CLAHS CERTIFICATE OF TEACHING EXCELLENCE (CTE)
To recognize outstanding faculty members in teaching of undergraduate and graduate students. Up to 6 awards will be given.
Recipient must be a CLAHS instructor, lecturer, AP (administrative and professional faculty), tenured, or tenure-track faculty member for whom the teaching of undergraduate and graduate students is and has been an assigned responsibility.
Winners of the college-level award for this year will be submitted for the university level Alumni Teaching Award. Because of this, the nomination must follow the Academy of Teaching Excellence dossier guidelines (http://www.ate.ceut.vt.edu/DOSSIER.HTML)
A nomination dossier should consist of only the materials requested below and should not include any other items. Dossiers must not exceed 15 pages. The cover/title page, which includes the table of contents, does not count as part of the 15 pages. Appendices and attachments are included in the page count. Pages should be double-spaced and single-sided. Exceptions to the double-spaced requirement include photocopied material, letters other than the nomination letter, and tables. Number all pages after the title/cover page.
If a dossier exceeds 15 pages, the Award Selection Committees will not consider the candidate for an award.
A complete dossier should contain the following items:
- Title or Cover Page which includes a Table of Contents. Not counted toward the 15-page limit.
- Distinctive Contributions and Achievements. A one-page bulleted list of significant teaching accomplishments, contributions, awards, and activities that indicate the nominee's commitment to teaching excellence.
- Nomination Letter. Describes the nominee’s extraordinary success in teaching by providing a narrative of the nominee’s background, experience, teaching style, special contributions, other teaching awards, and any additional evidence of the nominee’s unusual achievements in teaching. Please limit this portion to no more than three double-spaced pages.
- Statement of Teaching Philosophy. No more than one page.
- Student Perception of Teaching. Provide a table showing all classes taught for a minimum of the past three years with the students’ perception of teaching. Reduced teaching loads (sabbaticals, buy-outs, etc.) should be clearly indicated. Any classes not evaluated also should be noted in the table. The table should include:
- the name of each course taught,
- the number of students in each course,
- the number of students completing the evaluation, and
- the student ratings. If the standard university evaluation form, Student Perception of Instruction (SPOI), is used, the table minimally should include scores for:
- the overall student rating,
- success in communicating, and
- concern and respect for the student.
If the SPOI form is not used, then the form used to acquire student perceptions must be included with the dossier and will not count as part of the 15 pages. Putting student perceptions into a context is frequently helpful. For example, it is useful to include comparisons with departmental averages for similar courses.
- Additional Documentation. No more than four pages of evidence to document the nominee’s extraordinary teaching success. This documentation will vary greatly from department to department, but it may include summaries of student nominations, peer or student evaluations, comments on teaching, new course development, increases in students taught in the nominee’s field (with clear evidence of the nominee’s substantial responsibility for them), etc.
- Letters of Recommendation. Please include no more than five letters of recommendation which may include
- Letters from the nominee’s present or former students (strongly recommended).
- Letters from the nominee’s colleagues (one of whom could be the department chair if not the nominator).
- Additional letters from anyone qualified to comment on the nominee’s extraordinary teaching success.
The Academy of Teaching Excellence presents an annual dossier workshop to assist and encourage nominations. The CTE/Alumni Award teaching dossier workshop will be taught this year by Patricia Ameteis and Bud Brown. It will take place on Monday, December 7, 2009 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Room 209 Williams.