2021 TILL Teaching Innovation Award Nominations Are Now Open

The Teaching Innovation Learning Lab is pleased to invite nominations for the 2021 TILL Teaching Innovation Award. This annual award honors the University of Louisville’s outstanding faculty who demonstrate a commitment to student engagement and learning through their work on one or more innovative teaching practices.

The TILL Teaching Innovation Award highlights the TILL’s goals of (1) implementation and promotion of evidence-based teaching practices and (2) fostering student engagement, learning, and success. Up to three faculty members from any of UofL’s campuses receive this award each year. TILL Teaching Innovation Award winners may be self-nominated or nominated by their peers. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of peers, Delphi Advisory Board members, and Delphi Center staff.

• Award Description

  The award recognizes the importance of teaching excellence among UofL faculty and offers individual recognition to instructors who explore new methods for fostering learning and improving teaching. Award winners each will receive a $1,000 cash award and be invited to share their work in a dedicated session at the 2022 Celebration of Teaching and Learning. Their work also will be featured in one or more Delphi Center newsletters or publications. The 2021 TILL Teaching Innovation Award will include innovations implemented during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years. Faculty who included teaching innovations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly encouraged to apply.

• Award Criteria

  The TILL Teaching Innovation Award Committee will evaluate the nominations based on the strength of evidence of the following criteria:

  1. The application materials should provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate the significance and effectiveness of the nominee’s innovations.
  2. The application materials should provide a clear explanation of how the teaching innovation met a need or addressed a challenge in learning.
  3. Additional consideration will be given to applications who demonstrate the following:
     • Creativity in the teaching innovation and/or its implementation
     • Potential for other instructors to adopt the teaching strategy (or components of it) within and across diverse academic disciplines
     • Extent the faculty member has shared the innovation with others (SoTL research submissions or publications, internal or external presentations, etc.)
• Eligibility
  • All UofL instructors of record (tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure track, part-time lecturers, and graduate student instructors) employed at UofL are eligible.
  • Nominations may be submitted by any UofL faculty, staff, or student. Self-nominations are also acceptable.
  • After receiving a TILL Innovative Teaching Award, the faculty member is not eligible to receive it again for five years.
• Notes and Exceptions
  • If a team of faculty is nominated rather than an individual, the team will split the cash award. The team should submit a single submission packet including the CVs of all participating faculty. In the summary form portion of the application, faculty should address why a team nomination is appropriate.
• Selection Process and Timeline

  A simple virtual nomination process whereby faculty may nominate others or themselves will be announced at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning on February 5, 2021. Nominees will receive notification of their nomination by Monday, February 15. Faculty are encouraged to self-nominate, and may do so anytime, including after February 15, simply by submitting an application.

  All application materials are due electronically on this page by 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, March 15.

  Submissions will be evaluated by the TILL Innovative Teaching Award Committee. Committee membership will include Delphi Center staff (3-4), Delphi Advisory Board members (2-3), and faculty peers (3-5). After the first year of the award, previous TILL Innovative Teaching Award winners will serve as the peers. The Executive Director of the Delphi Center will make the final award selection based on the committee’s recommendations. Winners will be notified on or around April 15.

Nominate Yourself or A Colleague!

Do you have a colleague who successfully innovates with his or her teaching? Do you know an instructor who engages students through creative methods or cutting-edge teaching practices? Have you experimented with a new teaching method during the COVID-19 pandemic and found it increased student learning? If so, please consider nominating your colleague or self-nominating for the inaugural TILL Teaching Innovation Award.

Submit Your Application

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, March 15, 2021.

Completed application packets should be compiled into a single PDF file that includes the following, in order:

1. A completed award application form [PDF]
2. A completed Teaching Innovation Award Summary Form [PDF] of how the innovation meets the criteria of the award, not to exceed 1,000 words or two single-spaced pages
3. Up to three supporting materials (assignment description, letters of support (from students, faculty colleagues, staff, chairs or deans), examples of student work, link to online instructional resources, etc.), not to exceed 6 pages in length including all three supporting materials
4. The applicant’s brief CV that includes recent/significant scholarship, presentations or accomplishments related to teaching

Arrange all application materials in the order shown above, and save as a PDF file named: APPLICANTLASTNAME_2021 TILL Innovation Award.

Applicants should upload and submit their completed PDF packets through the form below.

Application Materials

TILL Teaching Innovation Award Guidelines and Criteria [PDF]

TILL Teaching Innovation Award Application Form [PDF]

TILL Teaching Innovation Award Summary Form [PDF]