Outstanding University Teacher Award- Category II
(Teachers who are not on tenure lines)

Printable Version of Guidelines, Nomination Form and Portfolio Cover Sheet (PDF - 72 KB)

2005-2006

Purpose

The Illinois State University Outstanding Teacher Awards Program exists to 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 enhance their teaching. The Outstanding Teacher Award-Category II (OUTA-II) is for full- or part-time teachers with non-tenure track appointments and for administrative professionals and civil service employees with University credit-generating teaching responsibilities.

Outstanding University Teacher Award-Category II

Those University teachers whose academic teaching accomplishments are unusually significant and meritorious among their colleagues at Illinois State University and beyond may be considered for the Outstanding University Teacher Award. Category II of this award is designed to honor Illinois State University's most exceptional teachers who are not tenured or on tenure track. This award may be given to up to two teachers in any given year. The OUTA-II provides $2,000 to the recipient: $1,500 in salary funds and $500 in appropriated operating funds for professional development. Funds must be expended by the end of the fiscal year in which the award is granted.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, an Illinois State University teacher must:

Be a full- or part-time teacher
1. With a non-tenure track appointment (i.e., not on a tenure track);
2. Who is an administrative professional with University credit-generating teaching responsibilities; or
3. Who is a civil service employee with University credit-generating teaching responsibilities.
Have completed at least four semesters of University credit-generating teaching responsibilities at Illinois State University under one of the eligible appointments above.
Have their names submitted to the Chair of the University Teaching Committee by April 29, 2005.

Previous recipients of this award are ineligible for consideration until a minimum of five years has elapsed since the receipt of their prior award.

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 distributed to 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

Any current or former Illinois State department chairperson/division head or dean, any current or former Illinois State full- or part-time faculty member, or any current or former full- or part-time Illinois State student may nominate someone meeting the eligibility requirements for this award.

The letter of nomination, which must be typed, signed, and dated, shall:

Provide the Nominee's name and academic department/division;
Explain why the nominee should be considered for this award;
Explain the role from which the nominator knows the candidate's teaching

The nominator should send the letter directly to the candidate's department chair/division head before April 29, 2005. By April 29, 2005, the chair/division head must send names of nominees to the University Teaching Committee (UTC), using the Nomination form below (or some facsimile).

By September 15, 2005, the department/division shall endorse and forward the full application materials (see below) of two or fewer candidates to the dean's office. Each dean, in conjunction with the College Council, shall evaluate applicants based upon the selection criteria listed below. The dean shall select and forward three or fewer candidates' application materials (College of Arts and Sciences forwards three or fewer per division) to the University Teaching Committee. The dean may rank the applicants and/or provide written rationales. These rankings or rationales, which are optional and completed at the dean's discretion, are advisory to the UTC. They should be forwarded along with the application materials.

The selection committee is appointed by the Chair of the University Teaching Committee and is composed of five to six persons, including a previous recipient of the Outstanding University Teacher Award and, ideally, up to two previous recipients of the OUTA-II award. The balance of members will come from the University Teaching Committee (UTC). Additionally, the Provost may designate a member.

Departments should inform candidates that they are final departmental nominees in advance of the May University Teaching Workshop, May 18-19, 2005. At this workshop or shortly thereafter, Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology (CTLT) will conduct a teaching portfolio session. The April notification also allows nominees to work on their portfolio over the summer.

Application Materials to Document Outstanding Teacher 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).

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:
- a summary of the candidate's student evaluations of teaching placed in the context of departmental norms; and
- an evaluation of the candidate’s ability to incorporate academic rigor and challenge into 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 plastiv 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 statement of the candidate's teaching responsibilities for the last three years or for the entire time the candidate has had academic teaching responsibilities at Illinois State University, whichever is less; and a summary of the candidate's student evaluations of teaching. (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 one course or other instructional setting at Illinois State University.
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 Teaching, Learning & Technology, check out books on teaching portfolios (especially by Peter Seldin) available in the Faculty Development Resource Center (ITDC 107), look at these materials on portfolios, consult with CTLT staff, and/or have colleagues who have already completed this award process review their portfolios.

Criteria for the Outstanding University Teacher Award-Category II

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 UTC uses these criteria as guidelines to evaluate the teaching portfolios. In addition, candidates might use them 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:
- Encourage 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).
- Encourage 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).
- Provide 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).
- Emphasize 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).
- Communicate 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).
- Assign 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).
- Motivate 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:
1. 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.
2. 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 a 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:
1. 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.
2. 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 of 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.

*Definition developed by the AAHE/Carnegie Scholarship of Teaching Campus Discussion Group, Illinois State University, spring 1999.