College Outstanding Teacher Award

Nominations and all supporting materials must be submitted by 12:00 noon on Friday, February 24, 2023

Nomination Procedure

Any full-time HFA faculty member at the college for three or more years may be nominated, excluding recipients during the past five years. Nominations may be initiated by a department chair, a department’s personnel committee, an HFA colleague, or the nominee.  Departments may submit multiple nominations.  Regardless of a nomination’s source, the material to present and support a nomination is identical. Again this year (spring semester 2023), all of these items will be submitted online.  Links to the appropriate digital form for each constituency and to the course evaluation summary spreadsheet are located below:

• a nomination form completed by the department chair, the chair of the department’s personnel committee, or by an HFA colleague;
  • List of Courses Taught spreadsheet to be attached when completing the nomination form (Please contact jbowman [at] hfa [dot] umass [dot] edu (Joye Bowman) for a copy of the spreadsheet;
• a statement from the nominee; and
• support forms from no more than four students, each of whom has taken at two or more courses taught by the nominee.

Undergraduate instruction is the primary focus.  Student support may, however, include one recent alumna/us and one graduate student.  This does not apply in cases where the nominee has taught graduate students primarily or exclusively, in which case the nominator should consult with the program's coordinator in the college.

Departments may nominate more than one candidate. 

Please contact jbowman [at] hfa [dot] umass [dot] edu (Joye Bowman) if you have any questions.

Evidence of the following may help identify prospective nominees and aspects of the nominee's instructional skill to be highlighted.

Teaching Effectiveness and Creativity

• has developed effective teaching skills.
• is enthusiastic, well prepared, and presents the material in a clear manner.
• encourages and motivates student learning.
• is open to new techniques and different pedagogical approaches that stimulate intellectual growth and generate student participation.
• is fair and reasonable conducting student evaluations.

Impact on Students

• cares about students and has shown concern for their educational development.
• is approachable and available to students in and outside the classroom.
• is tolerant of different viewpoints and treats students with respect.

Subject Mastery and Scholarship

• has mastered the subject areas covered in the courses taught.
• incorporates new ideas, research and developments into instruction.

Contributions to Teaching Mission

• is engaged in activities that improve teaching, for example, attending seminars, developing special teaching materials or publications, and exploring alternative pedagogical methods.

(adapted from the Center for Teaching & Learning)