2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
Call for Nominations and Nomination Packet
Sponsored by the Graduate Council and Graduate Studies
Nominations are invited for the 2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award (OGTA). The award recognizes the contributions of graduate students to teaching and learning at UC Davis during 2014. A certificate and a small monetary award will be conferred to award winners. Undergraduate students are encouraged to nominate their “outstanding” graduate student teachers.
NOMINATION PROCESS
Who May Nominate: Any member of the campus community having direct experience with the student’s teaching. Self-nominations are allowed.
Nomination Packet: The nomination packet content has been updated for the current year; information from last year should not be used. Please review the information on the following pages carefully. The required information must be completed as described. Because of the large number of nominations, all nomination packets must be submitted by the deadline. No exceptions will be made. Incomplete or late packets will not be evaluated.
The nomination packet must include the following items in PDF form in the order provided below.
A. Nomination form
B. Nomination letter
C. Supporting letters of recommendation (confidential)
D. Nominee’s questionnaire and philosophy statement
E. Instructor of Record for the course or Department Chair questionnaire (confidential)
F. Teaching evaluations for course
Preparing the Nomination Packet: The nominator(s) and nominee will need to work in conjunction with the candidate’s home department/graduate group personnel to provide all of the required information. Items C and E of the packet are considered confidential, not to be viewed by the nominee. The packet must be compiled and submitted by the home department / graduate group, not the nominee.
Deadline: Monday, March 9, 2015
Submitting Nomination Packet and Contact Information: Please send one PDF of the nomination packet, in the order listed above, to Wave Armijo via e-mail . Wave can also be reached by visiting Graduate Studies in 250 Mrak Hall or by phone at 752-8391.
COURSE ELIGIBILITY
Eligible quarters: Graduate students teaching in courses taught in winter 2014, spring 2014, summer 2014, fall 2014 may be nominated.
Eligible students: The award is limited to currently enrolled graduate students who have been employed on this campus as a paid teaching assistant or Instructor of record during an eligible quarter. Previous recipients of this award are not eligible for nomination.
NUMBER OF COURSES A CANDIDATE MAY BE NOMINATED
Graduate student teachers will be considered for their performance in a single course offering. If the nominee(s) would like the graduate student teachers work in other courses to be considered then, comments in the letters (B #4, and D #7) and the questionnaire (E #7) may address other courses taught by a nominee; however, no documentation (e.g., evaluations) on other courses is to be submitted with the packet.
SELECTION PROCESS
A committee that includes faculty and a graduate student will be appointed by the Graduate Council to review all nominations and select award recipients. In spring quarter, the nominees will be notified whether they have been selected to receive an award.
AWARD CEREMONY
To formally recognize the contributions of the recipients to teaching at UC Davis an Honor Award ceremony will be held on May 27, 2015 from 3-7p.m.
A. NOMINATION FORM
Name of Nominee:______
Print Full Name
E-mail address: ______Phone: ______
UC Davis Student ID #: ______
Nominee’s Home Department/Graduate Group: ______
Eligible Quarters: winter 2014, spring 2014, summer 2014, fall 2014
Course: ______
Full department name Course number Quarter taught
Instructor of Record for course or Department Chair (if the nominee is the Instructor of Record.)
Name: ______E-mail Address: ______
Nominator’s Information
Name:______
Department: ______
E-mail address: ______
Phone: ______
□ Faculty □ Student
Supporting Recommendations
1. Name: ______
□ Faculty □ Student
2. Name: ______
□ Faculty □ Student
3. Name: ______
□ Faculty □ Student
4. Name: ______
□ Faculty □ Student
B. NOMINATION LETTER
The nomination letter must be written by one person, with a maximum length of two pages, addressing the individual’s performance in the specific course for which he/she is nominated and should include:
1. Nominee’s name and department/graduate group.
2. Outstanding qualities that distinguish the candidate.
3. Evidence of creativity and extra effort in improving instruction and teaching effectiveness.
4. Comments on the nominee’s rapport with students, availability, willingness to hold special help sessions, efforts to stimulate independent thinking, and any other contributions to instruction that deserve special recognition and may be helpful to the selection committee.
5. Name of individual writing the nomination letter, department, e-mail address and signature.
Note: If the nominator and the Instructor of Record for the course is the same individual, the questionnaire (part E) does not have to be submitted provided the following is included in the Nomination Letter:
§ The Nomination Letter should begin with a statement that he/she is also the instructor in charge of the course, and a statement that the letter addresses all requested information for Section B and E of the packet.
§ B. Nomination letter: #1-5 must be included.
§ E. Questionnaire: #2-6 must be included.
C. SUPPORTING LETTERS (CONFIDENTIAL)
A maximum of four supporting letters may be submitted. These may be from students in the course for which the candidate is nominated, faculty, or other graduate students who have knowledge of the candidate’s teaching performance in the nominated course. A supporting letter may be signed by more than one person. Each supporting letter must not exceed one page.
All supporting letters need to address the candidate’s performance in the specific course for which they are nominated and should include the information listed above for the Nomination Letter (points 1-5).
D. NOMINEE’S QUESTIONNAIRE AND PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT
1. Nominee’s name:
2. The quarter and course you have been nominated:
3. Describe your teaching duties in the course for which you were nominated:
4. Have you been nominated for the OGTA award previously?
If so, when and what course:
5. How many quarters have you taught at UC Davis:
6. List other classes you have taught or assisted in:
7. Include information regarding courses you have taught that would be helpful to the committee:
Philosophy Statement
Prepare an essay describing your teaching philosophy. The essay should be a statement of the philosophy, goals, and methods that guide your teaching. Please describe efforts you have made beyond your normal teaching responsibilities. From your own experiences as a student, please describe the attributes that you think the very best teachers should possess.
Format: The essays should be two pages in length (maximum), double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point font. Be sure to include your name, department and contact information.
Note: Your statement must adhere to the specified format or the nomination packet will not be evaluated.
E. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD FOR THE COURSE OR DEPARTMENT CHAIR (CONFIDENTIAL)
This questionnaire should be considered confidential and completed by the individual who supervised the course for which the candidate was nominated. The department chair should complete this questionnaire only if the nominee was the instructor of record for the course. The completed questionnaire should be provided to the candidate’s home department or graduate group to be included in the Nomination Packet and must not be provided to the nominee. Please include the following in your supporting document.
1. Nominee’s name:
2. Nominated for teaching in: (quarter and course):
3. Instructor of Record for course or department chair (if the nominee is the Instructor of Record):
4. Describe your impressions of the candidate’s teaching in the course:
5. What outstanding qualities set this graduate student teacher apart from others:
6. What evidence demonstrates the candidate's creativity and effort in improving classes and teaching effectiveness:
7. Comment on the candidate's rapport with students, availability, willingness to hold special help sessions, efforts to stimulate independent thinking, and any other contributions to teaching that deserve special recognition and may be helpful to the selection committee:
Signature: ______
F. TEACHING EVALUATIONS
The department should provide a copy of the written teaching evaluations and comments (from the quarter and course for which the individual is nominated). Tabular summaries of scores may also be provided.
Note: Evaluations will not be returned to the student or the department, so please do not submit the original evaluations.
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OGTA NOMINATION PACKET 2015