Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching

A.  Purpose

The Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching was established to emphasize the importance of teaching at Brandon University and to recognize and honour those faculty members who excel in this endeavour.

B. Award

A maximum of two awards will be presented annually at Spring Convocation: one Tier I and one Tier II award. The recipient(s) will be presented with a framed certificate signed by the President of the University, as Chair of Senate. A master plaque containing the names and department or Faculty/School affiliation of all recipients will be displayed in the Louis Riel Room. The recipient(s) will also receive an additional $5,000 in funds to be used as professional development and/or in teaching supports in consultation with the recipient, department, and Dean.

C.  Eligibility

Nominees for Tier II awards must

  • have completed a minimum of 3 years of employment at Brandon University and
  • hold the rank of assistant professor, PA II, or IA II.

Nominees for Tier I awards must

  • have completed a minimum of 3 years employment at Brandon University and
  • hold the rank of associate professor, full professor, PA III, PA IV, IA III, or IA IV.

In all cases when considering an applicant for this award, factors pertaining to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will be considered.

D.  Criteria

Nominees shall provide the Faculty Advisory Committee a dossier that demonstrates how the nominee meets the criteria. It shall include, in no particular order, the following:

  • a curriculum vitae addressing the criteria specified for the award, including a list of courses taught at BU;
  • a summary statement, not to exceed two pages, describing how the nominee satisfies the selection criteria;
  • documentary evidence which demonstrates merit (e.g. student, Dean and peer evaluations or other qualitative and quantitative evidence as deemed appropriate by the nominee);
  • at least three, but no more than five, one or two-page letters from colleagues and/or former students supporting the nomination.

Because excellence in teaching should not be narrowly defined, the Selection Committee will look for evidence of excellence and/or outstanding performance in each of the following areas, in no particular order of priority:

  • ability to engage and motivate students
  • communication skills
  • accessibility to students
  • reflective and responsive pedagogy
  • educational leadership and mentorship
  • comprehensive knowledge of the material taught
  • organization of course content and materials
  • educational standards
  • course design and development

E.  Call for Nominations – November 1st

  • The Provost and Vice-President (Academic) shall notify the University community that nominations are being sought.
  • The Deans shall consult with their faculty and department chairs and, if appropriate, receive, solicit, and initiate nominations of suitable candidates.
  • Nominees must give their consent to being nominated.
  • Nominations must be submitted electronically to the applicable Dean by January 15th.

F.  Faculty Advisory Committee – called at the discretion of the Dean

Each Dean shall appoint and Chair a Faculty Advisory Committee consisting of at least 2 faculty members representing at least 2 departments. The Faculty Advisory Committee will be responsible for selecting the faculty/school nominee.

If there is a nominee, the Faculty Advisory Committee shall forward the completed dossier to the CTLT Advisory Committee by way of the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) by February 1st.

G.  Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT) – February 1st

The CTLT Advisory Committee shall serve as the selection committee.

Note: Members of the Faculty Advisory Committee may not serve on the Selection Committee.

The Committee shall review the nominations forwarded by the Faculty Advisory Committees and, by applying the criteria to the information submitted for each nominee, may recommend one candidate. With the consent of the nominee, the Committee may choose to carry forward a nominee to the next competition. The recommendation to Senate is to be forwarded to the Senate Executive Committee by March 1st.

Revised Policy – Approved by Senate:  November 23, 2021
Approved by the Board of Governors:  September 25, 2021