University of Manitoba - Faculty of Arts - Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Awards
Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Awards

The Faculty of Arts Teaching Excellence Committee gives two awards in the Spring of each year to recognize and reward excellence in teaching by graduate students. The awards are sponsored by the Arts Graduating Classes of 1943 and 1968, and the Dean of Arts.

Eligibility
Graduate students in the Faculty of Arts who are responsible for teaching either a three or six credit hour course in the Faculty during the Regular Session preceding the award, and who have not been the recipient of the Faculty of Arts Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award in previous years.

The Award - Two $500 awards will be given each Spring. The names of the recipients will be engraved on the Faculty of Arts' Wall of Recognition.

Application - Application deadlines: April 15th of each year, however nominations are accepted at any time of the year.*

*The nominee must have taught during the year immediately preceding the nomination submission deadline date. 

In addition the applicants must submit a teaching dossier1 containing the following pertinent information:

Required Documentation:

1. a letter of support from one of the following:
Department Head, Associate Department Head, Chair of the department's Graduate Program, or applicant's Graduate Supervisor; and

2. the results of a standardized teaching evaluation survey currently used by the University the Manitoba–the Student Evaluation of Education Quality, or SEEQ, as administered by the applicant’s department.

a. Students who are considering applying for this award should insure that the SEEQ has been administered in a timely manner to meet the deadline for submission of completed applications to which you are teaching a course and request expedited processing.

Optional Documentation:

Applicants are encouraged to add any other relevant evidence to their teaching dossier. Such additional documentation might include:

1. unsolicited letters and written comments from the applicant's students;

2. evidence of innovative assignments, imaginative class activities, special evaluation methods, etc. used in the course;

3. evidence of teaching support given to other graduate student instructors, (e.g., visiting classes to give suggestions and feedback, shared assignments, guest teaching, etc.);

4. documentation of assistance and concern by the applicant for one or more students that went well beyond what could reasonably be expected;

5. letters of support from faculty members who are familiar with the applicant's teaching;

6. evidence of leadership activities in the area of teaching, such as assisting a faculty member in conducting a workshop for Teaching Assistants;

7. evidence of efforts to improve their own teaching, such as attendance at  University Teaching Services (UTS) or Centre for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD) workshops; or non-credit or credit teaching courses;

8. research on teaching, publications, or presentations to graduate student groups, their department, at conferences; and

9. other evidence of outstanding teaching or teaching-related performance.

Selection and Announcement

The Teaching Excellence Committee will review the applicants' teaching dossiers and make their selections by the end of April.