CTL Grants and Awards

Teaching Innovation Award

The Teaching Innovation Award recognizes the outstanding work of our faculty and teaching staff in advancing student success through creative, inclusive, and impactful teaching practices. By celebrating teaching excellence, we foster a thriving academic community where innovative approaches to learning are shared, refined, and embraced.

Honoring Excellence in Teaching

This award highlights the crucial role that innovative teaching plays in student learning and success. By recognizing faculty and teaching staff who implement thoughtful, research-based instructional strategies, we elevate the importance of student-centered learning and encourage a culture of pedagogical growth. Every faculty and teaching staff member who engages in innovative teaching contributes to the vitality of our university and the broader academic community.

Award Details

Each year, during the Celebration of Teaching, faculty and teaching staff showcase their innovative teaching approaches through poster presentations and lightning talks. External judges, who are experts in teaching and learning from other institutions, evaluate the presentations using a structured rubric. Based on their evaluations, two winners are selected, each receiving:

• A Teaching Innovation Certificate, recognizing their contribution to student success
• $1,000 in professional development funds to further their teaching and scholarly growth

Selection Criteria

The Teaching Innovation Award is based on a set of key criteria that reflect the core principles of effective, student-centered instruction:

Inclusive

• Fosters an environment where all students feel valued and included
• Demonstrates diverse perspectives in course content, assessments, and materials
• Reflects critical self-awareness, including acknowledgment of personal beliefs, privileges, and biases in instructional choices

Impactful

• Connects learning to students’ lives, vocations, or future professions
• Encourages deep thinking, challenges beliefs, and promotes personal accountability
• Stretches students’ understanding beyond the classroom

Integrated

• Supports students' broader educational journey beyond a single course
• Encourages interdisciplinary connections, co-curricular activities, and real-world applications
• Provides students with opportunities to actively apply their knowledge or create meaningful artifacts
• Demonstrates a faculty member’s willingness to experiment with new teaching strategies, even when there is potential for failure

General Expectations

• Aligns with course objectives, institutional learning outcomes, and best practices
• Incorporates evidence-based instructional and assessment methods

A Commitment to Teaching Excellence

By recognizing and celebrating the impact of innovative teaching, the Teaching Innovation Award reinforces our shared commitment to enhancing student learning, fostering inclusivity, and embracing instructional creativity. Through these awards, we continue to build a dynamic, student-focused learning environment where faculty feel empowered to take risks, experiment with new ideas, and inspire the next generation of learners.