FY 2008 Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards
Call for Nominations for Teaching Awards for
INDIVIDUAL FACULTY/STAFF
&
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS/PROGRAMS
On behalf of the Board of Regents, the USG Office of Academic Planning and Programs invites nominations for the FY 2008 Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards. These system-wide awards will recognize both individual faculty/staff and departments/programs for a strong commitment to teaching and service to students. One faculty/staff award will be given for each sector (research universities, regional and state universities, two-year and state colleges), for a total of three faculty awards. One department/program award will be given for the System; sector will not be a consideration for this award. Award winners will be announced by June 30, 2008. We hope that by encouraging excellence in teaching, the award will continue to foster the academic success of students.
ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATION PROCEDURES
Current full-time members of the teaching faculty and teaching academic staff at USG institutions are eligible for individual awards. Academic departments, programs, and other academic units are eligible for the department/program award. Each institution is invited to submit one nomination for an individual award and one nomination for a department/program award. Campus nomination procedures should be determined by each institution.
AWARD COMMITTEE
A special Regents committee, composed of faculty and/or department chair peers from across the System, will review the nomination portfolios and recommend finalists for each award.
NOMINATION DEADLINE: May 1, 2008
Seven complete sets of nomination portfolios should be received in our office by the above date. Unfortunately, we cannot accept faxed portfolios. Portfolios should be sent to:
Dr. Dorothy Zinsmeister
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
270 Washington Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30334-1450
FY 2008 Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards
Faculty/Staff Award Guidelines
Criteria
The award committee will look for persuasive evidence that nominees:
- Are strongly committed to teaching and learning. This commitment might be demonstrated through activities designed to advance the quality and practice of teaching and learning, to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and/or global and multicultural understanding;
- Use effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning, including, but not limited to innovative uses of technology, active learning, learning communities, student portfolios, and assessment;
- Have a strong commitment to fostering the academic success of students through interaction with students outside of the classroom (e.g., advising, mentoring, recruiting, etc.).
Required Documentation
Nomination portfolios for these awards are limited to 20 pages, including any appendices (no smaller than 12 point). Each portfolio must include the following information:
- A nomination letter from the institution's chief academic officer and one or two letters of support from colleagues qualified to comment on the candidate's teaching. These letters should describe the nominee's teaching and why he or she is especially effective in advancing student learning. (One should be from the department chair/program administrator). (2-3 pages)
- A condensed curriculum vitae. (2-3 pages)
- A reflective statement that includes the nominee's teaching and learning philosophy, strategies and objectives.(2-4 pages)
- One or two letters of support from recent and/or past students.
- A well-organized set of documents that provide evidence of the nominee's teaching excellence (e.g. data showing the success of the nominee's students, selected components of course syllabi, handouts, methods of assessment of student learning and achievement that go beyond student evaluations, examinations, summaries of recent student evaluations, peer evaluations, student mentoring/advising, etc.). These documents should be accompanied by a brief explanation of why they are included in the dossier, i.e., how they document the excellence of the nominee's teaching.
Note: Seven complete sets of nomination portfolios should be received in our office by May 1, 2008. Nomination portfolios should Not be placed in folders or binders - staple each copy in the upper left-hand corner. Portfolios that exceed 20 pages or are faxed cannot be accepted.
FY 2008 Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards
Department/Program Award Guidelines
Nomination portfolios are limited to 20 pages, including any appendices (no smaller than 12 point). Therefore, incorporating every kind of evidence will be impossible. Instead, each department/program will want to select only the strongest and most relevant evidence.
Criteria
The award committee will look for evidence that nominated departments or programs promote, support and recognize excellence in teaching and in service to students. The kinds of evidence sought are illustrated by the following examples:
- Individual and collective faculty efforts to improve teaching and student learning.
- Methods of assessment of student learning and achievement that go beyond student evaluations, and the use of the assessment results to inform teaching practices, and curriculum development and revision.
- Active support to enable faculty to use innovative and effective forms of pedagogy and technology, e.g. critical thinking, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, learning communities, etc.
- Strong links between good teaching and various rewards, e. g., compensation, promotion, tenure, grants, leaves, travel, departmental or program-based awards, etc.
- Departmental/unit policies that encourage collaborative faculty efforts, including team teaching, teaching discussion groups, common assessments, interdisciplinary courses, learning communities, mentoring, etc.
- An on-going and data-driven process for reviewing and reshaping curricula so that achieving academic excellence and serving the needs of all students remain as top priorities.
- Exemplary programs for advising, mentoring, recruiting, and retaining students; co-curricular work with students; out-of-class learning.
- Successes of the department's or program's students, e. g., graduation, job placement, acceptance in graduate schools, etc.
- Clear articulation of how quality is defined, promoted and assessed by the department or program.
Required Documentation
- Nomination letter from the institution's chief academic officer. (1-2 pages)
- A narrative statement from the department or program that outlines its philosophy as a community of faculty, and its goals and strategies for making a difference in the academic success of students. This statement should address the criteria for the award. (2-4 pages)
- A one-page fact profile of the department or program.
- Data showing student successes, such as graduation rates, student retention, job placement, acceptance to other schools, etc.
- A concise, clear, and well-organized collection of evidence that details the department's or program's distinctive efforts to foster good teaching and therefore, student learning. Suggestions for the kinds of evidence that might be included in this collection are found in the award criteria. These documents should be accompanied by a brief explanation of why they are included in the dossier, i.e., how they document the excellence of the department's teaching.
Note: Seven complete sets of nomination portfolios should be received in our office by May 1, 2008. Nomination portfolios should not be placed in folders or binders - staple each copy in the upper left-hand corner. Portfolios that exceed 20 pages or are faxed cannot be accepted.