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Appendix 12: Teaching Excellence Award

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The purpose of the Teaching Excellence Award is to recognize outstanding performance in teaching at Salt Lake Community College by both full-time and adjunct faculty. The award is grounded in the following principles:

  • 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

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 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. Nominees are encouraged to include written support from their department colleagues, administrators, and staff. Those nominating the faculty member must submit a written nomination that speaks to the following:
    • A sound understanding of teaching and pedagogy as evidenced by successful work with the students.
    • Student evaluation scores that reflect student confidence in the faculty member as a teacher.
    • Successful curriculum development/innovation.
    • Effective collaboration and relationships with colleagues.
    • Outstanding service to the department, division, College and community.
    • Professional activities and scholarship.
  3. Nominees submit an application through the office of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Center.
  4. 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 ePortfolio applications and forward on the appropriate list of qualifying faculty to the SLCC Foundation for review and final selection.
  5. The SLCC Foundation Committee will review and select semi-finalists for both full-time and adjunct faculty. These semi-finalists will be interviewed by the SLCC Foundation Committee for a final selection.

To Apply

The application will include 3 or 4 parts:

Part 1: Application

In 2-3 pages, respond to the following prompts:

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

  • Describe any curriculum development or innovative teaching practices you have implemented. How have these contributions improved the educational experience for students?
  • 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 the 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 include a 3–5-minute video or audio file (mp4) in support of their application.

Teaching Excellence Award Timeline

Call for Nominations announcement

Fall Semester

Nominations Due

December (Reading Day)

Applications Due

First week of February

SLCC Review Committee

Second week of February (Spring Semester)

SLCC Foundation reviews nominations and selects award recipients

Last two weeks of February (Spring Semester)

SLCC Development Office notifies recipients, the Provost, the office of Faculty Development, Institutional Marketing and individuals not selected

Before Spring Break