- Purpose
- Funding Options
- Eligibility
- Application Process
- What to Include in Your Application
- Selection Process
- Nominate a Colleague
- More Information
Purpose
The Teaching Achievement Awards are intended to enhance the teaching of their recipients and the quality of instruction at Carleton.
Funding Options
Five $15,000 awards are available. Recipients can choose to accept this award as a cash bonus, which will be taxed as salary income; a research grant, which operates as a regular research account; or as a combination of the two. Expenditures from a Teaching Achievement Award set up as a research grant may be used for the purposes of enhancing academic activities (teaching) in addition to any research-related activities. If the recipient chooses this award as a research grant, it will operate as a regular research account, and has no time limit on its usage.
Eligibility
This award is available to faculty members. Chairs of Departments and Directors of Institutes and Centres are members of the CUASA Bargaining Unit and, therefore, eligible to apply for a Teaching Achievement Award. Directors of Schools and Colleges are ineligible to apply.
Award recipients are allowed to apply for an award in the fall term of the seventh year following the year that they received the last award. For example, if you received an award on May 1, 2017, you would be eligible to apply for another Teaching Achievement Award in the fall term of 2024.
Employees shall only be eligible to receive both a Professional Achievement Award and a Teaching Achievement Award where the basis cited for each award is separate and distinct.
Application Process
Candidates can be either nominated by a colleague or apply directly for the award. Candidates must submit an application form and a proposal online by October 31. Applications cannot exceed 10 pages (excluding the online application form).
A joint application may exceed the page limit, within reason, to include the required information from both applicants, as applicable, i.e., evidence of teaching excellence.
What to Include in Your Application
- A brief description of your project and interests, which will be used in promotional material if you receive the award (75 word limit)
Teaching Development Project (60 points)
- Title of your project.
- Detailed description of your teaching development project, its innovation, and its general contribution to teaching in your discipline. Include a rationale for this project with appropriate reference to the published literature related to the scholarship of teaching, and include an explanation of the innovative aspects of the proposed project, the plans for development, the expected results, the nature of the contribution to the scholarship of teaching, and your plans for the dissemination of the results.
- Timeline for completion of the project.
- Project budget.
- Letter of support for the project from the academic unit/Faculty.
- Letter of support for the project from any other units/colleagues collaborating.
- Information regarding any other funding related to the project.
Evidence of Teaching Excellence (40 points)
- Student rating of teaching (if possible, three years of data in summary form in the context of comparisons with academic unit and faculty averages).
- Brief summary of student comments from previous evaluations.
- Any other relevant information, which may include awards obtained or publications.
Selection Process
Recipients are selected by a committee chaired by the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) or their designate, and composed of a faculty member who has earned distinction as a scholar but is not a candidate for the award, from each of the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Science, Public & Global Affairs, and Sprott School of Business. Previous winners of the award will be considered as the principal source of potential members for the committee. All candidates are rated according to their applications.
Recommendations will be made to the President and Vice-Chancellor by December 21. Award funding will be transferred on May 1 of the following year.
Nominate a Colleague
- Nominations must be submitted to the appropriate Faculty Dean by Sept. 30. Your Faculty Dean will determine if the nominee wishes to be considered for an award and will ask them to apply by the deadline.
- You can also support a colleague’s application by writing them a letter of support to include in their dossier (note that applications for this award are due Oct. 31). Letters of support are typically 1-1.5 pages in length and are written to endorse the project and instructor. Letters should explain why the proposed project is important to the department, Faculty or Carleton’s broader community and how the project may contribute to students’ overall success beyond the instructor’s own classroom. Letters should also include an explanation about why the instructor is a good candidate to undertake the project and receive the award.
More Information
This award is governed by the Collective Agreement between Carleton University and CUASA, Article on Teaching Achievement Awards.
If you have any questions, contact us at teachingawards@cunet.carleton.ca