Distinguished Teaching Awards Nominating Procedures

The Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee invites nominations of faculty members for a distinguished teaching award.

Nominators should coordinate their nominations with the chair of the nominee’s department. No more than one nominee per department will be accepted, except in the case of an additional department nomination specifically for the Van Hise Outreach Award or the Wisconsin Idea Teaching Award. Even in that case, the committee strongly recommends only one award nomination department as only one faculty member in a department can receive an award per year.

Nominations are accepted for faculty with the rank of tenure-track assistant professor, associate professor, or professor who have completed at least three years at UW–Madison (as of the nomination deadline). The nominee must have been an instructor of record for UW–Madison at least six times (not including mentored research or independent study courses) or, for the Van Hise Outreach Award and the Wisconsin Idea Teaching Award, must have three years of substantive outreach or applied or experiential teaching experience. Previous recipients are not eligible.

Every year, the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee receives nominations of numerous, excellent faculty members for a limited number of awards. The nomination materials should showcase an extraordinary impact on or engagement with students (undergraduate, graduate or professional). While there is no single criterion that determines awardees, outstanding applications often show evidence of inventive ways of teaching, interesting course elements, and other examples above and beyond the expected standard for good teachers.

The Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee encourages nominating units to use a clear, inclusive selection process that seeks to identify nominees who excel at teaching, and to think carefully about potential sources of bias in considering what kinds of qualities are important in a nominee.

Nomination requirements

Please note that the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee may appoint a nominee to any award for which it deems the nominee eligible. If the nominating unit would like to aim for a specific award (optional), please ensure the nomination speaks to that award purpose.

1. Nomination cover page.
2. An abbreviated (five pages maximum) curriculum vitae of the nominee. Limit to twenty the number of publications listed, including those related to teaching.
3. A one or two-page reflective statement by the nominee on their teaching and learning philosophy, practices, and objectives and how these have evolved over time. This could include documentation of and reflection on teaching-related training, approaches to assessment, development as a teacher, and the creation of an inclusive and equitable classroom climate.
4. Letters of support. Letter writers should describe specific examples:
   1. A letter from the department chair (two pages maximum) supporting the nomination and stressing the nominee’s contributions to teaching. If the chair of a department is nominated, please provide a letter from the associate chair or from an appropriate departmental representative. The best letters will include:
      • A discussion of how the nominee has made a particularly noteworthy impact in teaching by clearly identifying the qualities that make the nominee extraordinary.
      • Examples of successful teaching practices. This should include concrete examples of the nominee’s strengths as an educator. Examples should give the committee a clear idea of the kinds of classroom experiences the nominee encourages and creates.
      • Any relevant information about how to evaluate/assess teaching in the nominee’s department or school. Given that there are different disciplinary traditions, what does excellence in teaching look like in the nominee’s particular field?
      • Any service as it relates to teaching (e.g., TA training, peer mentoring).
      • Any research as it relates to teaching.
   2. Two supporting letters from present or past students that speak to the impact of the instructor’s teaching. At least one of these letters should be from a student who has not been employed or mentored in independent research by the nominee. The best letters will include concrete examples of teaching practices and learning experiences. Please ask students to include their email address in their letter.
   3. Two supporting letters from colleagues (other than students) who are qualified and specifically asked to comment on the quality and nature of the nominee’s teaching. The best letters will include concrete examples of teaching practices.

5. Evidence of the success of the candidate’s teaching and their commitment to continuous improvement (no more than ten pages), including:
   1. A list of contributions and achievements of the nominee that indicates dedication to and excellence in teaching (e.g., activities related to extracurricular student programs, mentoring, local or national teaching awards, grants received for teaching improvement programs). Publications related to teaching (e.g., textbooks, digital materials, published works pertinent to teaching) may also be mentioned here. Do not submit the actual items (books, etc.) with the nomination.
   2. Course materials. These should include materials that speak to the nominee’s excellence in teaching. This could include syllabi, sample summative assessment tools (e.g., a final paper assignment, including any scaffolded assignments leading up to it; a midterm or final exam), formative assessment tools, and/or any other teaching materials that might offer evidence of excellence in teaching.
   3. A summary of student evaluations of teaching, including two separate components: (1) a representative selection of student comments (if available) and (2) a summary of student evaluation numerical data (where applicable). Please include data from at least TWO courses and limit the selected comments to two pages. The evaluations should have been made within the past two years where possible, but you may include additional years if there is insufficient data from the past two.
      • The most helpful student comments will speak to the substance of the course, offering concrete examples of the students’ experiences and explaining why they liked a course.
      • Raw data should not accompany the numerical summary; however, the summary should include specific evaluation questions asked.
      • The committee understands that there can sometimes be bias in numerical data and will incorporate that understanding into their nomination review.

The deadline for the receipt of completed nominations is November 15, 2024. The committee will not accept nominations after that date and will only consider nominations that follow the above guidelines.

Please send the nomination as a single PDF file to the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty at admin@secfac.wisc.edu. If the nomination is a re-submittal, please update the student teaching evaluations with the most recent information and consider new or updated letters from students and colleagues.

On behalf of the Board of Regents, the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee invites UW–Madison nominations for Universities of Wisconsin regents teaching excellence awards. The purpose of the regents teaching excellence awards is to recognize exemplary teaching by faculty and departments/programs within the Universities of Wisconsin. These awards reflect UW’s strong commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and student learning.

Every year, the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee receives nominations for a limited number of awards. The nomination materials should showcase an extraordinary impact on or engagement with students (undergraduate, graduate or professional). While there is no single criterion that determines awardees, outstanding applications often show evidence of inventive ways of teaching, interesting course elements, and other examples above and beyond the expected standard for instruction.

Nomination materials are subject to release under Wisconsin Open Records laws and should be written with the possibility of those materials being made publicly available.

Individual Faculty Award

Eligibility

• Must be a previous recipient of a UW-Madison distinguished teaching award.
• Must have a minimum 10 years teaching experience within UW System.
• Nominators should coordinate their nominations with the chair of the nominee’s department. No more than one nominee per department will be accepted. 

Criteria

• Critically reflective teaching that represents the nominee’s professional and personal growth as an educator over the past 10 years or more teaching within the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Ongoing sustained engagement with scholarship on pedagogy, student learning, and evidence-based teaching practices.
• Participation in professional development programs, the university’s teaching and learning center, and/or other organizations, or individually designed activities.  
• Student-centered, equity-minded, and inclusive pedagogy that encourages all students to achieve academic success.    
• Engaging pedagogical approaches which may include high-impact practices, such as community-based learning, internships, undergraduate research, intensive writing, learning communities, etc.  
• Positive impact on the professional and personal development of students, as well as documented contributions to the nominee’s department, division, university, and community. 

Nomination materials (maximum of 14 pages)

The nomination packet should address effective teaching and learning in the context of the Universities of Wisconsin, referencing relevant teaching initiatives and professional development opportunities that inform the nominee’s teaching performance. You are welcome to include excerpts from your course syllabi, student evaluations, and other documents, as well as summaries of experiences and professional development activities to strengthen the teaching statement and/or annotated CV of teaching.

• Teaching statement by the nominee (two pages maximum) on their teaching and learning philosophy, practices, and approaches, and how these have evolved over time. The teaching statement should address the nominee’s professional and personal growth as a teacher, including engagement with professional development and how these organized or individual activities have enhanced and contributed to their growth and development as an educator. The statement should also address how the assessment of student learning informs their teaching practice, and how the nominee has adopted and implemented equity-minded and innovative pedagogy into their teaching and learning practices.
• Annotated CV of teaching (eight pages maximum). The CV should expand on a mere listing of activities. Briefly describe and contextualize the importance of selected activities to applicant’s teaching and impact on student learning. Emphasize teaching-related information: education, academic employment, professional development and training, teaching-related publications and presentations, SoTL research projects, membership in teaching organizations, awards, teaching-related service and leadership, and other teaching-centered activities. 
• Letters of support
  • One supporting letter from the department chair (two pages maximum) supporting the nomination, stressing the nominee’s contributions to teaching and addressing the six criteria above. If the chair of a department is nominated, please provide a letter from the associate chair or from an appropriate departmental representative.
  • One supporting letter from a current or former student (two pages maximum) that provides specific examples of the impact of the nominee’s teaching on the student’s learning and personal growth.

The deadline for the receipt of completed nominations is February 21, 2025. The committee will not accept nominations after that date and will only consider nominations that follow the above guidelines.

Please submit nominations online at: https://secfac.wisc.edu/awards-lectures/distinguished-teaching-awards/. If the nomination is a re-submittal, please consider updating the materials.

On behalf of the Board of Regents, the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee invites UW–Madison nominations for Universities of Wisconsin regents teaching excellence awards. The purpose of the regents teaching excellence awards is to recognize exemplary teaching by faculty and departments/programs within the Universities of Wisconsin. These awards reflect UW’s strong commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and student learning.

Every year, the Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee receives nominations for a limited number of awards. The nomination materials should showcase an extraordinary impact on or engagement with students (undergraduate, graduate or professional). While there is no single criterion that determines awardees, outstanding applications often show evidence of inventive ways of teaching, interesting course elements, and other examples above and beyond the expected standard for instruction.

Nomination materials are subject to release under Wisconsin Open Records laws and should be written with the possibility of those materials being made publicly available.

Department/Program Award

Eligibility

• Must be a UW–Madison academic department, program, or other academic unit.

Criteria

• Critically reflective teaching that represents the department/program as a cohesive and collective unit.  
• Supports the ongoing and sustained growth and professional development of the department/program’s faculty and instructional academic staff through discussions on pedagogy, student learning, participation in professional development programs, the university’s teaching and learning center, and/or other organizations.  
• Data-based decision-making, such as analyzing low grade/failure rates of students and strategic ways to improve students’ academic success.  
• Active learning approaches, including the integration of high-impact practices, such as community-based learning, internships, undergraduate research, intensive writing, learning communities, etc.  
• Equity-minded approach to ensure excellence in teaching and learning for the success of all students  
• Recruiting, retaining, graduating, and supporting students after graduation with employment, graduate school, etc.

Nomination materials (maximum of 14 pages)

• Fact sheet (two pages maximum) describing the department/program with details such as degrees and certificates offered, faculty and academic staff short bios, statistics of students recruited, retained, and graduated.
• Annotated teaching statement (eight pages maximum) contextualizing the department/program’s mission, goals, objectives, and strategies, and how these have evolved over time. This annotated teaching statement should expand on a mere listing of activities. Briefly describe and contextualize the importance of selected activities to the unit’s teaching and impact on student learning. You are welcome to include excerpts and summaries of course syllabi, student evaluations, and other documents, experiences, and activities.
• Letters of support
  • One supporting letter from the department chair or unit director/administrator (two pages maximum), addressing the six criteria above. 
  • One supporting letter from a current or former student (two pages maximum), who can speak to unit-level instruction and/or innovations.

The deadline for the receipt of completed nominations is February 21, 2025. The committee will not accept nominations after that date and will only consider nominations that follow the above guidelines.

Please submit nominations online at: https://secfac.wisc.edu/awards-lectures/distinguished-teaching-awards/. If the nomination is a re-submittal, please consider updating the materials.