Excellence in Learning and Teaching Awards
Note: this is a draft document.
This award recognises the value and priority placed in excellence in learning and teaching in the School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences. The ‘Excellence in Teaching Awards’ recognise and reward the contributions made by individuals and teams to student education within the school. Awards may be granted to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the quality of student learning, in a specific area of responsibility over a sustained period of at least 2 years.
Prize per Teaching Award is $500 to be used towards professional development or research activities. This can be put towards team development, if desirable.
Contents
Award Categories
- Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning
- Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning - Early Career Academic*
- Excellence in leading collaborative educational partnership in learning & teaching
- Excellence in curriculum transformation and innovative L&T pedagogy
- Excellence in innovative assessment design
- (five years or less teaching experience in higher education)
Key Dates
- 6th of January 2025: Invitation to submit application
- 3rd of February 2025: Application submission deadline
- 14th of February 2025: Award recognition/announcement
Award Assessment Criteria
Nominees must choose and identify at least one of the following criteria to respond to in their nomination, as appropriate, to their particular contribution. Nominations will be assessed on evidence provided in relation to the selected criterion. Exemplar activities to discuss in your application are provided below and mirror the Universities Australia Teaching Award examples.
Approaches to teaching and/or the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn
This may include:
- Fostering student development by stimulating curiosity and independence in learning.
- Participating in effective and empathetic guidance and advice for students.
- Assisting students from equity and other demographic subgroups to participate and achieve success in their program.
- Encouraging student engagement through the enthusiasm shown for learning and teaching.
- Inspiring and motivating students through effective communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
- Enabling others to enhance their approaches to learning and teaching.
- Developing and/or integrating assessment strategies to enhance student learning.
- Provision of support services or programs that improve the student experience and enable learning.
- Evaluating the quality of programs and activities including consideration of past and current student feedback to support student learning.
Development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field
This may include:
- Developing and presenting coherent and imaginative resources for student learning.
- Implementing research-led innovative approaches to learning and teaching.
- Demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of the field of study in the design of the curriculum and the creation of resources for learning.
- Communicating clear objectives and expectations for student learning.
- Providing support to those involved in the development of curricula and resources.
- Contributing professional expertise to enhance curriculum or resources.
- Evaluating the quality of curriculum, resources or services.
- Design, development, and delivery of subjects with mutually beneficial partnerships
Effective assessment practices that bring about improvements in student learning, may have a focus on academic integrity or digital solutions, or any assessment strategies that bring about change
This may include:
- Showing advanced skills in assessment/alternative assessment practices.
- Using a variety of assessment strategies to bring about change.
- Adapting assessment methods to different contexts and diverse student needs and learning styles.
- Contributing professional expertise to the field of assessment to improve program design and delivery.
- Dissemination and embedding of good practice identified through assessment.
- Evaluating the quality of the assessment practices.
Innovation or leadership that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or student experience
This may include:
- Participating in and contributing to professional activities related to learning and teaching.
- Innovations in service and support for students; coordination, management and leadership of courses and student learning.
- Conducting and publishing research related to teaching.
- Demonstrating leadership through activities that have broad influence on the profession.
- Providing innovative learning and teaching for different contexts, including technology enhanced environments, for large and small class sizes and/or to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort.
- Influencing the overall academic, social and cultural experience of higher education.
- Evaluating the feasibility of the innovation or the quality of leadership that enhances learning and teaching and/or influence student experience.
Evidencing Your Contribution
With a focus on the chosen criterion, applicants are required to make a case that they have provided evidence from one or more of the following:
- Positively impacted on student learning, student engagement or the overall student experience for a sustained period of no less than two years (one year for early career academic), not including time taken for development or trial of any activity.
- Received supporting statements from colleagues, and/or the institution, and/or the broader community.
- Shown creativity, imagination or innovation, irrespective of whether the approach involves traditional learning environments or technology-based developments.
Applications should draw on the scholarly literature on teaching and learning to inform the development of initiatives, programs and/or practice.
General Guidelines
Please ensure:
- Your statement has a clear story (the challenge/s students were experiencing; the outstanding approaches to student learning put into place to respond to those challenges; evidence that the response worked - impact).
- Your statement specifies the context, the discipline, the contributions to learning and the impact; the full statement is consistent and provides the details.
- Your application is evidence-based (evidence of the challenge; evidence that your approaches worked).
- You have drawn the qualitative and quantitative data from a range of formal and informal sources, including nominee’s self-reflection, student learning, student experience and evidence of institutional, peer and stakeholders’ interactions. Student voices, through examples and quotations, can convey a cogent account of their experiences.
Statement of Planned expenditure of Funds (if successful)
Applicants are required to write a short statement (50-100 words) describing how the funds will be used should the applicant be successful.
Submission Instructions/Checklist
- Complete your nomination form and submit as your cover page
- Expenditure of funds statement, 50-100 word statement
- Claims against Assessment Criteria (max 1000 words)
- Synopsis (up to 100 words)
- Teaching overview and context
- Statement addressing the assessment criteria
- Reference list (max 4 references, not included in the word count)
- Accept Privacy Notice - this will allow the school to publish brief details of your award.
- Supporting Materials. Submit one of the following:
- A two-minute video link or
- Website URL or
- 2 x A4 pages PDF document (evidence with annotations)
- Submit a single PDF containing your application and evidence via email to cdmsltawards@westernsydney.edu.au by 4:00pm, 3/2/2025.
Please note:
- After the closing date, applications can be withdrawn but no new applications will be accepted.
- Please ensure all information entered is correct.
- Late submissions will NOT be considered.
- Recipients cannot receive awards in successive years.
- The award assessment panel will comprise of assessors from outside the applicant pool.
- The decision of the assessment panel will be final.
Teaching Award Nomination Form
Please add these details clearly to the coverpage of your application.
Name:
Discipline(s) or Area of Responsibility:
Award Category (please select the category you are applying for)
- Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning
- Citation for outstanding contributions to student learning - Early Career Academic*
- Excellence in leading collaborative educational partnership in learning & teaching
- Excellence in curriculum transformation and innovative L&T pedagogy
- Excellence in innovative assessment design
- Privacy Notice – I allow the school to publish brief details about my award if I am successful
