Since joining the Department of Computer Science as an assistant professor, teaching stream in 2015, Jacqueline Smith has developed thoughtful initiatives that build a more inclusive community, enhance mentorship opportunities, introduce new students to the field, and amplify best practices to fellow educators at the University of Toronto and beyond.

In recognition of the significant impact she has had on computer science education, U of T has recognized Smith with a prestigious 2021 Early Career Teaching Award.

Each year, U of T bestows the award on up to four faculty members who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to student learning, pedagogical engagement, and teaching innovation.

Students have praised Smith’s engaging teaching style, personable nature, and adept facilitation skills. By deploying active-learning approaches even in large, introductory courses, Smith aims to foster closer connections with and between students. She is continually looking to find ways to connect with students, and often shares personal stories of her own learning — and occasionally, her cats.

As computer science and its resulting technologies play a larger role in our daily lives, there is an increasing need to ensure that computer scientists reflect the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives across society.

Smith has been a leader in this area, developing significant expertise in equity, diversity, and inclusion in CS. Among her efforts, she designed and launched a comprehensive approach to training TAs in inclusive teaching methods — an important step to accommodate the wide range of students studying computer science at U of T. She regularly shares this expertise with fellow CS educators at workshops and national conferences.

To help the Department reach a wider range of students, Smith co-developed a new course with Alán Aspuru-Guzik, professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Computer Science. CSC198 — Computing for Science is intended as an introduction to applied computing for students in other scientific fields. Smith’s commitment to understanding how students from different disciplines think about and learn computing has been instrumental to the success of the course.

To foster stronger faculty-student ties, Smith teamed up with fellow teaching steam faculty member Jennifer Campbell to create Second-year Learning Communities (SLCs) in computer science.

With SLCs, Smith and Campbell wanted to provide students with professional development and career-oriented training that could complement the more theoretical education they receive in their courses. By meeting regularly in a small-group setting, students have a chance to build community with each other and with their faculty advisor.

The SLC initiative has also inspired a larger project by the Faculty of Arts & Science to expand the opportunity to students in other departments.

Smith has also provided support to students looking to create student organizations, especially those that engage groups underrepresented in computer science. This support, which ranges from helping them connect with faculty to developing mission statements, has helped these groups thrive.

Marsha Chechik, professor and chair, and Suzanne Stevenson, professor and vice-chair, praised Smith’s impact:

“Jacqueline continually finds creative and practical ways to embed the values of inclusivity and diversity, along with mentorship and community-building, in everything we do, rather than relegating them to secondary aspects of education. The tremendous positive impact of her pedagogical practice and leadership has been felt both within our department and across Arts & Science, and recognized more broadly in the CS community.”