Nominations can come from colleagues, from students, or from self-nomination.

Notes:

  • Team nominations are accepted.
  • Individuals can’t be nominated for more than one award the same year.

The Review committee will use discretion if an individual is nominated for two concurrent awards, and will move the nomination to the appropriate award category based on their best judgment. Additionally, if a nominee meets and exemplifies the criteria for an award other than the one he/she was nominated for, the committee will use clear and concise judgment in deciding to move or not to move the individual’s nomination to a more suitable award category.

Documentation requirements for submission

The nomination process may require the following supporting documentation

For the “Innovative Teaching with Technology” award:

  • The name(s) of the person or team being nominated.
  • A letter (1-3 pages long) that
    • Addresses how the individual or team uses educational technology in a creative and innovative manner,
    • Describes its impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the course.
    • Cites specific examples of excellence in which this individual has developed, adapted, adopted or incorporated technology for teaching and learning
  • Depending on the pedagogy of the project, the letter may respond to some of the following questions:
    1. What was the educational problem being addressed and in what timeframe?
    2. What was the Teaching with Technology solution or research process?
    3. Who was involved in and affected by the project? (Which course(s), number of students, partnerships or cross-departmental solutions)
    4. Why is this an innovative use of teaching with technology or a significant study related to teaching with technology? (Show ways in which it reflects noteworthy educational, technical, or process innovation. Also describe how the concept/process can be applied to other courses.)
    5. What was/is the impact of the project? What tools were used to evaluate this impact? (Student evaluations, student letters, etc.)
    6. When appropriate, nominations may illustrate how the nominee enables direct student engagement with technology to improve understanding and learning of material.

For the “Outstanding Online Course” award:

  • The name(s) of person or team being nominated.
  • The hybrid or online course being nominated (Course id and title)
  • A reflective statement letter (2-4 pages long) that includes:
    • The nominee’s online teaching and learning philosophy
    • Provide a general description of the nominated online/hybrid course.
    • Describe the online teaching methodology and learning strategy used by the nominee in this course providing brief descriptions of the online teaching approaches utilized (strategies and objectives).
    •  Provide photos (screenshots) of the homepage and activities or assignments.
    • At least three examples of well-designed course materials that embody effective teaching strategies.
    • Evidence of effectiveness in achieving desired learning outcomes in the online course(s), such as student survey statistics or course evaluations or learning outcomes documentation, and demonstrated rapport with learners and other course participants.
  • The letter may respond to some or all of the following questions:
    1. How does the nominee use of the online environment impacts the teaching and learning process?
    2. How do these approaches demonstrate a creative response or solution to one or more emerging instructional challenges?
    3. The nominee can also answer some/all of the following questions by summarizing some of the specific examples within his/her online teaching practices to address how he/she:
      1. Builds rapport with students in the online environment?
      2. Creates clear and high expectations?
      3. Increases the knowledge level of students?
      4. Engages students in the online environment?
      5. Inspires students to learn?
      6. Builds a sense of community within the online classroom?
      7. Applies content to real life in a student friendly manner?
  • Nominee shall grant permission to make the course from the applicable semester available to the review committee. 

For both awards:

  • Any other supporting documentation that can provide evidence of the nominee’s online teaching excellence and may include such items as:
    • Selected components of course syllabi
    • Data showing success of the nominee’s students
    • Summaries or recent student evaluations
    • Methods of assessing student learning and achievement in the online environment that go beyond student evaluations
    • Evidence of faculty-student interaction
    • Student mentoring/advising activities
    • Peer evaluations
    • Faculty development sessions attended
  • Note: These documents are optional and should be accompanied by a brief explanation of why they are included in the dossier, i.e., how they document the excellence of the nominee’s online teaching and learning.
  • A statement agreeing to present at the Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies at UNT Dallas Showcase or another professional development university event (Date to be determined).

Submission Directions

  • Nominations will be submitted using an electronic form.
  • Supporting documentation may be submitted via email.