Teaching Excellence Award

Eligible nominees must currently hold one of the following positions:

• All UFV Type B faculty, including lab instructors, who have completed their probational period
• Sessional faculty after the equivalent of two years of teaching (accumulation of 14 sections)
• Continuing Education (CE) faculty with equivalent of two years of teaching (accumulation of 630 hours)

• UFV Type B faculty
• Sessional faculty with the equivalent of two years of teaching (accumulation of 14 sections)
• Continuing Education faculty with equivalent of two years of teaching (accumulation of 630 hours)
• Students
• Alumni
• Staff
• University officers

For definitions of positions, please refer to the Senate Bylaws (p.11).

Candidates are evaluated on the following criteria. These are baseline expectations which the award recipient must meet.

• Teaching Practice
• Curriculum Development
• Scholarship
• Service

Teaching Practice

Student Evaluations

• The nominee provides two student class evaluations, preferably from two different courses, going back no further than four years from the year of nomination, that match the two course outlines and syllabi submitted in the nomination package, as outlined in the Nomination Mechanism (no edits to remove negative comments) Note: Exceptions may have to be made depending on the faculty or program, (i.e., Faculty of Access and Continuing Education).
• Evaluations denote a high level of teaching competence
• Provides a summary that outlines how student suggestions for improvements in course evaluations have been addressed (limit 500 words)
• Comments suggest the professor cares and makes extraordinary efforts to support deep learning and understanding

Learning Outcomes
The syllabi align assessments and learning activities to the learning outcomes, as set out in the UFV official course outline.

Student Engagement

• Evidence of student engagement in learning (such as active learning strategies, field experiences, service learning, learning communities, and/or undergraduate research)
• Engages and supports students outside of class; i.e. liaison/advocacy, mentorship, or partnering with clubs or other departments such as Student Services, Academic Success Centre, Career Centre, etc.

Teaching Innovation

• Utilizes innovative pedagogical approaches; i.e., game-based learning
• Incorporates technological resources and supports to enhance the learning experience
• Demonstrates evidence of grounding practice in learning theories, such as active and engaged learning, using a variety of assessments, high impact practices, etc.

Teaching Philosophy
The teaching philosophy is clearly supported by the documents provided in the nomination package.

Curriculum Development

Evidence of three or more of the following:

Program/Course Design
▪ Demonstrates leadership in the development and revision of programs
▪ Develops new courses and continuously revises courses to improve engagement and learning
▪ Develops opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary learning
▪ Actively participates on curriculum and program planning committees
▪ Provides evidence of an indigenized curriculum
▪ Provides evidence of an internationalized curriculum

Scholarship

Scholarship as it relates to improved teaching and learning:
▪ Evidence of the nominee’s engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning, and/or
▪ Evidence of how the nominee’s disciplinary research informs their teaching and learning

Service

Service as it relates to improved teaching and learning at UFV:
▪ Develops and conducts teaching workshops, seminars or other resources
▪ Mentors and collaborates with other faculty members to support the improvement of teaching practice
▪ Participates in educational planning and policy making
▪ Provides opportunities for students and faculty to participate in community-based learning activities
▪ Participates in committees related to teaching and learning

The nomination package must consist of all of the following:

• A letter of nomination outlining how the nominee meets the criteria for the Teaching Excellence award (maximum 1,000 words).
• A nominator form, signed by the nominator, indicating their eligibility type.
• Exactly five letters of support must be included, from any of these groups: faculty, staff, alumni, university officers, or students. The letters must be based on knowledge of the nominee’s work, which reflects the criteria of the teaching excellence award, as outlined in the Criteria for the Selection of an Award Recipient. Note: A letter of support cannot come from the nominator.
• A current curriculum vitae of the nominee.
• A consent form signed by the nominee, agreeing to be nominated.
• The nominee’s teaching philosophy (maximum 1,500 words).
• The nominee’s choice of two student class evaluations, preferably from two different courses, to be supplied by the nominee to the nominator, going back no further than four years from the year of the nomination. All written comments must be included.
• A summary by the nominee that outlines how students’ suggestions for improvements in the course evaluations have been addressed (500 words maximum).
• The two official course outlines and matching syllabi for the student class evaluations submitted.
• Any supporting documents provided for each of the criteria will be presented in sections, and contain a brief description of the evidence provided.

The Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) selection committee, a subcommittee of the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee, is responsible for receiving nominations, and recommending a recipient for the award. The Senate Awards and Honours Committee reviews the documentation to ensure procedural requirements have been met, before recommending the recipient to Senate for approval.