January 31, 2005

Nominations Sought for 2005 Teaching Awards

University Teaching Fellows
The Advisory Board of the Institute for Teaching & Learning is soliciting nominations from faculty and academic administrators for the 2005-2006 University of Connecticut Teaching Fellows.

The board intends to honor up to four such Fellows. Each will receive a stipend of $3,000. The funds are to be used at the recipient’s discretion with the restriction that they be used in support of their instructional programs. The Fellows will be named during a dinner on April 21, and each will receive a medallion during the 2005 undergraduate commencement activities.

Teaching Fellows engage in a number of teaching and learning activities including participating in workshops developed by the Institute for Teaching & Learning, allowing teaching assistants and new faculty to visit their classrooms, and serving as mentors for faculty in their discipline or cognate areas.

There is a structured nomination form that is intended to capture the essence of scholarship with respect to teaching and is designed to allow the essentials of the nomination to be gathered in a minimum of space.

The nominator should prepare a cover sheet outlining the case in its broad terms, while adding the particulars in the format of the nomination form. Some of the sections ask for the candidate’s details and it is expected that the candidate will provide those to the nominator. The form is available from Edye Gucwa at 860.486.2686 or in pdf form and can be downloaded from http://www.itl.uconn.edu/program/awards.htm.

Nominations (original and six copies) should be received by Feb. 28 at: Teaching Fellow Awards, Institute for Teaching & Learning, CUE Building, Room 333, U-2142

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards
The Institute for Teaching & Learning is also seeking nominations for its 2005 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards.

These awards were established in 1999 to recognize pre-doctoral teaching assistants who demonstrate excellence in the classroom or laboratory.

Teaching assistants play a large role in the undergraduate program and provide some of the best interactions in undergraduate students’ academic life. These awards are one way in which the University acknowledges this important component of the undergraduate education programs.

The value of each Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award is $500.

The awards will be presented at a Teaching Awards Recognition Dinner on April 21.

The criteria used to determine the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards include evidence that the TA:

• Demonstrates effective instructional skills;
• Possesses excellent interpersonal skills;
• Provides practical feedback;
• Contributes to the development of the instructional program.

Evidence of the above might include, but should not be limited to:

• A statement of teaching philosophy (specific rather than abstract, maximum one page);
• Letters of reference and other commentary from students and faculty;
• Indication of attendance at teaching workshops and programs;
• Evidence of growth, development, and innovation in teaching and learning activities;
• Evidence of concern for students in the creation of excellent learning materials and support activities;
• Teaching ratings, formative or summative.

Nominations may be made by faculty or senior administrators only.

Send the original and four copies of the nomination and supporting documentation to Outstanding TA Awards, Institute for Teaching & Learning, CUE Building, Room 333, U-2142. Nominations must be received by Friday, March 4.