Provost's Outstanding Teacher Award - Teaching and Learning

About the award

The Provost's Outstanding Teacher Award annually recognizes a USask faculty member (in scope of USFA or Medical Faculty) at our insitution who is beyond the first five years of their appointment.

See a list of past award recipients.

Reward and recognition

Award recipients will be publicly recognized at an annual event and receive a $1000 prize.

Eligibility

Nominees must be a faculty member who teaches (in scope of USFA or Medical Faculty) and is beyond the first five years of their appointment at the USask.

Strategic themes

Nominations should clearly demonstrate how the evidence presented for each of the criteria drawn from Our Learning Charter align with one or more of the following strategic themes, which reflect the University's mission, vision, and values statement.

Indigenization – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that address one or more of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action
Sustainability – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that contribute to a sustainable future
Inclusivity – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that contribute to building a learning environment that is inclusive of diverse backgrounds and perspectives
Internationalization – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that support international initiatives or include international perspectives
Interdisciplinary teaching – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that build connections between different fields of study
Innovation – Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that are novel and effectively support student learning within the nominee’s teaching context
Collaboration– Evidence in support of this theme can include, for example, instructional activities that include students, faculty from other fields of study, and/or community members

Criteria

The criteria reflect Our Learning Charter's educator commitments and should be considered with respect to the teaching context of the nominee.

A nomination letter for the Provost's Outstanding Teacher Award should clearly show how the nominee demonstrates outstanding proficiency in each of the following criteria, with respect to the nominee's teaching context.

Educators should "exemplify active learning and curiosity, demonstrate broad thinking, follow ethical principles, and engage with students and peers in a respectful manner"

A strong personal commitment to the ideal of learning may be demonstrated by, for example, maintaining:

a passion for discovery that contributes to proficiency in one's field
a positive attitude toward, respect for, and trust in students and peers
consideration of broad perspectives and worldviews

Educators commit to "Integrate research, scholarship, artistic work and /or professional activities with teaching; Align learning outcomes, teaching activities and assessment; and Develop respectful and inclusive learning environments that support student learning"

Striving for excellence in teaching may be demonstrated by, for example:

developing opportunities for students to be inspired and engaged with and in the process of authentic inquiry, wherever possible, in their learning
being aware of and select appropriate instructional strategies and assessments that are aligned with stated learning outcomes
including all learners in the process of creating respectful and empowering spaces for learning

Educators commit to "Communicate and uphold clear academic expectations and standards; and Perform fair and relevant assessment for and of student learning"

Providing students with assessment as, for, and of learning, with timely and constructive feedback to fuel ongoing learning may be demonstrated by, for example:

designing assessments as learning, which allow students to regularly self-assess their learning
designing assessments for learning, which accompany regular, objective, constructive opportunities for feedback that engenders improvement
designing assessments of learning that align with course outcomes and providing student the opportunity to fairly demonstrate what they have learned

Educators commit to "Solicit and reflect on feedback from students, peers and others; and Engage in lifelong learning and continuous enhancement of teaching practice"

Engagement in ongoing assessment of practice paired with reflection and continuous development as an educator may be demonstrated by, for example:

reflecting on and continually enhancing teaching practice in response to feedback and student learning outcomes
engage with other educators to share and discuss their practice so they are learning with and from others

A Provost's Outstanding Teacher at the campus-wide level is expected to provide leadership in teaching and learning that has an impact beyond the nominee's own department, school, or college. The impact should extend to teaching and learning across campus and between colleges.

Evidence of leadership in teaching and learning at the institutional level, across departments and colleges, may be demonstrated by, for example:

sharing innovations in teaching and learning
collaborating in inter- or multidisciplinary teaching and learning endeavors
contributing to the development of others' through leadership in professional development opportunities

Such activities might occur within the scope of duties assigned as part of administrative or committee roles, as well as activities that are independently or collaboratively initiated outside of assigned duties.

Nomination guide

Nominations packages are limited to 15 pages. Submit as a single PDF document through the submission portal.

Letter of nomination
Teaching philosophy statement
Evidence of teaching: This should include sample exemplar teaching materials, summarized teaching evaluations and feedback from up to the most recent two years of teaching history
Letters of Support: You may choose to include letters of support from two colleagues or community members and two former students the nominee is not currently teaching and will not likely teach in the future. These letters should directly reference the award's criteria and address how the nominee has met the criteria from the perspective of the person writing the letter of support. The support letters, and any supporting material, are included in the 15-page limit for the dossier.
Abridged and Annotated CV: One- or two-page summary in list or abbreviated CV format, highlighting the nominee’s major achievements in teaching, service, research, and student evaluations (if applicable). Emphasize contributions to teaching and learning, including course development, new instructional strategies or technologies, workshops, and publications on teaching and learning (not counted towards 15-page limit)

Formatting

The dossier must not exceed 15 pages.
- The abridged and annotated CV (maximum 2-pages in length) is not included in the 15 pages.
- Cover pages and divider pages are not included in the 15 pages.
Use a standard 12-point font with one-inch margins.
Each page must be numbered.

Submissions

Nominations should be submitted to the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning by February 15th of each year, using the submission portal. (Note: this portal is only open during the nomination collection period)