2025 3M National Teaching Fellow. Widely regarded as Canada's highest teaching honour, the award recognizes exceptional teaching, pedagogical innovation and educational leadership at the university and college level.
Stephen MacNeil
"Dr. MacNeil is highly deserving of this honour," said President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy. "His innovative approaches to teaching organic chemistry have helped countless students at Laurier achieve their academic and professional goals. Exceptional teachers such as Dr. MacNeil inspire students and faculty alike and enhance the learning environment across our university."
The 3M Teaching Fellowship is Canada's only cross-disciplinary recognition for post-secondary educators who have demonstrated leadership in teaching excellence. Each year, faculty members are invited to nominate colleagues for the award. From these, 10 Fellows are selected for the honour by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).
"Dr. MacNeil is an extraordinary educator who has transformed student learning and faculty pedagogical practice across Laurier and beyond," said Heidi Northwood, provost and vice-president: academic. "He is a tireless, generous and empowering educator and promoter of reflective, metacognitive teaching."
MacNeil was an early adopter of blended learning, which fuses the best of online activities and face-to-face class time, and flipped classrooms, where students engage with content before class and use classroom time for active learning. At the core of his teaching is a metacognitive program that prompts students to "think about their thinking" and helps students understand and improve how they learn. MacNeil teaches organic chemistry, an important subject in many science programs that many students find challenging. Realizing these challenges stem more from students' lack of metacognitive skills than from the course content, MacNeil developed and implemented a metacognition co-curriculum with prior learning assessments, test grade prediction and reflection exercises, and innovative evaluation methods that reduce the cost of mistakes and reframe them as valuable catalysts for growth. Through conferences, workshops and peer-reviewed articles, MacNeil has shared his expertise and positively influenced how chemistry is taught and understood across the sector.
In her nomination letter, vice-dean of the Faculty of Science and 2024 3M National Teaching Fellow Richelle Monaghan describes how MacNeil "embodies the alchemical process in teaching, transforming traditional academic challenges into valuable learning experiences." She notes MacNeil's institutional educational leadership where he "invites faculty to continuously improve their teaching practice and course design," including by co-founding a chemistry education committee and interdisciplinary communities of practice on blended learning, research and teaching. He has also held leadership roles with the Canadian Society for Chemistry, including co-organizing national chemistry education research symposia and evaluating Canadian chemistry and biochemistry programs for accreditation. "Through these initiatives, he has not only strengthened educational practices within Laurier, but has also set a new standard for chemistry education nationally," Monaghan said.
"I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award from STLHE and 3M Canada," said MacNeil. "I am immensely grateful to Laurier colleagues and to my students who have inspired and shaped my work. I look forward to continuing the work of making organic chemistry not only accessible but enjoyable, and to supporting fellow educators at Laurier and beyond in their teaching journeys."
MacNeil received a Laurier Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence (2011) and was named an inaugural Laurier Teaching Fellow in 2013. He has also been recognized with an Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Teaching Award (2012) and a D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning from the STLHE (2018).
MacNeil joins Laurier's 3M National Teaching Fellows: Richelle Monaghan (2024): Health Studies and Biology; Eileen Wood (2016): Psychology; Carol Duncan (2013): Religion and Culture; Mercedes Rowinsky-Geurts (2008): Languages and Literatures; Michel Desjardins (2001): Religion and Culture; and Michael Moore (1993): English and Film Studies.
