Interested in learning how to submit a successful Paul Weber Awards application? Register for the upcoming "Weber Award Winners: Strategies for Success" Dine and Discover sessions on November 23 or 24!

History/Background | About the Awards | Eligibility | Selection Criteria | Dissemination

Submission Process | Timeline & Selection Process | Instructions | Application Cover Sheet | Application Letter

History/Background:

Established by Provost Shirley Willihnganz in October 2005, two annual university-wide teaching awards recognize departmental excellence in teaching or curriculum design at the University of Louisville. The awards are named in memory of Dr. Paul Weber, a distinguished teacher, scholar, and mentor at the University of Louisville, and are intended to foster and sustain a university-wide culture of teaching excellence.

About the Awards:

The Paul Weber Awards for Departmental Excellence in Teaching support exemplary curricular achievement by departments or small schools. These awards were developed to accomplish the following:

• Recognize departments who are engaged in sustained efforts to promote teaching excellence through implementing best practices in teaching and learning;
• Reward departmental faculty teams who collaborate in exemplary ways to enhance student learning;
• Encourage and reward those who implement research-based initiatives to document student learning at the departmental and unit level; 
• Supplement departmental efforts to launch and sustain meaningful innovations in teaching and learning.
  

Up to three awards of $10,000-$25,000 are given annually and are intended to help support and sustain excellence in learning through ongoing curricular development and innovative teaching in the unit.

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Eligibility:

Teams of faculty members are eligible to apply on behalf of their department or academic unit. The dean who oversees or shares oversight for the unit must endorse the application.

Selection Criteria:

In order to be considered for the Paul Weber Awards for Departmental Excellence in Teaching, units must demonstrate a sustained record of excellence in undergraduate or graduate education that meets the following four criteria:

1. Commitment to Exemplary Teaching: Demonstrates commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, as evidenced by the use of best practices and curricular innovation within the primary discipline(s) of the unit.
2. Evidence of Exemplary Collaboration: Demonstrates exemplary collaborative work that engages faculty members across the program or unit. Such evidence may also include involvement of relevant staff and students.
3. Relevant and Significant Assessment Data: Uses relevant assessment data and recognized methods of assessing student learning to demonstrate the impact of the teaching and learning project; or offers evidence of a comprehensive assessment plan for evaluating proposed project.
4. Evidence of Sustainability: Offers evidence of commitment and preparation for long-term viability of innovative student-centered frameworks, methodologies, and teaching strategies.

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Dissemination:  

As a means of fostering a vibrant teaching and learning culture at the University of Louisville, each year the recipients of the Paul Weber Awards for Departmental Excellence in Teaching organize and lead a “Dine and Discover” presentation at the Delphi Center. The presentation is designed as an opportunity to share the winning units’ outstanding achievements with the university community. Additionally, the winning applications are posted on the Delphi Center website . One year after receipt of the award, recipients are required to submit a brief update to the original proposal.  This update will be placed on the website as a means of further promoting the exemplary work that the Paul Weber Awards celebrate. Submission of an application indicates the department's willingness to abide by these requirements.

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Submission Process:

All applications and supporting materials must be submitted via email and time-stamped no later than Monday, January 25, 2010 to: Aaron White. You will receive an email confirmation once your application is received.

Timeline & Selection Process:

                        
A three-phase selection process is used to determine the winning applications. All applications are first evaluated by an internal review committee composed of academic unit representatives.  The internal review committee submits a list of six semi-finalists for review to an external review committee composed of higher education scholars. The external review committee offers its recommendations for the award winners. The final decision of award winners is made by Provost Shirley Willihnganz and a committee composed of individuals selected by the provost. The Paul Weber Awards winners are formally recognized at an awards reception during Fall semester.

View the Paul Weber Awards application rubric.

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Instructions for Completing the 2010 Weber Award Application:

Each application packet should include the following items, preferably in the following order to assist the reviewers:

1. A completed application cover sheet that includes the signature of the unit Dean acknowledging his or her endorsement.
2. A document from the application team that explains how the department has achieved a sustained record of excellence in undergraduate or graduate education and addresses the four selection criteria described above (maximum length: 5 double-spaced pages).  
3. Other relevant evidence to document outstanding accomplishments that meet the selection criteria described above.  Please synthesize addenda to 10 pages.  Examples of possible supporting evidence include: 

• Teaching Artifacts and Awards: Course level, programmatic, or department level innovations such as: 
• syllabi;
• sample course materials; 
• student evaluations; 
• awards for teaching; 
• scholarship informing unit’s approach to teaching;
• evidence of leadership in teaching and learning at the college, university, or national level
• Data/Research: Quantitative and qualitative data that speaks to the collaborative and innovative scope of your work such as: 
• aggregated information showing student accomplishment with respect to learning goals; 
• sample student work over the course of a semester; 
• evidence of students’ success in subsequent course, career, graduate school;
• description of data/research methods and rationale for their use
• Scholarship and Dissemination: Citations or examples of scholarly products from individuals and faculty teams such as: 
• evidence of evolution of course goals and advances in scholarship; 
• relevant conference presentations and publications; 
• grants to support pedagogical or curricular innovation;
• evidence that demonstrates faculty-developed material has been adopted by others
  

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Application Cover Sheet:

Please supply all information requested below by filling out the application cover sheet form.

1. Name of department/school applying for award:
2. Name, title, and university address of primary contact person:
3. Telephone of primary contact:
4. Email of primary contact:
5. 100 word summary/abstract of project being nominated (this summary will be used in promotional materials)
6. Signature of Dean indicating his or her endorsement of the application

Application Letter:

In your cover letter, please address the following prompts and questions in detail.  

• Commitment to Exemplary Teaching: Describe how the teaching in your unit or department is exemplary or unique. How do best practices in teaching and learning inform your efforts?  How do pedagogical practices reflect best practices in your discipline or field of study?  How do the efforts of your unit or department contribute to teaching excellence at the University of Louisville?
  
• Collaboration: Describe how members of your academic unit collaborate to enhance student learning. What is the role that individual faculty play in assuring a rich culture of faculty, student, and staff collaboration?
• Research-Based and Data-Driven Results: What is the evidence that the work of your unit or department has impacted student learning in the past?  What is the procedure for collecting and analyzing data to inform ongoing improvements?  How is impact on student learning measured?
  
• Evidence of Sustainability: Describe how your unit’s record of teaching excellence will be sustained beyond the award period.  How will members of your unit ensure the long term success of your innovations in teaching and learning? What provisions have been made to make your efforts self-sustaining?

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Paul Weber Awards | Paul Weber Biography | Previous Winners