The Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Teaching includes lecturing, involvement in seminars and tutorials, individual and group discussions, laboratory teaching and other means by which students derive educational benefits. Teaching effectiveness is demonstrated by the degree to which the faculty member is able to stimulate and challenge the intellectual ability of students, to communicate academic material effectively and to maintain a mastery of his/her subject areas. It also involves maintaining accessibility to students and the ability to influence the intellectual and scholarly development of students.
The award recipients will receive $3000 for teaching-related initiatives/research.
UTM Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty 2022-23:
Dr. Karen Woodall from the Forensic Science Program was selected as the recipient of the UTM Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching by a junior faculty member.
E.A. Robinson Teaching Excellence Award for Senior Faculty 2022-23:
Dr. Tyler Evans-Tokaryk from the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy (ISUP) was selected as the recipient of the UTM Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding teaching by a senior faculty.
Click here for a list of past award recipients.
Award Criteria
The Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards are made on the basis of excellence in teaching in its broadest sense. Excellent teachers typically demonstrate the following qualities: display a mastery of and enthusiasm for the subject area, and have effective communication skills; have been exemplary in one or more areas of teaching; are judged to be "outstanding," rather than merely "very good"; stimulate and challenge students' minds, and encourage their intellectual development; and are interested in and reasonably accessible to students.
Since 2018, the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award competition will have three divisions, (Sessional, Junior, and Senior), each functioning as a separate award. The Teaching Excellence Award for Sessionals is targeted at Sessional Lecturers and Course Instructors, the Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty is targeted at early-career Assistant and Associate Professors, and the E.A. Robinson Teaching Excellence Award for Senior Faculty is targeted at senior Associate Professors and full Professors.
The name of the Junior Division award is under discussion, and suggestions honoring past UTM community members would be welcomed. Please send suggestions to vdteachlearn.utm@utoronto.ca.
Principal Nominators
The principal nominator may be an individual faculty member or a group composed of multiple University of Toronto Mississauga community members, including students. Groups submitting a nomination must include at least one faculty. The Chair or Director of the nominee’s unit must support the nomination and should be consulted throughout the nomination process. Nominators are encouraged to read the following guidelines carefully prior to submitting a nomination.
Deadline for Submission of the Nomination Package
Nomination packages are due Friday, June 14, 2024.
Nominee Eligibility
The awards are open to individuals whose major appointment is at the University of Toronto Mississauga and who hold the academic rank of Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor, in either the Tenure or Teaching Stream, as well as to individuals who have served as a Sessional Lecturer or Course Instructor for two or more terms at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Individuals may be nominated for the award any number of times, but may receive each division of the award only once. Receipt of more than one category of award (e.g., both Junior and Senior) requires the second nomination to focus almost entirely on achievements after the period of the first award.
Divisions
Nominees to the Teaching Excellence Awards will be considered according to the following Divisions:
- E.A. Robinson Teaching Excellence Award for Senior Faculty Division has been established to recognize excellence in teaching from senior Associate or full Professors (teaching and tenure stream) whose major appointment is to the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Nominees for the E.A. Robinson award must have taught at UTM for at least 5 years and should be at least two years post-promotion.
- UTM Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty Division has been established to recognize excellence in teaching from Assistant Professors and early Associate Professors (teaching and tenure stream) whose major appointment is to the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Nominees for his division must be pre-promotion or within two years of promotion.
- UTM Cleo Leland Boyd Teaching Excellence Award for Sessional Faculty Division has been established to recognize excellence in teaching from Course Instructors and Sessional Lectures at any level. Nominees will only be considered for their work as a course instructor on the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Individuals must have two (2) or more terms (H or Y) of experience working as a course instructor at UTM to be eligible for this award.
Please clearly indicate the Division to which you are nominating the individual in your application. Nominators for LTL or CLTA faculty should consult with the Associate Dean, Pedagogical Development and Scholarship for direction on the division most appropriate for the specific case.
Adjudication Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated for the awards by the Adjudication Committee on the basis of sustained outstanding performance in several of the following areas:
- Effective, inclusive, and supportive classroom instruction (including lecturing, small group teaching and/or laboratory instruction) that develops student mastery of a subject and encourages the development of critical skills.
- Accessibility to students outside of class (including individual tutoring and advising) and active engagement in their learning and growth.
- Creation of outstanding learning experiences (including assessments, experiential learning, research opportunities, or individual coursework such as projects and undergraduate theses) that facilitate student growth.
- The creation or improvement of courses, curricula, teaching processes, and educational materials that can be demonstrated to increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
Contributions to and leadership within the UTM teaching community or, more broadly, the University or disciplinary teaching communities, through educational development, planning and research (including the scholarship of teaching and learning).
Nomination Package Requirements & Format
All nomination packages submitted to the Teaching Excellence Award for Faculty must be submitted electronically as single PDFs, and may not exceed 50 pages, excluding the CV. No hard copies of any part of the package will be accepted.
A complete nomination package will include:
- A table of contents.
- An updated CV.
- A detailed nomination letter from the principal nominator (maximum 3 pages), indicating the award category proposed and clearly explaining the reasons for considering the nominee, specifically addressing the adjudication criteria above. Please include the nominator’s contact information.
- If they are not the principal nominator, a brief (maximum 1 page) letter of support from the Chair or Director of the nominee’s unit.
- A dossier outlining the nominee's teaching duties and accomplishments in the areas listed under Adjudication Criteria and providing evidence of outstanding performance. The dossier may include:
- A teaching philosophy statement
- Example course syllabi
- Descriptions, reviews, or samples of educational materials produced, or accounts of other innovations or contributions to teaching practice.
- A summary of formal teaching evaluations. (Do not include raw data.)
- A sample and summary of other relevant information (e.g., mentorship or training, evidence of ongoing pedagogical development, contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning, or development of programs or initiatives) that demonstrate the adjudication criteria.
- A list of individuals writing letters of support and the letters of support themselves (maximum 1 page each) that provide direct, personal evidence of the nominee’s impact. In general, strong nominations include support from several constituencies, such as students, teaching assistants, faculty colleagues, and departmental Chairs.
The nomination should clearly and comprehensively address the adjudication criteria. Nominators will need to be selective in the type and amount of evidence they collect to support the nomination package, in order to meet the 50-page limit.
Deadline for Submission of the Nomination Package
The nomination package must be complete and in PDF format. The PDF should be saved in the name of the nominee. That PDF can then be uploaded to the File Request at the link below, and using that system, send to Anna Reale (anna.reale@utoronto.ca)
Nomination packages are due Friday, June 14, 2024
Notes on Privacy & Confidentiality
- Nomination packages will be disseminated to Adjudication Committee members, and the membership of those Committees will likely not be set until after the nomination deadline.
- The successful nominee will be provided with a full copy of the complete nomination package (along with a congratulatory letter).
- The Adjudication Committee administration will NOT notify unsuccessful nominees of their nomination, nor will the administration provide them (or anyone other than the Adjudication Committee) with a copy of the unsuccessful dossier.
- Please do not include confidential information in the nomination package.
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQ will be updated throughout the competition. Please refer here regularly if you are preparing a nomination.
When will I find out the competition results?
- The Adjudication Committee will meet in late September, so you will hear one way or the other in mid-October. Only the principal nominators are notified. Nominees themselves are not directly notified.
If the nomination I submitted is unsuccessful, will I be provided feedback?
- Principal nominators will be provided with the contact information of the Chair of the Adjudication Committee upon request. Requests for feedback should be made directly to the Chair.
Further Questions?
Please contact Anna Reale, anna.reale@utoronto.ca if you have questions about this year's Faculty Teaching Excellence Award competitions.