Teaching Associate Teaching Award

The Teaching Associate Teaching Award recognizes teaching associates who excel as teachers in the classroom and/or laboratory instruction in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

THE AWARD

Each year the college presents one Teaching Associate Teaching Award. The recipient receives a $1,000 personal award and a certificate of recognition.

ELIGIBILITY

Nominees for the Teaching Associate Teaching Award must have held a paid appointment as a teaching associate in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, with primary instructor responsibility for at least one course for at least three years at the time of nomination. Individuals may receive the award only once.

NOMINATIONS

All nominations must be submitted by October 30, 2009.

The nominee must be declared eligible by the unit head. The nomination form must be

submitted electronically, and

printed, signed by the unit head, and submitted to the secretary of the Executive Committee (122 Mumford Hall).

Supporting materials are due by December 7, 2009, and must be submitted online. Instructions for uploading files are on the awards website.

Supporting materials must be in Times New Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins and include the following:

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Presented as a standard cover page that is signed by the nominator and includes the nominee’s name, rank, department, years at UIUC, and signature of unit head verifying eligibility.

CONTRIBUTIONS

A narrative presenting the case for the nominee, describing comments of departmental colleagues (faculty), the importance of the nominee’s courses to the instructional program of the unit, and the nominee’s overall impact on undergraduates (both past and present). This part of the narrative should be two to three pages.

Additionally, the following elements should be included with the narrative:

• A chart showing year and semester, course number, enrollment, and level of students taught for all courses taught by the nominee within the last three years. A key should be included to indicate the course title for each course number listed on the chart. This chart should not exceed one page.
• A summary report in original form from the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) on teaching ratings. (This can be requested directly from CTE).
• Up to two pages of selected comments from evaluations forms.
• A self-report on teaching goals, methods, and philosophy; not to exceed two pages.

LETTERS OF SUPPORT

Letters of support from two faculty members directly involved in the nominee’s teaching activities, or individuals having knowledge about the nominee’s teaching activities.

Letters of support from four former students.

Supporting materials that deviate from these guidelines will be returned to the unit for revision.

SELECTION

Nominees will be evaluated and an award recipient selected by a five-person selection committee appointed from the college faculty. The chair of the selection committee, in consultation with its members, shall develop guidelines for its operation. Nominations will be evaluated in terms of consistent excellent performance; impact on students; innovative approaches to teaching; other contributions to improved instruction, including curriculum and course development; and professional contributions to the academic community.

The selection committee may decide against granting an award if no meritorious candidate has been nominated. The selection committee shall submit its recommendation for a recipient, plus one alternate, to the dean by January 22, 2010. The dean shall notify each recipient, the appropriate associate dean and department head, and the secretary of the Executive Committee.

Any hard copies of the supporting materials made during the selection process must be returned to the dean's office by the chair of the selection committee once the committee’s deliberations are completed.