Teaching Initiative Award
Printable Version of Guidelines,
Nomination Form and Portfolio Cover Sheet (PDF - 72 KB)
Purpose
The Illinois State University Outstanding Teacher Awards Program exists
to honor and recognize individuals who have achieved excellence as teachers
at Illinois State University. By honoring such individuals, the University
demonstrates its commitment to teaching as a scholarly endeavor, emphasizes
outstanding engagement with student learning, and provides incentives for
faculty members to pursue activities that enhance them as teachers. The Teaching
Initiative Award (TIA) recognizes faculty members who are relatively new
to the teaching profession.
Teaching Initiative Award
These awards provide appropriated operating funds in the amount of $500
for up to seven new faculty who, early in their academic careers, have shown
considerable promise in teaching. The award funds will be paid directly to
the award recipient. The awards will be given to assistant professors
with at least two years of teaching on a full-time tenure track at Illinois
State, but not more than five years of full-time, tenure track University-level
teaching experience at Illinois State and elsewhere, combined. Part-time
non-tenure track and/or graduate assistant teaching experience for any length
of time do not preclude a candidate from applying. The candidate's teaching
performance at Illinois State University in a tenure track position, however,
will be given the greatest weight in the selection process.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to compete for the TIA, faculty members must:
- Be a full time tenured or tenure track faculty member with at least
two years of teaching on a full-time tenure track at Illinois State, but
not more than five years of full-time, tenure track University-level teaching
experience at Illinois State and elsewhere, combined..
- Have their names submitted to the Chair of the University Teaching Committee
by April 29, 2005.
- Receive support for their candidacy for the TIA from both their department
chair and college dean.
Members of the University Teaching Committee (UTC) are ineligible to receive
this award during their terms of Committee service. Also, previous recipients
of this award are ineligible to receive it again.
Timetable for the selection process
- March 17, 2005—Program information and guidelines
are posted to the CTLT Web site and memos outlining the time frame and
any changes in the process are to distributed Chairs, Deans, and others
by the University Teaching Committee.
- April 29, 2005—Names of final nominees are due
from departments to the Chair of the University Teaching Committee. Departments
should inform final nominees that they are, in fact, the nominees.
- September 15, 2005—Completed applications are
due from departments to the offices of their respective college deans.
- October 14, 2005—Applications are due from the
college offices to the University Teaching Committee. Send to Nancy Bragg,
6370 Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology [or 111 ITDC].
Procedures for Soliciting and Evaluating Applications
Chairs should facilitate a nominations process in their departments. Chairs
should then submit the names of final department nominees to the University
Teaching Committee by April 29, 2005. (Please use the Nomination Sheet, below,
or some facsimile.) By September 15, 2005, chairs should forward the full
application materials of candidates whom they endorse to the college dean's
office.
Each college dean, in conjunction with the College Council, shall evaluate
the applicants based upon the selection criteria listed below, then select
candidates to forward to the university level. The dean/college selection
committee may rank the applicants and/or provide written rationales. These
rankings or rationales, which are optional and completed at the discretion
of the dean, are advisory to the UTC. They should be forwarded along with
the application materials to the UTC.
College Council members who are applicants for this award should not participate
in the deliberations. Colleges need not forward the applications of candidates
whom they feel do not merit further consideration for the award. There is
no limit to the number of candidates each college may forward for consideration.
The UTC shall make the final selection of the TIA recipients and shall notify
each award recipient, as well as those candidates who were considered for
the award, but were not selected to receive it.
Departments should inform candidates that they are final departmental nominees
in advance of the May 18-19, 2005, University
Teaching Workshop. At this workshop or shortly thereafter, CTLT
will conduct a teaching portfolio workshop. The early notification also allows
nominees to work on their portfolio over the summer.
Documenting Teaching Initiative Award Qualifications
All candidates must submit the following items. The first three items should
be included in the portfolio binder (e.g., in a pocket or at the front) or
as links in an electronic portfolio.
- a completed cover sheet (see below)
- an up-to-date curriculum vita
- a summary statement by the department chairperson about the candidate's
teaching, which includes:
- The candidate's DFSC ratings in teaching for the previous three years
(or as long as he/she has been at Illinois State);
- An evaluation of the candidate's ability to enhance student learning
through his or her instructional and evaluative practices; and
- An evaluation of the candidate's teaching contribution to the department
and the discipline as a whole.
- a teaching portfolio (see below for details)
The Teaching Portfolio
For the purposes of this award, the complete portfolio, including
appendices, is limited to a single, two-inch, three-ring ("D" ring, not "O" ring)
binder. The committee will only view two inches and will not remove and
view multiple page documents in plastic sleeves. A candidate who submits
a video tape as evidence, must specify in the narrative what the committee
is to look for in the video.
Electronic portfolios are also allowed; these must meet all the requirements
(equivalent length, format, content, required materials, etc.) of the general
portfolio guidelines. The UTC recommends that electronic portfolios be turned
in as a CD; alternatively, the electronic portfolio might be web-based. Contact
the Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology for further
guidance on electronic portfolios.
The teaching portfolio must include two major sections: the narrative and
the appendices. The purpose of the Narrative is to discuss
the candidate's teaching accomplishments in relation to the five selection
criteria and to portray other features of the candidate's teaching. The purpose
of the Appendices is to provide evidence for statements
made in the Narrative. There are some required elements in both the Narrative
and the Appendices, while other elements are at the candidate's discretion.
Portfolio Narrative
The narrative is written by the faculty member and is about
6 to 8 pages in length, usually divided into subsections.
- The narrative must contain a statement of the candidate's teaching philosophy,
a summary of the candidate's teaching responsibilities for the past three
years; and a summary of the candidate's student evaluations of teaching,
in relation to department norms. (Note that these last two elements are
summaries only; illustrations and further evidence should come in the appendices.)
- For the purposes of this teaching award, candidates are strongly encouraged
to include sections that address the five major selection criteria listed
below-or as many of those criteria as are appropriate.
- In addition, the narrative may contain sections unique to the individual
(e.g., if he/she works significantly with students outside of class, there
might be a section on that; if he/she engages in the scholarship of teaching,
there might be comments about that, etc.).
- Generally, the reader of the Narrative should also be able to see how
the candidate's teaching philosophy and practices demonstrate excellence
in teaching as articulated by the selection criteria.
Appendices
Items in the appendices should match and provide evidence
for statements made in the Narrative. (One way that faculty have successfully
organized the Appendices is to have it contain up to five major sections,
each of which corresponds to one of the selection criteria addressed in the
Narrative.)
- The appendices must include representative materials from at least two
courses or other instructional settings.
- Items may include example syllabi, tests, handouts, course Web page URLs,
evidence of student outcomes, evidence of involvement with students out-of-class,
copies of articles written with students, summaries of student evaluations,
instructor responses to student work, classroom action research, reflective
analyses of teaching, evidence of faculty development activities related
to teaching, examples of honors and awards related to teaching, evidence
of work in the scholarship of teaching and learning (published articles
or conference papers), etc.
- Any student work should have identifying information removed and the
permission of the student to include it in the portfolio.
- Candidates should not only include examples of materials and artifacts
in their portfolios, but also demonstrate purposefully the effectiveness
of their practices and activities by including information and evidence
on student outcomes.
Preparing the Portfolio
Candidates are encouraged to attend the sessions on developing a teaching
portfolio that are scheduled each May by the Center for the Advancement of
Teaching. They may also check out books on teaching portfolios (especially
by Peter Seldin) available in the CTLT resource center (ITDC 107), discuss
their portfolios with CTLT staff, look at these materials
on portfolios, and have colleagues who have already completed this award
process review their portfolios.
Criteria for the Teaching Initiative Award
The members of the UTC developed these criteria over several years and after
reviewing literature on teaching effectiveness and student learning in higher
education, including "Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" by
Chickering and Gamson (1987). The criteria are used as guidelines when evaluating
the teaching portfolios. In addition, the criteria can be used by candidates
to help organize their portfolios or as discussion points in their narratives.
The UTC members recognize that teaching and learning varies by discipline,
instructional setting, and years of teaching experience. The UTC
does not expect that candidates would have entries for, or excel in, all
of the areas below. This list is not exhaustive. The most compelling portfolios
will contain not just assertions about reflections on these criteria but,
also, evidence or documentation about how the candidate effectively meets
them.
- Instruction: This category refers to the actions of
teachers that result in effective learning in the teacher-class setting.
This criterion will remain foremost in the UTC's selection process. The
UTC believes that exemplary instruction is a necessary, but not necessarily
sufficient, characteristic that defines outstanding teachers. Exemplary
instruction can include:
- Encouraging cooperation among students because learning is enhanced
through interaction and team efforts (e.g., use collaborative learning
tasks in class; encourage student study groups; require group work;
use peer-teaching methods).
- Encouraging active learning; students must think and process through
writing, applying, and doing (e.g., students present work to class;
written assignments; use of simulations, role playing, debates; field
trips; service learning).
- Providing prompt and useful feedback, including assessing current
knowledge/skills, and offering ongoing useful guidance (e.g., use formative
evaluations; use appropriate classroom assessment techniques; provide
useful, timely feedback).
- Emphasizing time on task, including time management and realistic
expectations about time (e.g., require on-time work; clarify minimum
amounts of time on tasks; help students set challenging goals; require
challenging amounts of homework).
- Communicating high expectations and employ appropriate methods to
help students meet them (e.g., syllabi explain expectations and give
reasons for them; fair, but tough, grading; acknowledge exceptional
student work).
- Assigning authentic tasks and evaluation to help students learn,
remember, and synthesize (e.g., provide examples, materials relevant
to students; use guest speakers, field trips, etc. to relate course
material to world; set standards analogous to work world).
- Motivating students and promote learning in a variety of ways (e.g.,
learn and use students' names; demonstrate to students love of discipline/learning;
give students shared control of course).
- Mentoring: This category both refers to working with
students on their development and with faculty colleagues as a master teacher.
Typically, mentoring refers to one-on-one or small group interactions.
Examples include the following:
- Student Mentoring
- Regularly spend time with students outside of class, giving feedback
and instruction.
- Work on research or creative projects with students outside of
class.
- Observe and give feedback on student activities in various settings
(e.g., symposia, rehearsals, and exhibits).
- Serve as a direct model as a teacher and scholar (e.g., teaching
assistant-instructor relationships and co-authoring).
- Orient students and serve as a resource in ways that exceed that
of the average advisor relationship.
- Faculty Mentoring
- Help orient new faculty to the University's teaching resources,
curricula, instructional technology, etc.
- Function as an expert teaching resource, both for information
and by giving counsel (e.g., peer observation).
- Serve as an outstanding model for teaching, by example and as
a partner in co-teaching settings.
- Take a leadership role in identifying and fulfilling mentorship
opportunities in the department, college, and/or University.
- Use experiences as a mentor to enhance own teaching-engage in
learning/dialogue with protégé.
- Professional development and teaching-related service: This
refers to activities that teachers pursue to develop their own teaching
and to share their teaching expertise with others. For professional development
to be considered exemplary, evidence should demonstrate the positive impact
such activities have had on teaching and learning. Examples include the
following:
- Professional Development of Teaching
- Attend Illinois State University teaching workshops, symposia,
etc.
- Attend disciplinary or other teaching conferences, workshops,
etc. off campus.
- Participate in other teaching-related activities, such as teaching-learning
teams or the AAHE/Carnegie Campus Program.
- Engage in applied or fieldwork in ones discipline and use it
to enhance own teaching.
- Reflect on teaching; use classroom assessment
- Teaching-Related Service
- Actively advise a student club or organization.
- Chair or participate in campus committees dealing with teaching
and curriculum.
- Advise undergraduate majors in department/program.
- Develop course and/or curriculum.
- Develop teaching materials.
- Organize teaching brown bags and workshops.
- Participate on teaching-related committees in disciplinary organizations.
- Innovation: This refers to taking risks with new ideas,
demonstrating success and/or failure, and systematically reflecting on
the innovation and its effectiveness for teaching and learning. Examples
include the following:
- Designing and implementing new approaches to instruction.
- Adapting "old" methods and pedagogies to new disciplines or contexts.
- Introducing teaching-related ideas to Illinois State that have been
successful elsewhere.
- Developing novel teaching materials.
- Trying instructional technologies in ways that have not been used
before at Illinois State.
- Trying new strategies based on reflection and classroom assessment
or research.
- Scholarship of Teaching: This refers to the "systematic
reflection on teaching and learning made public." * Examples
include the following:
- Applying methods of inquiry from disciplines and professions commonly
associated with the study of teaching, such as the social sciences
and teacher education.
- Applying methods of inquiry from disciplines and professions not
commonly associated with the study of teaching, such as the arts, humanities,
physical sciences, and information technology.
- Personal analysis and reflection on experiences with teaching and
learning (e.g., course portfolio).
The results of reflections/research should be made public through such
means as:
- Formal dissemination through books, book chapters, journal articles,
and conference papers and presentations.
- Formal dissemination through exhibitions, performances, and demonstrations.
- Informal dissemination at brown bags, discussion groups, symposia,
etc.
Printable Version of Guidelines,
Nomination Form and Portfolio Cover Sheet (PDF - 72 KB)
For further information, contact
Nancy
Bragg
Chair, University Teaching Committee
438-7695
118 ITDC
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