A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

 

Six Board of Governors

Distinguished Professor

for Teaching Awards

 

Six Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards recognize and support excellent teaching at East Carolina University.  The recipients of these awards will be recognized at a variety of functions and each will receive a $1,000 award.  Please see this announcement for details of eligibility and selection procedures for this award.

 

Faculty are nominated for these awards by their college.  Faculty members should consult their college or Brody School of Medicine for these nomination procedures.     


EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY SELECTION PROCEDURES

FOR THE NOMINEE FOR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR FOR TEACHING AWARD

 

I.   Eligibility for Selection

 

Nominees must:

1.    be a full-time faculty member at East Carolina University

2.    have taught at East Carolina University for three or more years

3.    be teaching in the academic year in which they are selected

4.    not have won the award within the last four years

5.    have demonstrated excellent or exceptional teaching ability.

 

II.  Selection Procedures and Guidelines

 

1.    Faculty members are nominated by the colleges in Academic Affairs and the schools in Health Sciences.  The colleges and schools have established their own selection procedures for choosing their nominees.  Deans will submit the names of their college or school’s nominees to the appropriate Vice Chancellor by 5 p.m. on September 15, 2008.

 

2.      The maximum number of nominations is distributed among the colleges and Brody School of Medicine according to their relative number of faculty:

School or College

 

Maximum Nominations

Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and

Brody School of Medicine

 

5 each

College of Fine Arts and Communication

 

3

Colleges of Business, Education, Health and Human Performance, Human Ecology, and Nursing

 

2 each

College of Allied Health Sciences and

College of Technology and Computer Science

 

1 each

 

 

3.    Nominated faculty must have their portfolios in to the Center for Faculty Excellence office, Old Cafeteria Complex 2305, no later than 5 p.m. on November 1 (November 3, 2008).

 

4.    The portfolio materials, not to exceed 50 pages, must include:

·           an itemized list of all materials in the portfolio;

·           a brief written statement (not to exceed three pages, double-spaced) which articulates the nominee's teaching philosophy and methods used to achieve his or her educational goals;

·           copies of syllabi and other relevant course materials;

·           a summary of Student Opinion of Instruction Survey (SOIS) student ratings for the past three years (Unit teaching evaluations may be substituted for courses where SOIS is not administered).  Nominees will be provided a format for the summary of SOIS student ratings;

·           a letter of support from the departmental chair, director, or the dean;

·           letters of support from 3-5 former students (each not to exceed two pages, double-spaced);

·           peer evaluations, if available, or other approved evaluation methods listed in Methods for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness, Faculty Senate Resolution #91-28.

5.      By early March 2009, the selection committee1 will send forward to the Chancellor names of recipients for six Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards and the supporting documentation for each.

 

 

 

 

 

METHODS FOR ASSESSING TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS

Faculty Senate Resolution #91-28

 

Academic Unit Implementation Plans endorse The University's Strategic Plan Goal that Academic Units employ more than one approach when assessing the teaching effectiveness of faculty members.  Appendix C of the Faculty Manual requires that a survey of student opinion of instruction be used in evaluating teaching effectiveness.  Appendix C permits the use of other methods and procedures when initiated by the Unit and recommended by the Faculty Senate and approved by the Chancellor.  The methods outlined below are examples of additional approaches for assessing teaching effectiveness which units may adopt.  These assessment methods are adapted from the manual, A Guide to Evaluation of Teaching for Promotion and Tenure published by Syracuse University's Center for Instructional Development.

 

ADDITIONAL METHODS OF EVALUATING TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS

Annual Goals Assessment:  An annual agreement with the unit administrator where specific goals are set that contribute to effective classroom teaching.  Such goals might include, but are not limited to, updating syllabus and reading lists, developing study guides, implementing new instructional procedures, and incorporating components of writing/critical thinking into course.  The unit administrator will evaluate progress related to the agreed‑upon goals at the end of the academic year.

Faculty Report:  A description of teaching activities including, but not limited to, the names and numbers of courses taught, number of students taught and advised, services on thesis/dissertation committees, involvement with instructional development activities, descriptions of teaching methods, and other activities that bear on the effectiveness of the unit's educational program.  (Much of this information is currently part of the annual report.)

Analysis of Instructional and Other Materials:  Review by the unit administrator and/or peers of course materials including syllabi, reading lists, outlines, examinations, audiovisual materials, student manuals, samples of student's work on assignments, projects, and papers.  Other materials prepared for or relevant to instruction.

Instructor-Generated Evaluations:  Instructor‑generated evaluation procedures, such as checklists, survey‑type instruments, videotapes of class sessions, and written entries reflecting on teaching techniques and philosophy.

Classroom Observations:  Direct observation of classroom teaching or observation of videotaped class sessions by peers or experts.  Several techniques help to make observations objective:  use of an observation guide or structured process determined by the unit for observations; a number of observations before final report is prepared; observations and reports by at least two observers; observation by those outside the faculty member's immediate unit.

Structured Interviews with Former Students:  Face‑to‑face, telephone, group interviews, or surveys asking for comments on current or former professors.  Broad questions, such as the following, are asked to solicit overall evaluation statements:  Describe why you would recommend (or not recommend) Professor X's class to a friend?  How did Professor X's class prepare you for advanced work in the subject?  What is your overall assessment for Professor X?

Measures of Student Achievement:  In the case of multi‑section courses with a diagnostic pretest and a final examination that both measure abilities in a similar way, student   improvement may be used as a measure of teaching effectiveness.  In addition, multi‑section courses that use an identical final examination for all sections make possible a comparison of relative teaching effectiveness of individual faculty where observed patterns hold over five or more semesters. 



     1The selection committee will be convened by the Coordinator, Center for Faculty Development, East Carolina University and consists of 2 members of the Academic Awards Committee, elected by the committee; 1 faculty member each appointed by the Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Health Sciences; 1 faculty member appointed by the Chair of the Faculty; and 1 student member appointed by the President of the Student Government Association.