Excellence in Teaching Awards

Purpose

In support of the University's policy of placing the highest priority on programs of instruction and learning, the Quality of Instruction Council (QIC) makes annual DePaul University Excellence in Teaching awards. Each Excellence in Teaching Award includes:

Eligibility

At the time of the award (the autumn following the nomination), faculty members must have completed four full years of teaching at DePaul. Faculty members who teach at least four degree-credit courses at DePaul during an academic year are eligible for consideration. Each college or school determines what constitute a "course" for purposes of this program.  A faculty member who receives a QIC Excellence in Teaching award from the council may not be selected again in the five years immediately following. Faculty members may receive teaching awards from their colleges simultaneously with the QIC award.

Each college may nominate full-time faculty every year as follows:

• College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of Science and Health, and Driehaus College of Business (each up to 3 nominations)
• Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media (up to 2 nominations)
• College of Education, College of Communication, School of Music, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, The Theatre School, and College of Law (each up to 1 nomination)
  

Academic units that do not wish to nominate faculty are not required to participate in this program.  Academic units that wish to suggest alternative approaches to recognizing excellence in teaching at the university level for their full-time faculty are most welcome to do so by writing to the council at QIC@depaul.edu.

Criteria for Selection

Each college or school determines its own nomination and selection process, but the QIC reviews the criteria and procedures for comparability, fairness, rigor, and consistency with University mission, policy and practice. Members of the college selection committee shall be tenured or tenure-track faculty. Inclusion of former teaching award winners is encouraged. The council reviews individual nominations for consistency with the stated criteria of the college or school.

The selection criteria and procedures followed by the dean's office must:

• Be submitted to the council for review by October 15;
• Be distributed to all eligible faculty members;
• Be based solely on teaching performance in degree-credit programs at DePaul (including curriculum design and any extra-classroom activities related to degree-credit instruction);
• Refer to the academic year of the award and optionally cover the two preceding years—although consistency is given weight, this is not a lifetime achievement award;
• Take into account written student evaluations, particularly evaluations over the most recent academic year;
• Incorporate review by at least two faculty members or include a statement of teaching philosophy; and
• Include endorsements by the dean or chair.

Nomination Materials

Materials submitted by each dean to the council should include:

• A letter from the committee chair highlighting the nominee's strengths as a teacher;
• A copy of each nominee's current curriculum vitae;
• An edited selection of evidence illustrating the nominee's teaching strengths including faculty peer reviews (at least two from the nominee's department); if peer reviews are not available, a statement of teaching philosophy may be substituted;
• Some form of summary of student evaluations (not the individual evaluations) and a sample evaluation form;
• A review of the year's selection process, including the members of the selection committees; and
• An explicit endorsement by the appropriate dean in the form of a brief citation suitable for public presentation.

These materials are used by the council both to study the qualities and skills that distinguish the awardees as superior teachers and to communicate their accomplishments to the university community.​

Calendar

• October 15th: Each dean should submit their unit's award criteria and procedures to their respective faculties and to QIC (via email at QIC@depaul.edu). QIC reviews these materials for comparability (not uniformity), fairness, rigor, and consistency with university mission, policy and practice.  The council may forward suggestions to the deans for consideration in the future.
  
• May 1st: The names of the nominees and their supporting material are sent electronically via (e-mail) to the Chair of the QIC.  QIC reviews materials for consistency with stated criteria and procedures. 
• May 25th: Award Notifications
  
• September: Awardees are honored at Convocation.