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Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Learning and Teaching Awards

The Award scheme recognises excellence in learning and teaching at The University of New England and rewards the diverse contributions that staff and associates make, individually or in teams, to the quality of student learning at UNE.

All staff (both academic and general staff) whose work contributes significantly to the quality of student learning at UNE are eligible to apply, whether they teach or work in roles supporting learning and teaching. This can include contract and sessional staff, as well as adjuncts, honorary associates and emeritus academics.

These awards follow the guidelines for the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (formerly The Carrick Institute Inc.) Citations. Successful applicants may be encouraged to prepare an application to ALTC in subsequent years. Previous winners of ALTC awards are ineligible to apply for VC Awards in the same category (team or individual).

Applications may be submitted from individuals and/or teams where they believe they have made a significant contribution to student learning:

  • In a specific area of responsibility, over a sustained period, and
  • who are recognised for their achievements within their Faculty, School or Directorate.

Up to five awards are available annually, each consisting of a certificate and a prize of $2,000.

The Teaching and Learning Centre runs briefing sessions and workshops to assist nominees and applicants. For more information or assistance please contact Sue Rutten at the TLC on 3628.

Timelines 2008 – 2009 Awards

July 28 Call for nominations
August 29 Nominations close
September - November Data collection
November 14 Final Application due to Director, TLC
December TBC Committee Selection
February 2009 Awardees announced
March/April Presentation of Awards at Graduation

How does it work?

There are three stages to the process.

  1. Nomination
  2. Application
  3. Selection

1. The nomination stage

Nominations are called for by the Director, Teaching and Learning Centre in July 2008. Because this award is open to general and academic staff, notices inviting nominations are sent to Faculties and Directorates.

Nominations can be for either an individual award or a team award.

Who can nominate

Any staff member, associate or student can nominate an individual or team for an award. Staff members may not nominate themselves for individual or team awards.

Who can be nominated

Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Learning and Teaching Awards are open to all staff of UNE with teaching or teaching/research appointments, general staff and associates. This includes sessional staff and adjunct, honorary, or emeritus staff currently contributing to learning and teaching at UNE.

An individual can be nominated for both an individual and a team award in the same year. Successful applicants are ineligible to apply again within three years of receiving an Award. Individuals and teams that have won a national citation or award in the last three years are not eligible to apply.

How to nominate

Nominations must be submitted on the nomination form. The nomination should answer all of the questions as relevant. The nomination forms can be found on this website.

Where to submit your nomination

Nominations are to be submitted by the closing date Friday 29th August 2008 to the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre (via Sue Rutten).

What happens next?

The Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre will seek support for the nomination from the relevant Head of School. Heads of School will be required to verify the nomination independently and with nominators listed on the nomination form. All staff who receive nominations and are supported by their Head of School will be informed of this in writing.

A schedule for data collection will be negotiated with individuals and teams.

2. The application stage

Accepting the nomination

If the staff member accepts the nomination there are four requirements:

  1. A student evaluation of teaching of the staff member will be conducted through the Evaluation Unit, TLC. (if there are problems in the nature of the teaching for the collection of such data an appropriate substitute will be agreed upon with Evaluation Unit staff)*
  2. Peer review of teaching/materials (if there are problems in the nature of the teaching/materials etc. for the collection of such data an appropriate substitute will be agreed upon with Evaluation Unit staff)*
  3. 2 Peer References from colleagues who know the work of the nominee (no more than 1 page each)
  4. Completion of the application addressing the selection criteria on the provided application form with the inclusion of data from a-c.

*In the case of a General staff applicant they may draw on feedback from other sources such as unsolicited emails, letters of commendation etc. from students, academics, or colleagues from within and outside UNE who have commented on the quality or impact of their contribution to student learning. General staff may wish to consult with TLC in preparing their evidence.

Support for your application

The Teaching and Learning Centre runs briefing sessions and workshops for applicants on the selection criteria and application process, and in conjunction with Directorates and Faculties, provides advice on the process and in collating suitable evidence for the application.

We encourage you to liaise with our contact officer Sue Rutten #3628 who will provide more information or assistance as appropriate with your application.

Additionally, all applicants will be provided with a mentor, who is a previous winner.

Guidelines for applications

Applications:

Applications must be in writing and address one or more of the criteria below as appropriate for their particular contribution. Applicants may submit additional material to support their case (see below). Please ensure that all applications include the coversheet and comply with the application format. The coversheet found on this website.

Selection Criteria:

Applicants for individual or team awards will be assessed on evidence they provide in relation to one or more of the following five criteria:

  1. Approaches to teaching and (to) learning support that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn.
  2. Development of curricula, resources and services that reflect a command of the field.
  3. Approaches to assessment, feedback and learning support that foster independent learning.
  4. Respect and support for the development of students as individuals.
  5. Scholarly activities and service innovations that have influenced and enhanced learning and teaching.

In addition, team applications should demonstrate highly collaborative approaches to their contribution to student learning and show evidence of the effectiveness of the collaboration against the selection criteria.

Assessment criteria:

In assessing individual and team applications, the Selection Committee will take into account:

  • the extent to which nominees show evidence that their contribution has influenced student learning, student engagement or the overall student experience; been sustained over time, and; gained recognition from fellow staff, the institution, and/or the broader community;
  • the extent to which the claims for excellence are supported by formal and informal evaluation;
  • the extent of creativity, imagination or innovation, irrespective of whether the approach involves traditional learning environments or technology-based developments; and
  • the information contained in supporting material submitted with the application, and any other documentation.

Format of application

The application must include:

  • The provided cover sheet
  • The two referee reports. These pages are not counted as one of the application pages.
  • A one page CV for each applicant (a maximum of 2 pages for team applications), which captures details of their contribution to student learning. This includes, where appropriate, teaching responsibilities with units taught and student numbers and/or details by general staff of support and associated actions. These pages are not counted as part of the application pages.
  • The body of the application is to be no more than four A4 pages that address Point 1 and 2 below (in Times 12 point font with minimum 2.5 cm margins all round). This aspect of the application should have the following two components presented in this order:
    1. An overview of no more than 500 words summarising the particular contribution and describing the particular context for this contribution in relation to your chosen criterion or criteria.
    2. The remainder of the application should state in relation to the chosen criteria how the applicant has:
      • influenced student learning, student engagement or the overall student experience;
      • been sustained over time;
      • gained recognition from fellow staff, the institution, and/or the broader community; 
      • Evaluation Reports and Peer Review evidence as appropriate.

Presentation:

There is no advantage in elaborate presentation of applications. However, the case must be made clearly and effectively. The basis of writing applications should be remembered. These include the need to keep the application succinct, to avoid discipline-specific jargon, to highlight important points, to make the argument easy to follow for the reader, and to provide clear structure to the application.

What Counts as Evidence?

It is essential to provide evidence to support each of the claims you make. Unsubstantiated assertions are not acceptable.

It is unlikely that all your evidence will come from only one source. It is necessary to build your case around a range of different forms of evidence from different sources. For instance, it is not sufficient to make claims based on only one set of feedback from one group of students. The committee will be looking for evidence from several different sources over a period of time, which collectively forms a strong case to support your claims.

Evidence – teaching staff:

Staff with teaching or teaching/research appointments must provide results of formal student evaluations of your teaching or units. Other possible sources of evidence include:

  • feedback from graduates;
  • feedback from employers of your graduates;
  • peer feedback based on observations of your teaching in a range of settings;
  • independent reviews of your teaching materials or other teaching resources;
  • data such as completions rates of students, withdrawal rates, assessment results, or employment rates of graduates;
  • examples of student work, examiners' reports for postgraduate students, or excerpts from study guides;
  • success in gaining competitive teaching development grants;
  • evidence of enhanced learning outcomes for students from teaching innovations;
  • teaching qualifications gained; and
  • prizes or awards for teaching or contribution to student learning.

Evidence – general staff:

General staff must also provide evidence to support any claims made. Possible sources of evidence include:

  • feedback e.g. e-mails, letters of praise from students, academics or others who have commented on the quality or impact of your contribution to student learning;
  • letters of commendation;
  • feedback from peers within and outside UNE;
  • examples of your work;
  • evidence of the impact of your work.

Submission:

The original and 10 copies of the application (one copy of additional support material) must be submitted to the Director, Teaching and Learning Centre, via Sue Rutten (srutten@une.edu.au ) no later than 14th November 2008.

3. The selection stage

  1. The Selection Committee is briefed by the Awards and Grants Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Centre. Written applications are assessed by a Selection Committee comprised of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) [Chair], Director, Teaching and Learning Centre, two senior academic representatives from each Faculty, a senior manager from a Directorate and one student. The Selection Committee makes recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor who makes a final decision on the Awards.
  2. Applicants will be notified of the outcome in early February 2009 after the Vice-Chancellor has reviewed the recommendations of the Selection Committee.
  3. Successful applicants receive their Award, consisting of a certificate and a prize of $2,000, at an appropriate autumn graduation ceremony. The prize is to be spent on an appropriate professional development activity or otherwise contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning.
  4. All Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Learning and Teaching Award winners are expected to make a public presentation at Faculty, Directorate or University level in the 12 months following receipt of the Award and participate in activities such as mentoring to support subsequent applicants.