Teaching Awards

Awards Available:

ISU Award for Early Achievement in Teaching
ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching
- Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
James Huntington Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching

ISU Award for Early Achievement in Teaching

Purpose:

To recognize faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding teaching performance unusually early in their professional careers.

Eligibility:

Tenured or tenure-track faculty who have a maximum of six (6) years teaching experience since the start of their independent academic career and have completed a minimum of two (2) academic years of appointment as an Iowa State faculty member. An independent academic career is defined as the start of a tenure-track faculty position. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

–OR--

Term faculty who have a maximum of six (6) years teaching experience since the start of their independent academic career and have completed a minimum of two (2) academic years of appointment as an Iowa State faculty member. An independent academic career is defined as the start of a faculty position. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award:

$2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards:

Varies. One award for tenured or tenure-eligible faculty and one award for term faculty.

Criteria:

Evidence of outstanding performance as a teacher, as documented by students and peers.

ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching

Purpose:

To recognize faculty members for outstanding teaching performance over an extended period of time.

Eligibility:

Tenured faculty status with a minimum of five (5) years of service at Iowa State prior to current academic year and ten (10) years of classroom experience in higher education. Morrill Professors are ineligible for this award. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

–OR--

Term faculty status with a minimum of five (5) years of service at Iowa State prior to current academic year and ten (10) years of classroom experience in higher education. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the awards:

$2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards:

Varies. One award for tenured faculty and one award for term faculty.

Criteria:

Documented evidence, including student ratings of teaching and peer evaluations, of outstanding classroom teaching performance, supplemented by evidence of instructional contributions outside the classroom.

Special note: Up to two awardees who show special distinction in undergraduate teaching may be designated as Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teachers.

J. H. Ellis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching

Purpose:

To recognize outstanding performance in teaching undergraduate introductory classes (defined as entry-level courses in the discipline).

Eligibility:

Tenured faculty with a minimum of five (5) years of service at Iowa State prior to current academic year, who regularly teach an entry-level course. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony.

Nature of the award:

$2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards:

One

Criteria:

Documented evidence of the ability to offer high-quality instruction in introductory courses, the ability to excite, interest, and involve students without compromising scholarship, and the ability to enhance student performance in future courses in the discipline.

Guidelines for Submitting Nominations for University Teaching Awards

The following guidelines are intended to apply to all university teaching awards. They are derived from experience in reviewing nominations in previous years, and are intended to help departments and colleges make their nominations as strong as possible. A faculty member may not be considered for two (2) university level teaching awards in the same year. Faculty who have received a university teaching award in the past five (5) years are not eligible.

Completed nomination cover page for faculty:
- Faculty University Award Nomination Cover Page [PDF, 117KB | DOC, 23KB]
Nomination statement of no more than three (3) pages that includes the following:
- How the nominee's qualifications relate to the award criteria and why the nominee is deserving of the award
- Specific examples that demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning
- The range of teaching responsibilities that have been performed
Statement of teaching philosophy of no more than two (2) pages prepared by the nominee
Three (3) letters of support from current or former students or colleagues. Include a 100-word biography of the writer and explain their relationship to the nominee.
Student ratings of teaching displayed in summary form, including an appropriate range of courses or offerings and reflecting especially the most recent years. Student ratings of teaching should be displayed in the context of college or department norms with a clear explanation of the characteristics being evaluated and the rating scale being used.
An abbreviated vita of no more than four (4) pages
Optional supporting materials of no more than five (5) pages such as documentation of pedagogical innovation or scholarship, classroom performance, etc.
When the file is prepared, nominators must submit their nominations to their college by the college deadline. When the college is ready to submit their nominations, the college awards coordinator must upload the nominations to the appropriate college folder on CyBox. If you do not have access to your college's folder on CyBox, please contact Kati Gorman, kati@iastate.edu.

Nominations are reviewed by the college before submission to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. Award recipients and their nominator, department chair, dean, or supervisor are notified by May 1. Colleges receive feedback on unsuccessful nominations by July 1.