Dean's Teaching Award – Faculty (TFA)

Who can be nominated?

• Any current TFA faculty member teaching full-time in the previous academic year in any of the seven Faculties at TMU and who has taught at least one undergraduate course or graduate course is eligible to be nominated for a Dean's Teaching Award - Faculty.
• CUPE Unit 1 and Unit 2 contract lecturers are eligible for the Dean's Teaching Awards – Contract Lecturers.
• Participation in the competition is by nomination or self-nomination/application.
• The nomination is valid only for the year in which it is made.
• Faculty who receive an award (Teaching, SRC or Service) may not receive another award in any category for the following two years. (e.g. a 2022-2023 recipient receiving an award in Winter 2023 would not be eligible to apply for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 awards).

The number of annual awards per Faculty, listed below, is based on the number of faculty in a Faculty.

• Any member of the TMU Community (faculty, student or staff) can nominate someone for the Dean's Teaching Award - Faculty. The Faculty Award Committee (FAC) particularly encourages nominations from Chairs and Directors. Self-nominations are allowed.
• Note: Student nominators are encouraged to contact the FAC in their Faculty via the Dean's Office to get assistance from a faculty advisor with compiling the full nomination file. This is to ensure that the submission reflects a full range of the nominee's contributions that a student nominator may not be fully aware of.

Continuing teaching excellence

The nomination must include evidence of outstanding teaching. Outstanding teaching integrates best practices in instruction and assessment with well-defined student learning outcomes, demonstrates effectiveness of teaching strategies, and provides evidence of student engagement. The nomination brief should address the following criteria:

1. Classroom teaching creativity and innovation;
2. Curricular design;
3. Leadership in teaching;
4. Evidence of teaching effectiveness;
5. Incorporation of equity, diversity and inclusion into teaching and/or curriculum;
6. Other contributions.

In nominating or applying for this award consider that continuing teaching excellence can be demonstrated by an outstanding and sustained record of undergraduate or graduate teaching, including one of more of the following:

• Effectiveness of teaching strategies in the classroom, studio or laboratory;
• Evidence and nature of student engagement;
• Evidence of innovative curricular design and/or innovative pedagogical approaches;
• Enthusiasm for teaching, use of best practices and teaching methods;
• Ability to motivate students, capacity as a role model for personal and professional development of students;
• Integration of best practices in instruction and assessment, grounded in learning theories, with well-defined student learning outcomes;
• Development and implementation of innovative teaching approaches, including their planning, execution and assessment of outcomes.

Evidence in support of the criteria may include some of the following examples:

• Description of specific teaching strategies that were developed to improve student learning, including their planning, development, execution and assessment of learning outcomes; include list of courses previously/currently taught;
• Descriptions of course development, management, planning and coordination;
• Evidence of impact on student learning (e.g. improved exam performance, pass rates, acceptance rates to graduate programs, success in workplace placements, increased course enrollment, student achievements (competitions that they participated in) etc.);
• Personal contact with students that go beyond the norm in classroom teaching (e.g. mentoring, advising, consultations outside of class, field trips, small-group tutoring, laboratory, studio instruction, thesis supervision, etc.);
• Descriptions of the development of innovative teaching materials;
• Memberships in professional bodies related to teaching;
• Examples of ongoing commitments to teaching through professional development;
• Evidence of transformative influence on the student learning experience;
• Evidence that the nominee’s practice fits with learning theories;
• A letter of support that provides specific examples and describes the nominee’s teaching, innovative strategies, etc., and their impact on students’ learning. Students writing support letters should disclose their relationship with the nominee (e.g. current student, former student, research assistant, working under nominee’s supervision, etc.);
• Any additional evidence addressing continuing teaching excellence.

Additional contributions

Additional contributions to teaching and learning at TMU that have an impact beyond one’s classroom may also be taken into consideration by the FAC.

Examples include:

• Personal professional development in teaching and learning (e.g. attending conferences, working with TA/GAs, participating in the Learning and Teaching Office seminars, etc.);
• Sharing one’s teaching expertise with others; delivering workshops/presentations; publications;
• Participation in initiatives to improve teaching at TMU and description of the nature of the involvement;
• Curriculum development and description of the nature of the involvement;
• Evidence of recognition received for teaching excellence by a community of peers at TMU and possibly elsewhere, including a list of awards, internal as well as external.

Faculty award recipients must achieve a minimum standard performance in all three faculty duties (teaching, SRC and service). This ensures that excellence in one area is not being facilitated by under-performance in others.

1. Obtain the nominee's permission (if applicable).
2. Complete the nomination package as described below.
3. Submit the nomination package via the Online Nomination Portal on the Recognition website.
4. Nominee will receive a confirmation email with a link to provide online consent before the deadline. This step must be completed before the deadline.

The nomination file should clearly address the Award Criteria as described. The required components of the nomination for the Dean's Teaching Awards – Faculty are as follows:

• Citation (100 words maximum) – highlight why the nominee deserves this award and any notable achievements. This citation will be included in related university communication should the nominee or team be selected.
• Supporting Statement (maximum three pages in PDF format) – outlines the nominee/applicant’s contributions and accomplishments to continuing teaching excellence according to the awards criteria (classroom teaching creativity and innovation, curricular design, leadership in teaching, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and any additional contributions).
• Two Letters of Support from faculty, students or staff (one page maximum each) that provide specific examples of why the nominee should be considered for the award. Those writing letters of support should disclose their relationship to the nominee (e.g. individual who has team taught with the nominee, associate chair, undergraduate coordinator, current student, former student, research assistant, working under nominee’s supervision, etc.).
• Annual Report from the previous academic year. Only those attachments directly related to the award being sought should be attached for the purposes of the application/nomination.

Each Faculty will strike a Faculty Award Committee to evaluate applications/nominations for the recognition awards governed by Appendix G of the Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association collective agreement. The Dean's Teaching Awards – Faculty and Dean's Teaching Awards – Contract Lecturers will be adjudicated by the same FAC.

Five members are elected by and from the members of the Faculty. There may be no more than one member from each department on the FAC. In a Faculty with fewer than five departments, the Faculty may, however, choose to reduce the size of the committee to include one member from each department.

Nomination deadline: November 5 at noon
Recipients notified by: December 18, 2024
Award presentation: Toronto Met Awards Gala