CTE Teaching Awards

Center for Teaching Excellence

CTE Micro-Awards for Teaching

In addition to overall teaching excellence, as recognized by ETSU colleges and by the ETSU Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, the CTE now offers micro-awards for teaching in particular contexts.

Recognition of these awards occurs on a rotating basis. Nominations are encouraged from all faculty across campus, and self-nominations are acceptable. Nomination packets require the involvement of the nominee to collect and submit evidence related to the award.

 

Faculty awardees of the CTE Teaching Awards will be honored at the CTE’s Celebration of Exceptional Teaching (Spring), and will receive a $500 award, up to $1,000 to cover travel and/or registration at one conference in the following fiscal year to present their work around their teaching award focus, a plaque, and an invitation to be a guest of honor at the Celebration of Exceptional Teaching event.

The annual deadline for nominations is November 15.

Submit Faculty Micro-Award Nomination Packet

 

Learn more about each award, including nomination schedules and nomination requirements, below.

 

  • CTE Micro-Award for Large-Class Teaching: Spring 2028

    Teaching large sections of students in impactful ways requires ingenuity and energy, as well as a dedication to planning. This award is intended to honor instructors who have successfully taught large-section courses (defined as enrollment of 75 or more students per section) with positive impacts on student learning and motivation. Competitive entries will indicate a pattern of successful large-section teaching. Evaluation criteria will focus primarily on 1) impact on student learning and 2) effective active learning methods, student-centered strategies, and/or innovative pedagogy in the large class environment.

    The CTE Teaching Award for Large Class Teaching is given to one faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2027 for a Spring 2028 award date.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible for the CTE Teaching Award for Large Class Teaching, nominees must 1) be a full-time or part-time faculty member at East Tennessee State University, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) have a record of teaching at least one ETSU class section of 75 or more students each academic year for at least the past three years.

    Nomination Materials

    All nominations will be submitted using an online form and must include the items listed below. If you have questions, please email teaching@etsu.edu.

    Submission Form:

    The submission form requires 1) the nominator’s name, department, and email address (self-nominations are welcome), 2) the nominee's name, department, phone number, email address, college, rank, years at ETSU, and area of expertise, and 3) a brief explanation of the reasons for the nomination.

    Nomination Packet:

    Please upload the Nomination Packet with the online submission form as a single PDF file. Nomination Packet should include the following (omissions will exclude nominee from consideration), to be compiled and completed by the nominee:

    1. Large-Enrollment Course List: Include a list of your large-enrollment course sections (75 or more students per section) for at least the past three academic years and up to the past 5 academic years. For each course section, include the course number and title, academic year and term, CRN, enrollment number, and course catalog description (for first-time listings). Other pieces of information, such as SAI data, may also be included but are not required. (4 pages maximum)

    2. Teaching Philosophy: Include a brief teaching philosophy, particularly emphasizing your approach to teaching large classes and integration of knowledge gained in instructional professional development. (2 pages maximum)


    3. Abbreviated CV: Include an abbreviated version of your CV. (2 pages maximum)


    4. Statements of Support: Submit statements of support (or screenshot excerpts from letters) from your supervisors, colleagues, and/or students, which speak specifically to your effectiveness in teaching large classes. (3 pages maximum)


    5. Supporting Materials: Include at least one, and no more than three, pieces of supporting material that provide additional evidence of your effectiveness in teaching large classes. The supporting materials may include an example of students’ work, course artifacts, media coverage of student experience, and/or published scholarship recognized in your discipline and related to your instruction of large-enrollment classes. (3 items maximum)

     

    Please remember to consolidate all items above into a single pdf document. A Table of Contents is a welcome addition. 

  • CTE Micro-Award for Online Teaching: Spring 2028

    Online teaching requires careful planning and innovation to engage students in effective learning of course content. This award is intended to honor instructors who have successfully taught synchronous or asynchronous online courses with positive impacts on student learning and motivation. Competitive entries will indicate a pattern of successful online teaching. Evaluation criteria will focus primarily on 1) impact on student learning and 2) effective active learning methods, student-centered strategies, and/or innovative pedagogy in the online environment.

    The CTE Award for Online Teaching is given to one faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2027 for a Spring 2028 award date.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible for the CTE Award for Online Teaching, nominees must 1) be a full-time or part-time faculty member at East Tennessee State University, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) have a record of teaching at least one ETSU synchronous or asynchronous online section each academic year for at least the past three years.

    Nomination Materials

    All nominations will be submitted using an online form and must include the items listed below. If you have questions, please email teaching@etsu.edu.

    Submission Form:

    The submission form requires 1) the nominator’s name, department, and email address (self-nominations are welcome), 2) the nominee's name, department, phone number, email address, college, rank, years teaching at ETSU, and area of expertise, and 3) a brief explanation of the reasons for the nomination.

    Nomination Packet:

    Please upload the Nomination Packet with the online submission form as a single PDF file. Nomination Packet should include the following (omissions will exclude nominee from consideration), to be compiled and completed by the nominee:

    1. Online Course List: Include a list of your online course sections (synchronous or asynchronous, but not hybrid) for at least the past three academic years and up to the past 5 academic years. For each course section, include the course number and title, academic year and term, CRN, enrollment number, whether the course was synchronous or asynchronous (must be fully online; no hybrid courses), and course catalog description (for first-time listings). Other pieces of information, such as SAI data, may also be included but are not required. (4 pages max.)


    2. Teaching Philosophy: Include a brief teaching philosophy, particularly emphasizing your approach to teaching online and integration of knowledge gained in instructional professional development. (2 pages max.)


    3. Abbreviated CV: Include an abbreviated version of your CV. (2 pages max.)


    4. Statements of Support: Submit statements of support (or screenshot excerpts from letters) from your supervisors, colleagues, and/or students, which speak specifically to your effectiveness in teaching online. (3 pages max.)


    5. Supporting Materials: Include at least one, and no more than three, pieces of supporting material that provide additional evidence of your effectiveness in online teaching. The supporting materials may include an example of students’ work, course artifacts (e.g., screenshots), media coverage of student experience, and/or published scholarship recognized in your discipline and related to your instruction of online classes. (3 items max.)

     


    Please remember to consolidate all items above into a single pdf document. A Table of Contents is a welcome addition. 

  • CTE Micro-Award for Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: Spring 2026

    Excellence in teaching can only be advanced by studying what works and what does not. The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in higher education advances the field by examining the efficacy and outcomes of teaching approaches in the college setting. This award is intended to honor faculty or instructors who have made such contributions through SoTL-related published works and conference presentations, and in particular, have conducted structured examination of their own instructional practices or environments. SoTL research across disciplines may vary in its approach, and such variance will be taken into account by the award criteria. Evaluation criteria will focus primarily on 1) SoTL publications, presentations, and awarded grants, 2) potential for influence of SoTL findings and their dissemination on the discipline of teaching in higher education, and 3) a clearly defined approach to the nominee’s SoTL research interests.

    The CTE Micro-Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is given to one faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2025 for a Spring 2026 award date.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible for the CTE Micro-Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, nominees must 1) be a full-time faculty member at East Tennessee State University, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) present and publish scholarship that examines teaching in higher education and optionally in their own teaching.

    Nomination Packet

    All nominations will be submitted using an online form and must include the items listed below. If you have questions, please email teaching@etsu.edu.

    Please upload the Nomination Packet with the online submission form as a single PDF file. Nomination Packet should include the following (omissions will exclude nominee from consideration), to be compiled and completed by the nominee:

    1. SoTL Research Statement: A statement of your SoTL-related research interests, guiding research questions, relevant theoretical framework(s), pertinent scholarly productivity, and potential for impact of the scholarship beyond your classroom (2 pages max.)

    2. Abbreviated CV: Include an abbreviated version of your CV, with an emphasis on active and current teaching scholarship, a history of sustained effort in this domain, and related professional development for teaching or SoTL research. (2 pages max.)

    3. Supporting Materials: Include at least one, and no more than two, pieces of supporting material that provide additional evidence of your effectiveness the scholarship of teaching and learning. The supporting materials may include peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings, or other SoTL-related published scholarship recognized in the discipline. (2 items max.)


    Please remember to consolidate all items above into a single pdf document. A Table of Contents is a welcome addition. 

  • CTE Micro-Award for New Faculty: Spring 2026

    New faculty are often just beginning the teaching journey, and can have much to learn about teaching. This award focuses on those new faculty who demonstrate a strong commitment to professional development in the area of teaching, a pattern of regular reflection on their approach to teaching, and evidence that they apply best teaching practices. Competitive entries will indicate a pattern of consistent activity in teaching-based professional development and reflection, as well as application and evidence of best practices. Evaluation criteria will focus primarily on 1) attendance and participation in teaching professional development, 2) evidence of reflective practices about teaching, and 3) evidence of the use of effective (best) teaching practices.

    The CTE Micro-Award for New Faculty is given to one faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2025 for a Spring 2026 award date.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible for the CTE Micro- Award for New Faculty, nominees must 1) have been a full-time faculty member serving in at least their second year and for no more than 4 academic years at East Tennessee State University, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) demonstrate significant evidence of ongoing instructional professional development.

    Nomination Packet

    All nominations will be submitted using an online form and must include the items listed below. If you have questions, please email teaching@etsu.edu.

    Please upload the Nomination Packet with the online submission form as a single PDF file. Nomination Packet should include the following (omissions will exclude nominee from consideration), to be compiled and completed by the nominee:

    1. Class List: Include a list of your course sections for at least the past two academic years (to date) and up to the past 4 academic years. For each course section, include the course number and title, academic year and term, CRN, enrollment number, and course catalog description (for first-time listings). Other pieces of information, such as SAI data, may also be included but are not required. (4 pages max.)

    2. Teaching Philosophy: Include a brief teaching philosophy, particularly emphasizing your examination of teaching successes, challenges, and insights (from experience and professional development), and how those have led to teaching adjustments. (2 pages max.)

    3. Abbreviated CV: Include an abbreviated version of your CV, emphasizing professional development as well as other relevant experience related to teaching. (2 pages max.)

    4. Statements of Support: Submit statements of support (or screenshot excerpts from letters) from your supervisors, colleagues, and/or students, which speak specifically to your effectiveness in teaching or teaching-related development. Statements that mention particular, beneficial teaching methods receive greater consideration. (3 pages max.)

    5. Supporting Materials: Include at least one, and no more than three, pieces of supporting material that provide additional evidence of your effectiveness in teaching or teaching development. The supporting materials may include an example of students’ work, course artifacts, media coverage of student experience, and/or published scholarship recognized in your discipline and related to your instruction of large-enrollment classes. (3 items max.)


    Please remember to consolidate all items above into a single pdf document. A Table of Contents is a welcome addition. 

  • CTE Micro-Award for Adjunct Faculty: Spring 2027

     

    The CTE Micro-Award for Adjunct Faculty is given to one adjunct faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2026 for a Spring 2027 award date.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible for the CTE Micro-Award for Adjunct Faculty, nominees must 1) have served as an adjunct instructor for a minimum of 4 semesters within the past 3 years at East Tennessee State University and 2) demonstrate evidence of ongoing instructional professional development.

     

    Check back for more information!

     

  • CTE Micro-Award for PBL: Spring 2027

    The CTE Micro-Award for Project-/Problem-Based Learning is given to one faculty member every three years. The next call for nominations for this award will be in Fall 2026 for a Spring 2027 award date.

     

    Check back for more information!

     

Submit Faculty Micro-Award Nomination Packet

Application Advice

 

  • Finding Instructional Professional Development

    Applicants (particularly New Faculty and Adjunct Faculty) interested in becoming competitive for the CTE Teaching Award should learn as much about teaching best practices as possible - and work to apply what is learned to their instruction, as is appropriate. This learning should go beyond the standard preparatory offerings provided to all instructors at ETSU upon beginning their positions.

    Instructors at ETSU can find plenty of opportunities to learn more about teaching.

    CTE Offerings

    All workshops, retreats, conferences, and clubs that are offered by the CTE are open to all instructors at ETSU - part-time and full-time. Events are free and sometimes food is included.

    Check our website often for the latest offerings, or contact us to receive our weekly newsletter, where we promote upcoming events: teaching@etsu.edu

     

    Other Opportunities

    Regional and online conferences are other ways to learn more about good teaching. Some options include:

  • Teaching Philosophies

    Many award applications require a Teaching Philosophy.

    Award applicants are encouraged to include Teaching Philosophies that emphasize:

    • Aspects of your teaching beliefs, values, and/or approaches, particularly speaking to the context of your intended award's focus.
      • For example, if applying for the Large Class Instruction award, how do your teaching beliefs play out in this teaching context?
    • How you have pursued professional development in teaching, and how it has influenced your teaching beliefs, values, and/or approaches.
      • Professional development can take diverse forms: Reading, workshops, conferences, online classes/workshops, and more. A range of different types of activities will be favorably viewed.
      • Professional development in teaching need not be through the CTE, but we are an easy and free way to get it!
  • Supporting Materials

    Applicants who include supporting materials should be sure the evidence emphasizes one or more of the following:

    • It speaks toward the context of the intended award (e.g., a letter from an observer discussing aspects of instruction in a large class setting, if the intended award is for Large Class Instruction)
    • It indicates, as explicitly as possible, student progress and learning. Global statements that "learning happens" are less compelling than direct or more detailed evidence.