Teaching Excellence Award Program
Mission
To recognize and foster excellence in graduate student teaching across all disciplines at ASU Tempe
Nominations
The 2007-2008 TEA Program is now complete. Thank you for your nominations and congratulations to all nominees and winners!
Nominations may be submitted by undergraduate or graduate students, staff or faculty for outstanding graduate student
teachers. The nominees may be lab TAs, course instructors, or session leaders who hold a consistent teaching
schedule on ASU Tempe Campus. In order to be eligible, the nominee must be TAing/teaching during the
Fall 2007 or Spring 2008 semester. No exceptions to this policy can be made.
Making a nomination is simple. Fill out the
form HERE.
Email completed nomination forms to GPSA Director of Graduate Research (sarah.riforgiate@asu.edu) or to Vice
President of Internal Affairs (jpb@asu.edu). Forms can also be turned in (in person) at the Graduate
Student Center in the Center for Family Studies Building on the north end of Forest Mall.
DO NOT PUT YOUR NOMINATION FORM IN CAMPUS MAIL.
Administration
The TEA program is run by the Office of Internal Affairs, chaired by the Vice President of Internal Affairs with
assistance from the Director of Graduate Research. The TEA sub-committee (drawn from the Internal Affairs
Executives & Committee, GPSA Assembly, and other volunteers) evaluates nominees/applicants and determine winners.
There are normally 8-10 members of the TEA sub-committee. The VP-IA, Director of Graduate Research, and members
of the sub-committee are ineligible for the competition.
Specifics
- There are two rounds of nominations and application acceptance (fall, spring)
- Nominees submitting full applications (CV, teaching philosophy, course syllabus and opportune times for in-class evaluation) are evaluated, in-class, by a member of the TEA sub-committee (peer-review)
- Winners for the entire year (fall and spring nominations) are decided by committee in late February/early March
- Awards are given at TEA luncheon during Graduate Appreciation Week (late March)
- Publication of awardees in Insight, on Gradstu, and on GPSA website.
Program Information
This program recognizes graduate and professional students at ASU-Tempe that exemplify excellence in education
and classroom instruction. Teaching Assistants and graduate student instructors are eligible for nomination.
Previous TEA awardees are not eligible to receive the award in subsequent years; however, those who are nominated
again will be acknowledged with the Continuing Excellence certificate to show their continued commitment to
superior teaching.
Any ASU-Tempe undergraduate or graduate student, staff or faculty may nominate graduate students to be recognized
for outstanding teaching. This can be as a lab or classroom TA, course instructor (class-room based, hybrid or
on-line), or session leader holding a consistent teaching schedule. Nominees must have a teaching assignment
during the Fall or Spring semester of the current academic year to be eligible and must be available for an
in-class observation by a member of the TEA committee. No exceptions can be made to this requirement.
After nomination, each eligible nominee is solicited to submit a formal application for the program by a
pre-determined deadline shortly following the close of nominations. These applications are peer-reviewed by the
GPSA Teaching Excellence Award Selection sub-Committee, and each applicant will be observed teaching by a member
of the TEA committee. Evaluation criteria include, but are not limited to, classroom/session organization and
content, instructor/TA presentation style, instructor/TA-student interaction, and effective use of materials and
media.
These awards are prestigious, and recipients are recognized and announced on the GPSA website, gradstu listserv
and through a Press Release to ASU Insight. No fewer than twenty awards are announced during the Graduate &
Professional Student Appreciation Week which is typically held the week after Spring Break.
Brief History
TEA was re-established after some hiatus during the 1st GPSA Legislative Assembly (2003-2004) by then GPSA
President Brian Collier. (The program was formerly run by the undergraduates to recognize their best TAs.)
During each of its first two years, 15 excellent graduate student instructors were recognized. In 2005-2006 the
program expanded to 22 awardees, partially as a result of the increasing number of truly excellent graduate
instructors and TAs and partially as a result of expanding the nomination period from fall only to both fall and
spring. While the awards given to winners are modest, the recognition for excellent teaching
from peers and students is immeasurable. We hope that the program, in some small way, helps to spark increasing
efforts at innovative, highly effective teaching and learning. Moreover, those who become involved with the
program often regard it as one of the most rewarding activities they take part in with GPSA.
Awards
Teaching Excellence Awards recipients | 2004-2005 |2005-2006 |2006-2007 |2007-2008
This program is administered through the GPSA Office of Internal Affairs. If you have any questions email sarah.riforgiate@asu.edu or jpb@asu.edu.
