Bettina von Lieres honoured with U of T Global Educator Award
This article was originally published by University of Toronto Scarborough News on Friday, March 28th, 2025
Bettina von Lieres from the Department of Global Development Studies at U of T Scarborough has received a 2025 Global Educator Award
U of T Scarborough Associate Professor Bettina von Lieres has been awarded a 2025 Global Educator Award.
The award recognizes U of T faculty members who excel in global and intercultural teaching, fostering inclusive classrooms and preparing students with cross-cultural communication skills.
In receiving the award, von Lieres emphasized the importance of humility and collaboration in global education. “I aim to inspire my students to be brave and humble as they navigate complex global problems,” she says. “Working globally is not easy — it requires humility and being open to democratic learning practices. I take great pride that my students work incredibly hard to become the kind of global change-agents needed to confront critical global challenges.”
Von Lieres, a faculty member in the Department of Global Development Studies (GDS), has been a leader in global education for over a decade. Her work emphasizes democratic education, critical global learning and global partnerships. She has played a key role in U of T Scarborough’s international development co-op program, guiding students through immersive eight-month internships in the Global South.
A leader in innovative teaching practices, von Lieres was an early adopter of virtual global classrooms, well before the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated online learning. Through her Global Classroom for Democracy Innovations initiative, she brought students together across continents, engaging in real-time, interactive discussions on critical global concerns.
Her students have worked with peers from South Africa and Sweden to develop practical solutions to challenges such as food security and democratic participation. These global classrooms have been instrumental in preparing students for leadership roles in cross-cultural and international settings.
“I always connect my students with international partners so that they learn how to work democratically and respectfully with colleagues from the global south in equal partnerships,” she says. “Above all, I encourage my students to learn from others.”
Von Lieres’ dedication to hands-on global research is evident in her engagement with the SSHRC-funded Participedia project. She guided UTSC undergraduates in conducting and publishing case studies on democratic participation, particularly focusing on marginalized communities in the Global South. Her mentorship has extended to supervising numerous undergraduate theses based on international fieldwork, covering topics from youth-led capacity-building in Vietnam to community sports initiatives in the Philippines.
She thanked OISE doctoral student Marco Adamovic, co-designer of the global classroom program, along with Jesi Carson from Vancouver Design Nerds, and Mukisa Mujulizi and Matthew Wingfield from Cape Town Design Nerds. She also thanked colleagues at West University in Sweden, at the University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and at U of T Scarborough’s Global Development Studies
The award, which includes a $3,000 prize, will be presented at U of T’s Excellence in Teaching Reception this fall.
Mariana Mota Prado, U of T’s Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, International Students, praised von Lieres’ contributions, noting that her teaching exemplifies the university’s commitment to global engagement and inclusive learning.
"Bettina’s contributions to global teaching and learning at the University of Toronto is dynamic and impressive. She has developed a longstanding practice and pedagogy of globally immersing students and researchers into teaching spaces that cultivate intercultural exchange and inclusivity. The breadth and depth of Bettina’s global teaching practices is precisely what this award seeks to exemplify."
This is the third time in five years that a U of T Scarborough faculty member has received the Global Educator Award. Phani Radhakrishnan from the Department of Management was last year’s recipient while Obidimma Ezezika from the Department of Health and Society received the award in 2021.