CTE Teaching Awards

Center for Teaching Excellence

CTE Teaching Awards

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 Exceptional Teaching: Get Inspired event (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 present a digital poster at the Exceptional Teaching: Get Inspired 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 Award for Large-Class Teaching: Spring 2025

    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 2024 for a Spring 2025 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 Award for Online Teaching: Spring 2025

    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 2024 for a Spring 2025 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 Award for Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: Spring 2026

    The CTE Award for 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.

    Check back for more information!

  • CTE Teaching Award for New Faculty: Spring 2026

    The CTE Teaching 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 Teaching Award for New Faculty, nominees must 1) have been a faculty member for no more than 4 academic years at ETSU, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) demonstrate significant evidence of ongoing instructional professional development.

     

    Check back for more information!

  • CTE Teaching Award for Adjunct Faculty: Spring 2027

     

    The CTE Teaching 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 Teaching 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 Teaching Award for PBL: Spring 2027

    The CTE Teaching 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

Teaching Associate Awards

The CTE also wishes to promote excellence in teaching among Graduate Teaching Associates (graduate students who are instructors of record for a course). Up to three award winners are selected annually. Nominations must come from a supervising faculty member; nomination packet must be collated with the assistance of the nominee.

Awardees of the annual CTE Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Associates will be honored at the CTE’s Exceptional Teaching: Get Inspired event (Spring), and will receive a plaque and letter of recognition, as well as an invitation to present a digital poster at the Exceptional Teaching: Get Inspired event.

The annual deadline for nominations is January 15.

Submit Teaching Assistant Award Nomination Packet

  • CTE Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Associates

    Graduate Teaching Associates are typically new to the teaching environment, developing their instructional skills as they gain expertise in their discipline of study. TAs who work to hone their teaching expertise and apply what they learn to their instruction build the strength of ETSU's course offerings and deserve recognition for their additional efforts. Evaluation criteria will focus primarily on 1) impact on student learning, 2) effective active learning methods, student-centered strategies, and/or innovative pedagogy in the online environment, and 3) a dedicated pattern of learning about instruction through professional development.

    In order to encourage our Teaching Associates to develop excellence in teaching, the CTE will select up to three winners annually. Non-winning nominees may submit again in subsequent years for as long as they are enrolled as a graduate student at ETSU.

    Eligibility


    To be eligible for the CTE Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Associates, nominees must 1) be currently enrolled as a graduate student at East Tennessee State University, 2) have experience teaching (as primary or lead instructor) a complete ETSU course for at least one full semester, and 3) demonstrate significant evidence of instructional professional development.

    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 faculty nominator’s name, department, and email address (a faculty member nomination is required, but TAs are welcome to discuss this possibility with a potential faculty nominator), 2) the nominee's name, department, college, degree sought, phone number, email address, # years at ETSU, # semesters/courses taught at ETSU, and 3) a brief explanation from the nominator 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 and given to the nominator for attachment to the submission form:

    1. Course List: Include a list of the courses you have taught at ETSU for at least the past academic year and up to the full time you have been enrolled as a graduate student at ETSU. For each course section, include the course number and title, academic year and term, enrollment number, course modality (online, on ground, or hybrid), course credit hours, and course catalog description (for first-time listings). Other pieces of information, such as SAI data or D/F/W rates, may also be included but are not required. (2 pages maximum)
    2. Teaching Philosophy: Include a brief teaching philosophy, particularly emphasizing what you have learned about the learning process, best practices in teaching, and your application of these ideas to your instruction. Specific examples are encouraged. (2 pages maximum)
    3. Professional Development in Instruction: Include a list of professional development opportunities attended at or beyond ETSU that specifically address instructional practices in higher education. Be sure to include dates and, space permitting, brief 1-sentence summaries of the focus of each event. (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 and student learning outcomes. (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. 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 college instruction. (3 items maximum)

     


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

  • Finding Instructional Professional Development

    Teaching Assistants or Associates 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 TAs at ETSU upon beginning their positions.

    Teaching Assistants & Associates 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 for graduate TAs to also attend. 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:

Submit Teaching Assistant Award Nomination Packet