Distinguished Teaching Award
2009 Guidelines and Procedures

Committee on Teaching
Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate
University of California

Purpose of the award

The Distinguished Teaching Award is intended to recognize individual faculty for teaching that rises above and beyond the individual fine class to a sustained performance of excellence; this kind of teaching incites intellectual curiosity in students, inspires departmental colleagues, and makes students aware of significant relationships between the academy and the world at large.

Since its inception in 1959, the Distinguished Teaching Award has been given to 227 faculty members from 51 departments.

Nature of the Award:

Recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Award receive a $10,000 cash award from the campus and recognition by the Academic Senate. They are honored at a public ceremony, and they are permanently indicated as Distinguished Teachers in the UC Berkeley catalog. In addition, they are frequently called upon by the campus to provide a voice in issues related to teaching.

Eligibility

All members of the Academic Senate and non-Senate faculty/instructors with continuing appointments are eligible.

1. The intent of the Distinguished Teaching Award is to recognize faculty members who have established a sustained and varied record of teaching excellence .  At minimum, nominees must have taught at least six regularly scheduled courses in the last eight semesters in residence. Evidence of accomplishment does not necessarily require long years of service, which in themselves would not be considered sufficient grounds for recognition.
   
   
2. The Committee on Teaching believes that excellence in teaching and excellence in creative and scholarly work—both essential duties of Senate faculty members—go hand in hand. Therefore, Senate faculty members who are nominated will be those who have successfully united these two roles.
   
   
3. Lecturers are judged on their excellence in teaching and their contributions to the teaching mission of the University.
   
   
4. Part of the selection process involves classroom visits by members of the Committee on Teaching. If a potential nominee will be on leave or sabbatical for spring semester 2009, the Committee cannot accept the nomination.
   
   
5. Only one candidate should be nominated by a department in any year.
   

Selection criteria

There is no one way to be a Distinguished Teacher. Therefore the Committee on Teaching cannot provide one single set of absolute criteria or rely on one kind of evidence.

Thus, the Committee draws criteria from a number of sources, including but not limited to, the University of California Academic Personnel Manual, Section D, Criteria for Appointment, Promotion, and Appraisal, and the Committee on Teaching's policy on the Evaluation of Teaching for Advancement and Promotion (Spring 1987).

In addition, the Committee seeks evidence from a wide variety of sources, detailed below in sections Nomination Process: Stage One and Nomination Process: Stage Two.

Criteria for Teaching Excellence

In general Distinguished Teachers will excel in the following areas:

• Command of the subject.
• Continuous growth in the field of study.
• Ability to organize course material and to present it cogently.
• Effective design and redesign of courses.
• Ability to inspire in students independent and original thinking.
• Ability to encourage intellectual interests in beginning students and to stimulate advanced students to creative work.
• Enthusiasm and vitality in learning and teaching.
• Guidance of student research projects, both undergraduate and graduate
• Participation in advising students.
• Participation in guiding and supervising Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs).
• Ability to respond to a diverse student body.

Nomination Process

Since the nomination process can be time-consuming, the Committee has divided it into two stages. In the first stage, less information is required. Those candidates recommended for Stage Two will be asked to submit a more substantial dossier.

Please note that it is the very strong recommendation of the Committee that a candidate not be informed of a Stage One nomination. The Committee wishes to minimize the number of candidates who pass nearly a whole academic year in anticipation of an award that may not be conferred.

While the nomination needs to be approved and submitted by the department chair, vice-chair for instruction, or other appropriate official, the nomination itself might be initiated by anyone in a department, including students.

In order to simplify the nomination process for both the department and the Committee, we have provided a number of forms (available in the full application packet) which are to be used to provide the information requested below.

Stage One

Deadline: Friday, October 10, 2008.
Please submit materials to: Office of Educational Development, 403 Sproul Hall.

Materials to be submitted:
(Materials must be placed in a three-ring binder with labeled section dividers.)

1. Nominating letter: No more than four single-spaced pages, from the department chair or head of the departmental committee on teaching, etc. This letter carries a great deal of weight in the Stage One nomination. It will show, among other things, how the nominee clearly rises above otherwise good teaching in the department, how the nominee’s research and teaching work together, and how students respond to the teaching. Please see Criteria for Teaching Excellence, above, for some guidance.
   

2. Chronological list of all course taught during the last eight semesters of residence. Use the form “Chronological List of Courses Taught.”
   

3. Summary of teaching evaluations for all courses taught during last eight semesters of residence. Use the form “Quantitative Summary and Comparison.”
   

4. Grade distribution charts for any two courses offered in the most recent four semesters of residence. A copy, if available, of the candidate’s grading guidelines/criteria for either or both courses. Use the form “Grade Distribution Charts and Grading Policies.”
   

5. Raw student evaluations for the same two courses in (d). This is not meant to be summary data, but the evaluations themselves. If copies rather than originals are submitted, they should be of excellent clarity.
   

6. Nominee’s fall 2008 and spring 2009 “Teaching Schedule.” Members of the Committee on Teaching will observe classes of those nominees advanced to Stage 2 and may visit in late fall if time permits.
   

7. Any written peer and/or tenured faculty member review of the candidate’s teaching that has been shared with the candidate.

Stage Two

After reviewing the nominations from Stage One, the Committee on Teaching will select a number of nominees for further consideration.

Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2009.
Please submit materials to: Office of Educational Development, 403 Sproul Hall.

Materials to be submitted:
(Materials must be placed in a three-ring binder with labeled section dividers.)

1. A reflective statement by the candidate of teaching goals, objectives, and experiences, not to exceed 1,000 words.
   
   
2. Candidate's curriculum vitae.
   
   
3. List of teaching responsibilities outside the classroom. Use form "Teaching Responsibilities Outside the Classroom."
   
   
4. Grade distribution charts and grading policies from two additional courses in the most recent four semesters of residence. Use form "Grade Distribution Charts and Grading Policies."
   
   
5. Raw student evaluations from the courses in (d). Copies should be of excellent clarity.
   
   
6. Letters of support: No more than twelve total. They may be from current and former students, campus and off-campus colleagues. At least one should be from a campus colleague who has observed the nominee in class.
   
   
7. Class materials for any two of the four courses for which evaluations have been submitted.
   Materials might include syllabi, handouts, tests, assignments, and so on.
   

Awards ceremony

Each year, near the end of spring semester, UC Berkeley's distinguished teachers are honored in a public ceremony to recognize their achievements.

Questions? Please contact:

Steve Tollefson
Office of Educational Development
403 Sproul Hall
phone: 642-0875
email: tollef@berkeley.edu