Centre for Learning and Teaching
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Email: CLT@Dal.Ca
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, B3H 4R2 | +1 (902) 494-1622

Alumni Association Award
of Excellence for Teaching

Established 1979

This award is presented annually to the professor who, in the eyes of his or her students and peers, has displayed the qualities of superior teaching, enthusiasm for the subject, and interest in the needs of the students.

Call for nominations deadline: Monday, February 6, 2012

Documentation deadline: Monday, February 27, 2012

Click here to download a .pdf copy of the nomination form

Criteria

It is expected that the following list of criteria will be among those considered by both nominators and evaluators alike. Candidates should:
  1. have a comprehensive knowledge of the subject;
  2. be habitually well prepared for teaching sessions, be they lectures, laboratories, seminars, or tutorials;
  3. have enthusiasm for the subject and the capacity to arouse interest in it among students;
  4. encourage student participation in the teaching and learning process;
  5. set a high standard and successfully motivate students to attain such a standard;
  6. communicate effectively at levels appropriate to students' capacities;
  7. utilize methods of evaluation of student performance which stress an understanding of the subject, rather than just the ability to memorize;
  8. be accessible to students outside class hours;
  9. have a reputation for superior teaching and be recognized for this quality by students and colleagues alike.

Eligibility

Candidates must be full-time members of the Dalhousie University teaching staff who have completed three years of full-time teaching duties at Dalhousie and who have been properly nominated.

Nomination Procedures

Stage 1: Each nomination form must be accompanied by letters from the five nominators, who must individually give reasons for submitting the nomination. Nominators are encouraged to ensure that an approximately equal number of letters from both faculty and students are included. All completed nomination forms must include the signature of at least one faculty member. Nomination forms and letters must be submitted to the Centre for Learning and Teaching on or before Monday, February 2, 2009, at which time the nominations will close.

Stage 2: In addition to nomination form and letters, each nominee will be invited to submit a full nomination package to the selection committee.

  1. A curriculum vitae of no more than 8 pages
  2. A Teaching Dossier of no more than 20 pages, including the following required information:
    1. A 1-2 page statement on approach to teaching
    2. A list of all courses taught in the last 3 years, with enrolment figures
    3. A summary of student ratings of instruction from the past 3 years
    4. Up to 10 pages of additional relevant materials (e.g., course descriptions, descriptions of course innovations, publications or presentations on teaching, up to 3 additional letters of support, etc.)
Nominees are encouraged to work in collaboration with the nominators in preparation of these supporting documents. A nomination package checklist can be downloaded here: Nomination Package Checklist. This is an .rtf document and can be opened in any word processing program such as Word or Word Perfect.

PLEASE NOTE: a complete copy of the nomination package, including all supporting documents and letters of recommendation, will be presented to the nominee following the selection process, unless otherwise directed by the nominee or nominators.

Selection Committee

The Teaching Award Committee will consist of the Chair of Senate (or his/her designate), who shall chair the committee, two academic staff members (normally the two most recent award winners), two student members appointed by the Dalhousie Student Union, two alumni members appointed by the Alumni Association, and, ex officio, the Academic Vice-President and the Director of the Centre for Learning and Teaching.

Award and Recognition

The award consists of a certificate, a gift, a photograph, and a permanent plaque to be placed in a prominent position in the University.

Award Presentation

The name of the Award recipient shall be announced at the Convocation of the Faculty in which the recipient teaches, and thereafter in the publications referred to previously in the Nominations section. At the Convocation, the President of the Alumni Association or his/her delegate will read aloud the citation.