- Purpose
- Funding Options
- Eligibility
- Application Process
- What to Include in Your Application
- Selection Process
- Nominate a Colleague
- More Information
Applications are now closed and will open again in October 2024.
Purpose
This award recognizes outstanding performance by an Instructor employee in meeting the responsibilities as defined in the Collective Agreement, and in the individual job descriptions referred to by the Collective Agreement.
Funding Options
Five $10,000 awards are available. Recipients can choose to accept this award as a lump sum payment, which will be taxed as salary income or added to their Professional Expense Reimbursement (PER). A PER is not taxed and must be claimed against original receipts. Salaries for teaching assistants/other supports may be covered under the PER. In accordance with the PER guidelines, funds can be used for books, equipment, professional association memberships and/or for travel-related expenses not covered by, or in excess of, other travel grants. If you wish to use your award for salaries (i.e., teaching assistants), please include this request and more information in your application.
Eligibility
This award is available to Instructor employees. Award recipients will be eligible to apply for further awards in the Fall term of the seventh year following the year in which the previous award was received. For example, if you received an award on May 1, 2014, you will be eligible to apply for another Professional Achievement Award for Instructor employees in the fall of 2021.
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 must submit an application form and proposal online by Nov. 20. Applications cannot exceed 10 pages (excluding the online application form). Please note that you are not required to have a project to apply for an award.
What to Include in Your Application
- A short paragraph describing your interests and/or your project (as applicable), which will be used in promotional material if you receive the award (75 word limit).
Evidence of Teaching Excellence
- Statement of teaching philosophy. (20 points)
- Student ratings of teaching (if possible, three years of data in summary form in the context of comparisons with academic unit and faculty averages). (30 points)
- Brief summary of student comments from previous evaluations. (30 points)
- Other evidence to support your application, which may include information about previous teaching awards, past teaching innovations, publications related to teaching, unsolicited student feedback, etc. You may include up to three letters of support and, if you were nominated for this award, this may include the nominator’s letter of support. (20 points)
Teaching Project Proposal (as applicable)
- Title or brief description of teaching development project.
- Detailed description of 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.
Selection Process
Recipients are selected by a committee composed of two CUASA appointees and two university appointees, including a representative from Teaching and Learning Services, who acts as Chair. All candidates are rated according to their applications.
Recommendations will be made to the President and Vice-Chancellor by Dec. 21. Award funding will be transferred on May 1 of the following year. The award may be deferred by the recipient for reasonable cause for up to one 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.
More Information
This award is governed by the Collective Agreement between Carleton University and CUASA, Article on Professional Achievement Awards.
If you have any questions, contact us at teachingawards@cunet.carleton.ca.