Excellence in Teaching Award | UAMS College of Health Professions

Revised Dec. 8, 2021

Purpose

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences places the highest priority on programs of instruction and learning. The UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Teaching Award is designed to recognize the educator whose significant achievements in teaching and commitment to the teaching mission can serve as university and college models. The areas of excellence for consideration include the educator’s ability to do the following:

Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of subject matter and curriculum.
Communicate subject matter accurately and clearly.
Challenge, inspire and support students to do their best work.
Promote independent learning and critical thinking.
Demonstrate enthusiasm in learning and teaching.
Demonstrate innovative and creative methods of course delivery.
Effectively design and/or redesign courses.
Develop and/or modify curriculum.
Effectively integrate technology into the curriculum.

The college and the Faculty Development and Services Committee recognize that excellence in teaching is neither fixed in form and venue nor is it easily assessed. Irrespective of the method of course delivery, excellence in teaching is marked by the active, critical role of the educator whose presence fosters critical thinking and inspires students to engage in the quest for knowledge as a value and as a craft.

The recipients of these awards receive an individual plaque, and their names are added to a perpetual plaque of UAMS College of Health Professions Excellence in Teaching Award recipients located in an appropriate place in the College. Also included is a cash award of $500 (the amount may vary depending on available resources).

The Faculty Development and Services Committee encourages the recipients of the Excellence in Teaching Award to share their experiences with university and college colleagues. Accordingly, awardees may be asked to participate in a forum or workshop devoted to improving the quality of instruction across the college and/or university.

Eligibility

At the time of the award nomination (spring semester), faculty members must have completed at least six semesters of teaching in the UAMS College of Health Professions (including the spring nominating semester). All full-time, part-time, and clinical instructors are eligible for nomination. Nominees need not be paid in whole or in part through the UAMS College of Health Professions, but they must be teaching a course in a UAMS College of Health Professions curriculum in the academic year in which they are selected.

Recipients of an award are not eligible for the same award within a three-year period (e.g., recipients of the 2020 award will be eligible for the same award in 2023). Faculty may be eligible and nominated for all awards during one year; however, no more than two awards will be given to the same faculty member in any one year.

Procedure

Candidates may be nominated by students or faculty members. The nominator must submit a completed nomination form and a letter describing the basis for the recommendation and highlighting the nominee’s strengths as a teacher. The completed nomination form and letter are submitted to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee. The candidate must accept the nomination by signing the nomination form in order to be considered for the award. If the individual being nominated is the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee, the form and letter should be submitted to the associate dean for academic affairs of the UAMS College of Health Professions.

The nomination must:

Be based solely on teaching performance in one or more programs in the UAMS College of Health Professions.
Refer to the nominee’s teaching performance during at least the academic year immediately preceding the year of the award and optimally the two years preceding the award.

The associate dean for academic affairs will verify that all nominations meet the eligibility requirements. After this review, the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee will send the confirmed nominations to the respective nominees and their department chairs or program directors with requests to submit a full application.

UAMS College of Health Professions Faculty Excellence Awards Nomination Form Download

Application Requirements

Current curriculum vitae of the nominee.
Letters of Support: Between two and six supporting letters from peers, former students, or other relevant authorities summarizing the nominee’s teaching strengths and noting the educational contributions made to UAMS and the UAMS College of Health Professions, as outlined in the “purpose” section of this document.
Student Evaluations: Nominees will provide a list of the six (6) courses most recently taught on the nomination form in which the nominee was the principal instructor. All available student evaluations from these courses will be obtained by the associate dean for academic affairs and forwarded to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee.
Applicant’s Statement: A statement by the applicant should be included (maximum of three pages) that addresses why they merit the award. This statement should address some or all of the following areas of excellence in teaching. Additional documentation of accomplishments related to excellence in teaching, including student evaluations from courses other than those required, may be included in the application as appendices.
- Challenges and inspires students to do their best work
- Promotes independent learning and critical thinking among students
- Implements effective innovative and creative teaching methods
- Integrates the effective use of instructional technology into teaching methods
- Designs or redesigns instruction (classes, modules, courses, or curricula) that effectively meet desired goals
Letter from the Department Chair or Program Director: A supporting letter from the applicant’s department chair/program director. If the department chair or program director nominated the individual, the letter they submitted with the nomination describing the basis for the recommendation will serve as the supporting letter.

The letter should include a summary statement of the applicant’s involvement in course and/or curriculum development and improvement, student advising, innovative teaching activities, grants for teaching and teaching development, educational activities in academic or professional organizations, research activities directly related to teaching, and other significant contributions to the UAMS College of Health Professions related to teaching. If the department chair or program director has nominated the applicant, this information should be included in the letter of nomination.

If a department chair, program director or the associate dean for academic affairs is the applicant, a supporting letter from the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions should be included. In the case of the associate dean for academic affairs, a letter from the chair of the department or director of the department in which the associate dean for academic affairs holds their faculty appointment is also required.

The materials submitted to the Faculty Development and Services Committee should relate directly to the current nomination. The letters should deal specifically with teaching in a broad context, rather than the nominee’s standing in the profession or in other matters. In the event that the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee is a nominee, all application materials should be sent directly to the associate dean for academic affairs.

The Committee strongly suggests that the nominee and nominator together identify individuals who may provide letters of support for the nomination. The nominee should contact those individuals and request the letters to be sent directly to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee or the associate dean for academic affairs if the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee is a nominee for the award.

The completed applications will be forwarded to a sub-committee of the Faculty Development and Services Committee charged with reviewing applications and selecting the recipient — Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee. When evaluating the applications, the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee will focus on faculty who have demonstrated the qualities and skills that distinguish them as superior educators. The Excellence in Teaching Award will be presented at the discretion of the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee and may not be awarded each year.

Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee

The sub-committee will be composed of the following:

The associate dean for academic affairs will chair the committee. If the associate dean for academic affairs is a nominee, the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee will select an alternate member. If both the associate dean for academic affairs and the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee are nominees, the dean of the UAMS College of Health Professions will select an alternate member to serve as chairperson of the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee.
The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee — If the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee is a nominee, the associate dean for academic affairs or the dean will select an alternate member.
A representative of the UAMS Center for Faculty Excellence (selected by the director for faculty development)
A currently enrolled student (selected by the UAMS College of Health Professions Advisory Committee).

An Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee member to recuse themselves from the proceedings in the event they have a potential conflict of interest in the selection process (e.g., a personal relationship with the nominee or the recipient of funding from grants awarded to the nominee). Failure to do so may invalidate the committee’s award recommendation.

Calendar

Date	Event
Third Friday in April	The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee distributes the Excellence in Teaching Award criteria and procedures to department chairs and program directors. A formal, public announcement seeking nominations for the award is distributed to all UAMS College of Health Professions faculty and students.
First Fridays in May and June	The chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee sends reminders about the nomination deadline.
Fourth Friday in June	Nomination deadline—Nomination Forms (signed by both nominator and nominee) and supporting letters must be received by the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee by this date. After the associate dean for academic affairs verifies the eligibility of the nominee, the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee will request a complete application packet from the nominees.
First Friday in August	Deadline for nominees to submit complete applications to the chairperson of the Faculty Development and Services Committee or the associate dean for academic affairs. Deadline for the associate dean for academic affairs to assemble the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee.
First Friday in September	Deadline for the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee to select the recipient. Deadline for the associate dean for academic affairs to send the Excellence in Teaching Award Selection Committee recommendation to the dean.
Fall Faculty Meeting	Excellence in Teaching Award recipient recognized at an awards ceremony.