UTM Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty | Office of the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean

See previous winners of UTM's teaching excellence awards

This award is made on the basis of excellence in teaching in its broadest sense. Excellent teachers typically demonstrate the following qualities:

display a mastery of, and enthusiasm for, the subject area
have effective communication skills
have been exemplary in one or more areas of teaching
are judged to be "outstanding" rather than merely "very good" instructors
stimulate and challenge students' mind and encourage their intellectual development
are interested in and reasonably accessible to students

The award recipients will receive $3000 for teaching-related initiatives and research.

The name of the junior faculty award is under discussion, and suggestions for honouring past UTM community members are welcome. Please send suggestions to UTM's associate dean, teaching and learning.

Nominee eligibility

The UTM Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty is open to individuals:

whose major appointment is at U of T Mississauga
who hold the academic rank of assistant professor or early associate professor (teaching and tenure stream)
are pre-promotion or at least within two years of promotion

Principal nominators

The principal nominator may be an individual faculty member or a group composed of multiple UTM community members, including students. Groups submitting a nomination must include at least one faculty. The chair or director of the nominee’s unit must support the nomination and should be consulted throughout the nomination process.

Nominators for LTL or CLTA should consult with UTM's associate dean, teaching and learning for direction on the division most appropriate for the specific case.

Selection criteria

Nominees will be evaluated for the awards by the adjudication committee on the basis of sustained outstanding performance in several of the following areas:

Effective, inclusive, and supportive classroom instruction (including lecturing, small group teaching or laboratory instruction) that develops student continued and proficient knowledge of a subject and encourages the development of critical skills.
Accessibility to students outside of class (including individual tutoring and advising) and active engagement in their learning and growth.
Creation of outstanding learning experiences (including assessments, experiential learning, research opportunities, or individual coursework such as projects and undergraduate theses) that facilitate student growth.
The creation or improvement of courses, curricula, teaching processes, and educational materials that can be demonstrated to increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
Contributions to and leadership within the UTM teaching community or, more broadly, the university or disciplinary teaching communities, through educational development, planning and research (including the scholarship of teaching and learning).

Nomination process

All nomination packages must be submitted electronically as single pdfs, and may not exceed 50 pages, excluding the CV.

The nomination package should clearly and comprehensively address the selection criteria.

Nominators will need to be selective about the type and amount of evidence they collect to support the nomination in order to meet the 50-page limit. A complete nomination package includes:

An updated CV of the nominee.
A detailed nomination letter from the principal nominator (maximum 3 pages), indicating the award category proposed and clearly explaining the reasons for considering the nominee, specifically addressing the selection criteria above.
- If they are not the principal nominator, a brief (maximum 1 page) letter of support from the chair or director of the nominee’s unit.
Letters of support (maximum 1 page each) that provide direct, personal evidence of the nominee’s impact
- In general, strong nominations include support from several constituencies, such as students, teaching assistants, faculty colleagues, and academic units. There should be at least two to three letters from each of the different constituencies.
A dossier outlining the nominee's teaching duties and accomplishments in the areas listed under the selection criteria and providing evidence of outstanding performance.
The dossier should be provided by the nominee to the principal nominator and may include:
- A teaching philosophy statement.
- A statement on how the nominee’s current teaching practice demonstrates the selection criteria.
  - May include descriptions, reviews, samples of educational materials produced, or accounts of other innovations or contributions to teaching practice.
  - May also include other relevant information, such as mentorship or training, evidence of ongoing pedagogical development, contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning, or development of programs or initiatives.
- A summary of formal teaching evaluations (do not include raw data - evaluations can be summarized by the nominee or the principal nominator).

Nomination format

The nomination package should be formatted to include the following:

a title page that includes the principal nominator's contact information
a table of contents and labeled pages dividing package sections
a list of those who have written letters supporting the nomination, including constituencies represented
an appendix that includes teaching samples and course syllabi (optional)

Due date and submission link

Nomination packages are due Friday, June 26, 2026.

Upload the nomination package. Please upload in pdf format using the nominee's name as the file name.

Notes on the selection process

Please do not include confidential information in the nomination package.

The adjudication committee will share their decisions by mid-October. Only the principal nominators are notified. Nominees themselves are not directly notified.

Principal nominators will be provided with the contact information of the chair of the adjudication committee upon request. Requests for feedback should be made directly to the chair.

The successful nominee will be provided with a full copy of the complete nomination package (along with a congratulatory letter). The adjudication committee administration will not notify unsuccessful nominees of their nomination, nor will the administration provide them (or anyone other than the adjudication committee) with a copy of the unsuccessful dossier.