2007-2008 Teaching Award Information

Information regarding NC A&T Teaching Awards is provided in the two documents below. The first document outlines the current NC A&T State University teaching awards, including the Outstanding College/School Outstanding Teacher and UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching awards. Information regarding eligibility, deadlines, and selection criteria are included. Also included in this document is the official award nomination form. The second document outlines more specifically the selection process/criteria for the teaching awards.

• University Awards (including deadlines and official nomination form)
• Teaching Award Selection Process

UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching

Overview

Established by the UNC Board of Governors in April 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the University, the awards are given annually to one tenured faculty member from
each UNC campus. Winners must have taught at their present institutions at least seven years.
No one may receive the award more than once. Awardees are presented with a commemorative bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize during a recognition luncheon held each year in conjunction with the UNC Board’s May meeting.

Information about the UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching:

• Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching (eligibility and award Winners - all UNC campuses)
• UNC Policy Manual - University Teaching Awards (Section 400.3.6)

Eligibility and Selection Process

"Any faculty member who has earned tenure at the institution and has taught at the institution for at least seven years is eligible. The recipient must have demonstrated excellent or exceptional teaching ability over a sustained period of time. Potential nominees must be teaching in the academic year in which they are selected. No faculty member will be eligible to receive this award more than once while teaching at any UNC institution." [UNC Policy Manual, Section 400.3.6]

Selection Process

At North Carolina A&T State University tThe Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) Advisory Board, comprised of representatives from each school/college, in conjunction with the Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning, will make a recommendation to the Chancellor for the recipient of the Board of Governors Teaching Award based on evidence of overall excellence in teaching over a sustained period of time.  Nominees for the Board of Governors Teaching Award are drawn from the recipients of the Outstanding College/School Teaching Award in each school/college.

The ATL Advisory Board will review the nomination portfolios submitted by each school/college and evaluate each nominee’s evidence of teaching excellence using the criteria and weights outlined in the sections below.  Based on this evaluation, the Advisory Board, in conjunction with the ATL Director, will make their recommendations to the Chancellor, who will make the final selection of the NC A&T State University UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching nominee.

Evluation Criteria (Dimensions of Teaching Excellence)

The ATL Advisory Board and ATL Director will include the following six dimensions of teaching excellence in their evaluation of nominees’ application portfolios:

• Evidence of continuous growth in appropriate areas of professional development (content, pedagogy, and assessment)
• Evidence of an intentional teaching process consistent with scholarly work on teaching and learning
• Evidence of the development of a student-centered learning environment
• Evidence of effective use of a variety of teaching pedagogies
• Evidence of success in promoting critical thinking and communication skills
• Evidence of contributing to the intellectual development of students beyond the classroom.

The following scoring weights will be used when evaluating the six dimensions of teaching listed above:

• (.20)    Continuous growth and professional development
• (.25)    Intentional, scholarly teaching process
• (.15)    Student-centered learning environment
• (.10)    Use of varied teaching methods
• (.20)    Promotion of critical thinking and communication skills
• (.10)    Intellectual development of students

Each of the six dimensions of teaching excellence will be evaluated using the three performance levels listed below:

• Marginal: nominee’s portfolio provides little evidence to support this criterion and support for this evidence is inconsistent throughout the portfolio
• Acceptable: nominee’s portfolio provides some evidence to support this criterion but the evidence is not consistent throughout the portfolio
• Exemplary: provides a variety of evidence to support this criterion and support for the evidence is consistent throughout portfolio

Evidence of teaching excellence may include

• examples from classroom teaching
• linkages between scholarly work on teaching/learning and classroom practice
• examples of scholarship of teaching and learning (presentations, publications, and/or funded research on teaching and learning)
• participation in teaching/learning workshops
• peer review (classroom observation with structured feedback)
• videotape of classes
• student comments and letters
• faculty letters of recommendation
• course evaluations (especially open-ended questions)
• formative evaluations done by professors in their classes

Past North Carolina A&T State University Awardees

NC A&T Outstanding School/College Teaching Awards

Overview

These awards are presented annually to the faculy member within each college/school selected as the most outstanding teacher by the undergraduate college/school selection committee. The college/school Outstanding Teaching Award selection committee is appointed by the dean of the respective college/school.

Selection Criteria for School/College Nominees

• Full-time tenured faculty member, including department chairpersons.
• At least seven years of teaching experience at NC A&T State University with demonstrated excellence over a sustained period of time.  Teaching effectiveness shall include evidence of non-classroom involvement to include advisement, student organization sponsorship and related activities.
• Meet Board of Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching criteria and be willing to be a candidate for that award.
• Complete required documentation to be considered for the Board of Governors' Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• Previous winners are eligible for this nomination.

Nomination Process and Development of Teaching Portfolio

The candidate must (1) be nominated by faculty, students, administrators or alumni using the NCA&T State University "Nomination For An Award" form and (2) complete a portfolio of materials for the undergraduate college/school selection committee.  The portfolio must include:

• A brief written statement (approx. 4 pages) articulating the nominee's teaching philosophy and pedagogical methods and innovations used to achieve educational goals.
• Copies of syllabi and other relevant course materials from three different courses that the nominee has taught.
• A summary of student ratings of courses that have been evaluated over the previous two years.
• Copies of peer teaching evaluations.
• A copy of the nominee's resume (no more than four pages).
• Letters from three colleagues, the department chair, dean and two former students of the nominee.

The portfolio shall be developed in a professional manner, limited to sixty pages of double spaced print type on one side of the sheet.

Award

Each college/school Outstanding Teaching Award recipient receives a plaque, a cash award of $1000, and recognition at the University Honors Day activities. In addition, the college/school Outstanding Teaching Award winners form the pool from which the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award nominee is selected.