Provost
Nomination Packets
- Requirements
Nominations should be compiled principally by the nominator with support from the nominee. To guide the nomination process and help the Awards Committee conduct an equitable selection process, we ask that all nomination packets (aka dossiers) conform to the following requirements. The committee will not consider any dossiers that do not.
- Keep within stated page limits for each supporting element. The entire document should not exceed 30 pages.
- Use a 12-point sans-serif font (e.g., Calibri) for the entire dossier.
- Set margins to 1 inch on all sides.
- Create a single PDF with all supporting documents in the following order:
- Cover Page (download MS Word template): The cover page includes contact information for the nominator(s), nominee, and signature lines, including the endorsement from the nominees’ dean, chair, or direct supervisor, as appropriate.
- Nomination Letter (limit: 2 pages). The letter should identify the main reasons for the nomination and summarize the nominee’s teaching strengths and talents. More than simply a summary of the components in the dossier, the most compelling statements make a clear, persuasive case for why the nominee is deserving of a University-level teaching award based on personal knowledge of the nominee’s teaching.
- Nominee’s Reflective Teaching Statement (limit: 2 pages). In the reflective teaching statement, nominees should articulate their beliefs about and commitment to teaching and learning. The statement should describe the nominee’s overall goals for student learning, how the nominee assesses learning, and how the nominee engages students in and out of the classroom. The most compelling statements provide clear examples supporting these aspects of their teaching.
- Statement of Nominee’s Equitable and Inclusive Teaching Practices (limit: 1 page). Nominees should describe their practices that purposefully create equitable and inclusive learning environments, including data on outcomes, if available. This statement might describe, for example, how the nominee centers inclusivity and equity in their learning objectives; how their teaching activities meet the needs of diverse learners; how their course materials, such as readings, provide a full spectrum of perspectives on topics and how they are accessible to all students, including those with disabilities; how their course design provides flexibility to meet the learning opportunities that arise in the moment in the classroom.
- Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (limit: 2 pages). This abbreviated CV should highlight the nominee’s teaching activities, including, for example, teaching responsibilities, mentoring and advising activities, curriculum development, relevant professional development activities, teaching-related publications and presentations, other teaching awards, or teaching-related committee work.
- Letters of Support (limit: 5, 1-page letters; at least 2 from faculty and 2 from students). Faculty letters supporting the nominee’s dossier should come from faculty colleagues familiar with the nominee’s teaching; student letters should be written by the nominee’s former students. The most compelling letters describe, using specific examples based on direct observation, the nominee’s teaching prowess, passion and creativity in the classroom, skill in mentoring students or other instructors, and/or their ability to connect with and engage students from diverse backgrounds.
- Representative Course Syllabus. Include one syllabus that best represents the nominee’s approach to syllabus and course design. The most compelling syllabi will further support the nominee’s approach to teaching described in their reflective teaching statement.
- Supporting Materials (limit: 5 pages). Nominees are invited to include materials that provide evidence of their teaching excellence and contributions to pedagogy. For example, they may include course material (e.g., project descriptions, assignments, course notes) to illustrate their pedagogical approaches, materials used to coach others (e.g., mentoring plans, instructions for TA), publication abstracts, etc.
- Student Evaluation Data (download MS Excel template). Student evaluation data—both quantitative ratings and qualitative comments—should provide an overview and comparison of students’ perceptions of the nominee’s teaching over time. The nominee should provide data for all UVA courses they have taught in the three most recent years. In order to make these data as equitably comparable across schools and departments as possible, the committee requires that nominators use the Teaching Awards Evaluation Data template, preferably using data from the University-wide on-line system. Detailed directions for summarizing both quantitative and qualitative data are provided inthe template (worksheets 1 and 2, respectively).
- Evaluation Rubric
Evaluation Rubric used by the Teaching Awards Committee Criteria Standard and Potential Evidence Sources Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness Dossier includes evidence demonstrating the instructor's ability to consistently design and implement effective learning environments that encourage student engagement and learning. Evidence might include:
- faculty and student comments specifically focused on behaviors consistent with high-quality teaching and learning
- demonstrated use of evidence-based pedagogies (e.g., collaborative learning, peer-instruction and feedback, interactive lecturing, writing as inquiry, etc.)
- data on student outcomes or references to or products of student learning (e.g., student publications, design projects, awards)
- High student teaching evaluations (including quantitative and qualitative components) related to teaching and learning effectiveness
Evidence of Creativity, Passion, and Dedication to Students Dossier includes evidence demonstrating the instructor's creativity and passion for teaching, for every instructional modality used, format, or academic level. The dossier also includes evidence demonstrating the instructor’s efforts to engage students meaningfully both in and out of the classroom.
Evidence might include:
- creative course design elements (e.g., assignments, activities)
- distinctive types of teaching or pedagogical strategies, especially if atypical for the instructor’s discipline (e.g., team-based learning, on-line/hybrid)
- engagement with students outside of the classroom (e.g., community-engaged teaching; study abroad; mentoring)
- advising independent studies/research projects
- faculty and student comments specifically focused on creativity, passion, and dedication beyond the classroom
Commitment to teaching improvement Dossier includes evidence demonstrating the instructor’s commitment to improving student learning and professional development of themselves and others as educators.
Evidence might include:
- Actions taken to improve teaching based on feedback
- Development activities to improve one's teaching (e.g., participation in teaching-related events, workshops symposia, courses, learning communities)
- Activities to improve teaching practices of peers or trainees (e.g., mentoring, providing formative feedback, or leading communities of learning)
- Contributions to pedagogy (e.g., participation in pedagogical conferences, publications or presentations related to the instructor's own studies on their teaching or students’ learning)
- Continual improvement in student evals
Evidence of Equitable and Inclusive Practices Dossier includes evidence demonstrating the instructor’s commitment to creating and supporting equitable and inclusive learning environments that recognize the contributions and inherent value of all students.
Evidence might include:
- faculty and student comments specifically focused on equity and inclusion
- advising or mentorship activities designed to promote inclusion of groups traditionally underrepresented in the discipline
- development activities focused on equitable and inclusive teaching (e.g., attending or presenting at workshops, conferences, etc. focused on inclusive and equitable teaching)
- course materials, including syllabi, that explicitly attend to equity and inclusion (e.g., diverse authors, accessible materials, discussion ground rules, support services, accessibility statements)
- data on student outcomes, if available (e.g., equitable course performance across different groups of students, progression of diverse groups of students to the next course in the sequence, if applicable)