SHORTCUTS:
 Purpose of the Award
The
excellence awards serve the following
major purposes:
- To
signal the University's commitment to
excellence in teaching.
- To
reward faculty excellence in teaching.
- To
thereby promote excellence in teaching
among other faculty.
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Nature and
Number of Awards
Up
to four awards may be given in any one
year for excellence in teaching by faculty
and up to two awards for excellence in
teaching by graduate students. The committee
does not give the maximum number of awards
unless there are enough truly excellent
candidates to justify such action that
year.
All
awards are presented at Honors Day.
-
Faculty each receive $5,000, and their
portraits hang in Morris Library for
five years. Funds for the teaching awards
for faculty come from the Offices of the
President and Provost.
A brick inscribed with the recipient's name is also placed in Mentor's Circle.
- Graduate
students each receive $1,500. Funds
for the teaching awards for graduate
students come from the Offices of the
President and Provost.
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Criteria of Excellence
Please nominate individuals
who demonstrate the following qualities:
Intellectually demanding and
rigorous
- is
thought-provoking and intellectually
demanding
- relates
course material to other fields, contemporary
issues, student experiences
Deeply
committed to teaching and students
- is
enthusiastic about teaching
- is
conscientious, organized, and well-prepared
for class
- is
concerned about individual students
and their development
- is
readily available to students
Communication with students and relaying of course content
- provides
clear expectations, relevant assignments,
and ample feedback
- presents
material clearly, asks good questions,
and adjusts strategies as necessary
to facilitate understanding
- engages
students and stimulates participation
- is
open-minded, fair, and respectful of
differences among students
Has
positive and lasting impact on students
- inspires
students to excel
- promotes
critical reading, thinking, and writing
- produces
more learning than in other courses
- affects
students’ educational and career
goals and achievements
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Rules of Eligibility for the Award
- Person
nominated must be a full-time UD faculty
member or a currently enrolled full-time graduate
student who has full responsibility
for teaching a course or laboratory
section. ("Faculty" refers to having either a primary
or secondary appointment as an instructor, assistant professor,
associate professor, or full professor.) The nominee may teach either
undergraduate or graduate students,
or both.
- Person
has not won this award in the last ten
years.
- The
nominee himself/herself has NOT solicited
this nomination in any manner.
- Your
nomination of this particular person
is entirely voluntary.That is, you are
NOT submitting it because you felt pressure
from someone in authority over you to
do so (advisor, current instructor or
TA, department chair, etc.).
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Retention of Nominations
Nominations are not discarded.They are
saved for the next year so that evidence
can build up for individuals who are re-nominated.
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Deadline for Submissions: March
1.
Nominations received after this date will
be considered in the following year.
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Selection Procedures
Awardees are selected by
the University Faculty Senate's Committee
on Student and Faculty Honors, and are
announced at Honors Day in May.
The Committee compares the evidence provided
in the nominations against pre-established
criteria for excellence in teaching. It
pays particular attention to nominations
from current and past students.Number
of nominations cannot substitute for evidence
of truly outstanding teaching.
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