TA/GA Awards

Nominees must have held a TA/GA position at TMU over the 2024/2025 academic year and must have not received this award previously. Research Assistants (RAs) are not eligible. Any conflicts of interest with the Awards Committee must be disclosed at the time of the nomination. Only Supervising Instructors can submit nominations; refer to the Nomination Process for further instructions.

When preparing nomination materials, nominees and referees may wish to consider the following areas as suggestions to highlight the nominees contributions. These are not mandatory requirements but are intended to guide reflection and provide a comprehensive view of the nominee’s impact. 

1) Community building

This criterion should be understood in a broad sense, including any number of activities that demonstrate an awareness of education as a collective enterprise. Measuring the efficacy of one’s role means reflecting on its purpose and developing that role in relation to others in the community. Community building also means helping others find their roles and operate within them more effectively. Some examples of community building include:

• Participating in marking meetings or sharing tutorial lesson plans and approaches
• Familiarizing yourself with TMU’s student services and other resources
• Developing communication and interpersonal skills that support exchange and interaction among colleagues, peers etc.

2) Enhancing the Student Experience

Consider how the TA/GA has contributed to improving the learning experience for students. This might include: 

• Providing effective feedback on marked assignments
• Facilitating discussion that is inclusive and educational
• Developing rubrics, lesson plans, learning objectives or other pedagogical tools

3) Equity and Inclusion

Reflection on equity and inclusion can address how the TA/GA has supported diverse learners such as by: 

• Recognizing and addressing unique student needs or barriers to learning 
• Drawing on diverse perspectives to enrich discussions and activities 
• Ensure fairness in grading and feedback

4) Professional Development

Referees and nominees can reflect on how the TA/GA has demonstrated growth in their role, such as by: 

• Participating in professional development opportunities (e.g., attending CELT workshops) 
• Applying feedback from supervisors or students to improve their practice 
• Building on their understanding of effective teaching and learning strategies

The Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching will award up to five prizes of $500 each to TA/GAs.

The Selection Committee will be composed of Toronto Metropolitan faculty members, current Graduate Students, and staff at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

Note: the Awards program has no connection to the official hiring process for TA/GAs at TMU.

The nomination package must be submitted to the University Award Nomination Panel by 11:59 p.m. on May 30th, 2025.

• Nominations accepted for Spring/Summer 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, or full-year contracts.
• Tip: Applicants may find compiling their packages closer to the end date of their TA/GA contracts beneficial given that they will be contacting faculty and students for letters of support.
• All submissions are included in the same adjudication process that takes place in spring/summer.
• Incomplete or late applications will not be considered for this award.

The nomination portal is now open. Please submit your nomination package as soon as it is ready.