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University of Houston
TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARDS
2009-2010

The University of Houston Teaching Excellence Awards for outstanding faculty and teaching assistants/fellows carry cash prizes of $5,000 for faculty and $1,000 for teaching assistants/fellows. Teaching Excellence awards will be granted to no more than nine faculty and no more than two awarded to graduate teaching assistants.

Category 1: Teaching Excellence
Nominations accepted for exceptional tenure or tenure-track professors who have demonstrated excellence in teaching. No more than five awards may be presented.

Category 2: Provost Core
Nominations accepted for tenure or tenure-track faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching University Undergraduate Core Curriculum courses. No more than three awards may be presented.

Category 3: Innovation in Instructional Technology
Nominations accepted for tenure or tenure-track faculty who have demonstrated excellence in innovative teaching using instructional technology, possibly including but not limited to hybrid courses, online courses, and instructional television. No more than two awards may be presented.

Category 4: Instructor/Clinical
Nominations accepted for excellence in teaching demonstrated by faculty who do not have tenure or tenure-track positions, including Instructors, Clinical Faculty, Research Faculty, Artist Affiliates, and Lecturers. No more than two awards may be presented.

Category 5: Graduate Teaching Assistant
Nominations accepted for teaching assistants/fellows who have demonstrated excellence in teaching. No more than two awards may be presented.

Category 6: Career Award
Nominations accepted for tenured faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching over the course of their careers at the University of Houston. The recipient must have been on the faculty at the University of Houston for at least five years. No more than one award may be presented. An award in this category may only be presented once to a faculty member.

Criteria

Faculty may be nominated for all categories for which they may be eligible. The committee has the option to consider nominees for more than one category for which the nominee may be eligible but will award no more than one award to a nominee for that award year.

Previous recipients are eligible for nomination in the sixth academic year following a prior award, with the exception of the Career Award (Category six) which may be awarded only once to an individual.

All nominees must be available for teaching observation during the spring 2010 semester so that the committee members may observe their classes or instructional materials.

Faculty nominees (except for Category 4) must be tenured or tenure-track faculty who have been in residence at the University of Houston for at least two academic years prior to the year of nomination. Nominees for Category 4 must have been on the faculty at least half time for three years prior to nomination.

Category 5 nominees must be currently enrolled as graduate students and must have held teaching responsibilities for at least two academic semesters.

Nomination Process

Faculty, students, and alumni may make nominations. Please include the nominator's address, email (if available) and phone number. To nominate a faculty member or teaching assistant/fellow, submit the following items by 5:00 P.M., Friday, November 6, 2009:

1. Nomination form;
    
2. A one-page letter of nomination;
    
3. A one-page statement of teaching philosophy by the nominee;
    
4. The nominee's curriculum vitae, highlighting teaching-related activities such as course development, advising, mentoring, and other contributions to the teaching program of a department or college;
    
5. For Category 3 nominees only:
   A one-page description of the innovative teaching using instructional technology. This might include mode of delivery, delivery sites, number of students, and any other description of the course that demonstrates how the teaching was accomplished.
    
6. For Category 4 nominees only:
   One additional letter will be required from the candidate’s department outlining the nature of the candidate’s position and his/her respective role within the department.
    
7. The nominee's spring semester anticipated teaching schedule. If possible, include class times and room locations. Committee members will visit the classes of those nominees selected as finalists.
    

Nominations will be submitted electronically as a .pdf file. Please make a single .pdf file (named with the last name of the applicant) containing items 1-7 outlined above and in the order indicated on the nominator form. Submit the nomination packet to Dr. Heidi Kennedy Director of Academic Program Management via email, hkennedy@uh.edu

Questions should be directed to Dr. Kennedy at:  
(713) 743-9187
or via email at hkennedy@uh.edu.

Selection Process

Based upon materials presented in the nomination portfolio, the Teaching Excellence Awards Committee (composed of faculty, students, and alumni) will review the nominations and make recommendations to the Provost. By December 2009, eligible nominees and their nominators will be notified and given additional instructions for completing the final portfolio.

- download Finalist Guidelines (TeachExFin_0910.doc) -

Friday, January 22, 2010 will be the deadline for submission of the finalist portfolio.