Merv Mosher, a senior lecturer in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in York's Faculty of Health, is ready to take on his competition on Sunday, March 29 as a finalist in TV Ontario's 2009 Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition.
TVO's "Big Ideas" will broadcast Mosher's lecture, "Statistics: What's the point?", on Sunday, March 29 at 4pm. Following the lecture, the television audience can rate Mosher's performance and viewers can vote for their favourite lecturer online. The winning lecturer's university will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship from TD Insurance Meloche Monnex.
Left: Merv Mosher
Students have called him witty, enthusiastic, humorous, intelligent and someone who grabs their attention and keeps it. “I don’t take myself too seriously,” says Mosher. “I take my teaching seriously, but I poke fun at myself.” Learning to lecture in a way that would capture his students’ attention took years of hard work, but it’s something Mosher loves to do. “I live for the light bulb moment when the students go, ‘ah, now I understand’.”
To view a clip of Mosher lecturing, click here. Voting starts immediately after the lecture has aired. There are three ways to vote for Mosher as Ontario’s Best Lecturer:
- Online through the TVO Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition Web site.
- By phone to 1-866-281-3536.
- Through a mobile device by texting the word "vote" to short code 333111.
The public can vote for Mosher starting Sunday, March 29 at 4:45pm until Monday, March 30 at 3pm and again from Tuesday, March 31 at 12:01am until Sunday, April 5 at 6pm.
A brief excerpt of Mosher’s lecture will air again on the "Big Ideas" shows on April 4 and 5 on TVO. The winner will be announced on "Big Ideas" on TVO Saturday, April 11 with a repeat on Sunday, April 12. Viewers who vote online will be eligible to enter a draw to win a 50-inch plasma HDTV and DVD home theatre system valued at $5,000, sponsored by TD Insurance Meloche Monnex. For more information about voting, click here.