Killam Teaching Prize for Graduate Instruction
Quick Facts
The Killam Teaching Prizes are awarded to faculty members in recognition of excellent teaching. Established university-wide, the prizes are adjudicated within faculties under procedures defined by the faculties and approved by the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic.
One Killam Teaching Prize of $5,000 CAD is awarded annually to a faculty member in recognition of excellent graduate-level teaching. This is intended primarily for teaching excellence in graduate course work, although excellence in other areas of graduate education such as program development or mentoring will be given some weight. Please note, however, that excellence in graduate student supervision, specifically, is recognized by a separate award, the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Candidates may be nominated by colleagues, current graduate students, or alumni. The winner is announced each spring and honoured by the Provost and VP Academic at Spring Congregation in May.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies' Killam Teaching Prize for Graduate Instruction is one of a larger pool of Killam Teaching Prizes. The eligibility requirements for the Killam Teaching Prizes awarded by other UBC faculties will vary from the requirements outlined below. Nominators may wish to contact their home faculty to review those requirements.
Nominations to Grad Studies: Friday, 2 March 2012. Please check with department regarding internal deadline.
Eligibility
Academic staff members at the Vancouver campus of UBC (UBC-V) are eligible for nomination if they are:
- full-time tenure-track faculty appointees or
- grant tenure-track or clinical faculty appointees or
- full-time sessional lecturers
Nominees must have demonstrated sustained excellence in graduate-level teaching, normally for at least five years.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used to evaluate nominations:
- Sustained excellence in graduate teaching, in the classroom and outside of courses
- Demonstration of clear objectives and success in meeting these objectives
- Responsiveness to students, students’ needs and questions
- Positive effect on students’ motivation to learn and acquisition of knowledge
- Creative and effective approaches to teaching methodology and curricular development
- Lasting positive effect on students’ formation as scholars
Procedures
All nomination materials must be submitted through an academic unit (a UBC-V department or non-departmentalized faculty). Nomination materials submitted directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies from other sources will not be accepted.
Each academic unit is entitled to submit only one nomination. Each unit may develop its own set of procedures for the selection of its nominee.
All of the following materials must be submitted by the unit in support of its nominee:
-
A letter of support from the Department Chair (or designate) including the following:
- A description of the procedures followed in selecting the nominee
- A statement concisely describing how the nominee qualifies for the prize
- A statement from the nominee on his or her teaching philosophy that summarizes his or her approach to, and success in, teaching graduate students
- The nominee's current curriculum vitae
- 4. A maximum of eight letters of support from graduate students, colleagues, or alumni describing the referee's involvement with the nominee and/or how the nominee affected the referee's learning and development. At least three of the eight letters must be from current and/or former graduate students taught by the nominee. Each letter must be signed by its author (pen on paper). Letters with scanned, faxed, and photocopied signatures will not be accepted.
- A summary of teaching evaluations for courses taught over the past several years; these can be qualitative, quantitative or both
- Other support documents, if applicable (e.g. course syllabi)
Submission Procedures:
Units are to submit one original nomination package plus four copies.
Each copy of the nomination package must be double-sided and stapled or clipped together. Please do not enclose materials in three-ringed binders.
Materials regarding undergraduate teaching will not be considered for this competition and should not be included in the nomination packages.
Nomination deadline: 4 PM on Friday, 2 March 2012
Submit nomination packages to:
Dr. Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe
Associate Dean, Scholarships and Awards
Re: Killam Teaching Prize for Graduate Instruction
Faculty of Graduate Studies
The University of British Columbia
170-6371 Crescent Road
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2
Canada
The prize will be adjudicated by a committee chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies (or designate). The name of the selected nominee will be forwarded to the Provost and VP Academic for final approval.
Further Information
Please direct questions about the Killam Teaching Prize for Graduate Instruction to killam.fellowships@ubc.ca.
