Teaching Excellence Awards

This annual award is given by the SLCC Foundation Board to recognize outstanding performance in teaching at Salt Lake Community College by both full-time and adjunct faculty.

The SLCC Foundation provides a substantial dollar award along with valuable and heart-felt SLCC-wide recognition of teaching excellence at SLCC.   The Teaching Excellence Award reflects a cumulative body of teaching excellence including a sound understanding of teaching practice and successful work with students. Awards are given to full-time and adjunct faculty.  All members of the SLCC College community - students, faculty members, staff, and administrators - are invited to nominate a faculty member.  This award is managed by the Faculty Teaching & Learning Center and the Office of the Provost For more information and questions, please contact Alia Criddle, Interim Director of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Center at alia.criddle@slcc.edu

• The award should reflect a cumulative body of teaching excellence rather than just a single year of fine work.
• Teaching excellence encompasses professionalism both within the classroom and in service to the department, division, College, and community.
• Applications should include support from those most knowledgeable about a faculty member's professional effectiveness – students, faculty colleagues, and academic administrators.
• Applications should reflect the support of the faculty member's department colleagues and academic administrators.
• The review process should reflect the considered involvement and judgment of faculty colleagues and academic administrators.

Eligibility

• Full-time faculty must have completed at least three academic years and adjunct faculty must have completed at least six semesters of teaching experience at SLCC by the end of the Fall semester in which they are nominated.
• Previous award winners are not eligible.

Process

The Teaching Excellence Award process is divided into two phases:

1. First, the nomination process where students, fellow faculty, and staff are encouraged to nominate excellent faculty
2. Second, the nominee completes the application process. Details will be provided to the nominee by December 13, 2024. Applications will be due by February 3, 2025.

If you would like to nominate an amazing, excellent teacher, use the nomination form below. (Self-nominations are welcome)

Nomination Form

Applications should be submitted by the announced deadline and adhere to the following process:

1. The Faculty Senate and Faculty Association announces to the College community in the Fall semester of the academic year that nominations are open and written guidelines are available.
2. All members of the College community are eligible to nominate a faculty member; faculty can also nominate themselves.
3. Nominees submit an application through the office of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Center.
4. The application will include 3 or 4 parts:

   • Part 1: Application
     In 2 - 3 pages, respond to the following prompts:

     1. Describe your teaching philosophy. How do you approach teaching and learning? What core principles guide your interactions with students? Explain how your teaching philosophy has evolved over time.

     2. Detail the teaching methods and strategies you use in the classroom. How do these methods enhance student engagement and learning?

     3. Provide examples of how you adapt your teaching practices to meet the needs of the most diverse student body in the state of Utah. How do you ensure inclusivity for all students in your classroom?

     4. Share examples of professional activities and scholarship pertinent to your application for the SLCC Teaching Excellence Award.

     In addition to the above, full-time faculty applicants should respond to the following prompts:

     5. Describe any curriculum development or innovative teaching practices you have implemented. How have these contributions improved the educational experience for students?

     6. Share any other examples of outstanding service to the department, division, College and community pertinent to your application for the SLCC Teaching Excellence Award.
     Submit your 2-3 page application as a single pdf file.

   
   
   • Part 2: Student Comments and Support
     • Submit 1-2 pages of student comments and support as a single pdf file.
       
       Submit evidence of student evaluation scores that reflect student confidence in the faculty member as a teacher. You may also include student comments from course evaluations or other communication with students or letter(s) of support from students.
   
   
   • Part 3: Letters of Recommendation
     • Submit 2-3 letters of recommendation from faculty colleagues, administrators, and/or staff, combined into a single pdf file. One letter must be from an academic administrator and must speak to the applicant’s effective collaboration and relationships with colleagues.
   
   
   • Part 4 (Optional): Video or audio file
     • Nominees may submit a 3–5-minute video or audio file (mp4) in support of their application.
5. A review committee comprised of five faculty representatives and two academic administrators from across the disciplines will screen all applications to ensure that they meet minimums and to document all nominations received. Applications are also reviewed by HR to make sure the faculty member is in good standing. The review committee will define a process for evaluating the applications and will forward the appropriate list of qualifying faculty to the SLCC Foundation for review and final selection.

Teaching Excellence Award Timeline