University Alumni Association Awards for Outstanding Teaching

Selection Procedures for East Carolina University Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Awards and Robert L. Jones Teaching Award

Objective

Two University Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Awards and one Robert L. Jones Teaching Award recognize outstanding teaching at East Carolina University.

Awards Per Year

The three award recipients will be recognized at a variety of functions and will each receive a monetary award of $1,000.

Eligibility

Nominees must:

  1. be a full-time faculty member;
  2. have taught at East Carolina University for three or more years;
  3. be teaching in the academic year in which they are selected; and
  4. not have won the award within the last four years.

Nomination Procedures and Guidelines

Faculty members are nominated for this award by their academic code unit. Any eligible faculty member may request consideration by the unit.

Each academic unit is to determine its own method for selecting nominees based on the following Seven Characteristics of Effective Teaching (FS Resolution #91-29):

  • Good Organization of Subject Matter and Course – Reflected in the objectives, course materials, assignments, examinations, instructor preparation for class, and effective use of class time.
  • Effective Communication – Reflected in lecturing ability including use of motivational techniques such as audiovisual aids, clarity of presentation, verbal fluency, interpretation of abstract ideas, good speaking ability, good listening skills, and the ability to communicate the organization and sequence of a course.
  • Knowledge of and Enthusiasm for the Subject Matter and Teaching – Reflected in the choice of textbook, readings and reference lists, lecture content, course syllabus, and personal interest displayed in the subject and in teaching.
  • Positive Attitudes Toward Students – Reflected by helping students master subject matter, encouraging students to ask questions and express opinions, being accessible to students outside the classroom, and expressing a general concern for student learning.
  • Fairness in Examinations and Grading – Reflected in clarity of student assessment procedures including papers, assignments, exams, classroom discussion, and other activities, including relative weight toward grade, consistency among objectives, course content, and assessment procedures, and timely, useful feedback on student progress.
  • Flexibility in Approaches to Teaching – Reflected in the use of alternative teaching strategies such as small group discussion, simulations, use of audiovisual materials, and varying the approach and pace of instruction to meet different learning styles among students.
  • Appropriate Student Learning Outcomes – Reflected in student performance on various assessment measures and positive changes in student attitudes and values.

While faculty members may be nominated for more than one university teaching award (Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards, Max Ray Joyner Award for Outstanding Teaching in Distance Education, and East Carolina Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award and Robert L. Jones Teaching Award), faculty members may only accept nomination and submit a portfolio for one university teaching award in a given year.

Nominations are made in the following two steps: (1) Nominee names and basic information must be submitted to a survey link posted on the Faculty Senate website by September 15 at 5:00 pm (or the next business day if the 15th falls on a weekend). Nominees will be contacted by the OFE following the survey nomination deadline and provided with information about the application packet that must be submitted if they wish to pursue the award. (2) A nomination letter addressing the criteria outlined above and specifying why the nominee deserves the award should be provided to the nominee no later than 5:00 p.m. on October 15, or the next business day if the 15th falls on a weekend.

Nominations are made by academic code units. The maximum number of nominations will be distributed among the academic code units according to their relative number of faculty within an academic code unit—no more than one nominee for each ten faculty members in the unit.

Nominees who wish to pursue the award must submit their application packets electronically in accordance with directions provided by the OFE no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on November 1, or the next business day if the 1st falls on a weekend. In addition, nominees will complete the provided information sheet template and submit an electronic photograph.

The application packet must adhere to the following specifications. It must:

  1. begin with an itemized list of all materials in the application packet;
  2. include representative examples of your instruction methods;
  3. utilize margins, fonts, type sizes, and colors to ensure readability;
  4. be a total of 50 pages or fewer. This page limit does not include the itemized list, CV, information sheet, and photo.

The application packet should be clearly divided into the following three sections:

Section 1: Personal Information

The intent of this section is to establish a context for the nominee’s teaching for the selection committee members, many of whom may not be familiar with the nominee’s area of discipline. It should include the following two items:

  • CV: a current curriculum vitae; and
  • Teaching Statement: a brief written statement (not to exceed 2 pages, double-spaced) that provides context for the materials selected for the nominee’s portfolio. The statement should include the nominee’s teaching philosophy, describe methods used by the nominee to achieve educational goals, and provide other information to prepare the selection committee for an effective review of the portfolio.

Section 2: Input from Students, Colleagues, and Peers

This section provides the selection committee with multiple forms of feedback from the nominee’s students and colleagues. These materials include feedback gathered through ongoing standard university processes as well as feedback that is aligned specifically with this award nomination and must include:

  • Nomination letter;
  • Student letters: letters of support from 2 or 3 former students of the nominee;
  • Peer evaluations: at least 1, and no more than 3, peer evaluations of teaching; both classroom and DE evaluations are acceptable. These peer evaluation summaries should utilize the standard campus-approved documents from the nominee’s college or department.

Section 3: Supporting Materials

This section of the application packet is designed to give the candidate some flexibility to select materials that convey the pursuit of excellence in teaching. Materials should be organized or annotated in such a way that demonstrates alignment with the nominee’s teaching statement or rationale for inclusion. Example materials include representative:

  • Course syllabi (strongly recommended);
  • Excerpts from Student Evaluations (strongly recommended);
  • Sample tests or assignments;
  • Teaching materials;
  • Audio files (not to exceed 10 minutes total);
  • Student work;
  • Course artifacts; and
  • Unsolicited feedback from students.

Section 4: Digital Product – Finalists Only

Selected finalists will be asked to submit a fourth section by the date established by the selection committee to include a digital product:

The digital product is intended to enable the selection committee to understand better the teaching environments created by the nominee. Materials should be organized or annotated in such a way that demonstrates alignment with the nominee’s teaching statement or rationale for inclusion.

Digital Product Requirements: The digital product should not exceed 15 minutes and should portray representative elements of the nominee’s teaching. It may be in the form of a continuously recorded video and/or a compilation of media elements in some other digital format. Narration is allowed but not required. Content may include video excerpts from courses, examples of interactivity, demonstrations, and any other aspects of teaching that would be helpful to the selection committee. An example of some form of instructor – student interaction is strongly encouraged. If student images or identifying information is included in the media, the nominee must also submit a signed copy of the Media Consent and Release Form available at the Media Consent and Release Guidelines article.

Evaluation Procedures

In the fall semester, the selection committee will be established by the Chair of the Academic Awards Committee and will consist of: 2 members of the Academic Awards Committee; 2 faculty members appointed by the Provost, including one representative from Health Sciences; 1 faculty member appointed by the Chair of the Faculty; and 1 member appointed by the Alumni Office. It will have at least one member experienced in classroom observation and evaluation and preferably a previous Alumni Award winner. Following the appointment or election of a selection committee chair, the selection committee will develop a checklist and rubric for evaluating and scoring the application packets in accordance with the approved award procedures.

In November, packets will be made available to members of the selection committee, and the selection committee will review and evaluate the submitted materials according to the developed checklist and rubric. The checklist and rubric must mirror the award guidelines.

By early January, the selection committee will designate a pool of up to twelve finalists who will be contacted by the Academic Awards Committee chair and given at least 4 weeks to provide a digital product as detailed above.

By mid-February, the selection committee will evaluate the finalists’ materials, and, by scoring determine the 2 recipients of the Alumni Association award and the recipient of the Robert L. Jones Award.

The award recipients will be recognized during a celebratory event. Following the public announcement of this award, the Provost will send letters of recognition to the recipients and letters of appreciation to nominees. The award-winning portfolios will be kept on file for public review in the Office for Faculty Excellence, Joyner Library.

(Faculty Senate Resolutions #06-07; #16-41; #17-41, #21-34, #23-28, editorial revisions in April 2024)