Graduate Teaching Awards

A nomination statement from the nominee's department or program. The letter/statement should describe the nominee’s instructional contributions and excellence in innovation in pedagogy. 

Current curriculum vitae for the nominee. Please highlight any instructional roles, training, or awards. 

Undergraduate and/or graduate student letters/statements of support reflecting the nominee’s instructional and pedagogical impacts. 

The portfolio should be no longer than six (6) pages, double-spaced, 12-point font with 1-inch margins that includes the following components:

Statement of Teaching Philosophy 

The nominee should convey their core ideas about effective and impactful pedagogy, share their beliefs and values related to teaching and learning, and discuss their goals and the methods or strategies they use to achieve those goals in the context of their experience (e.g., classroom, lab, research mentorship). 

Evidence of Instructional Design for Improved Student Learning 

The nominee should explain how they have used instructional design to develop learning materials, experiences, and environments that promote better student learning and engagement. This could include content production, learning activities, learner interaction, peer-to-peer interaction, and effective assessments, among others. 

Evidence of Effective Student/Colleague Mentoring 

The nominee should describe their experience mentoring students. Additionally, the nominee should describe any experience they have with mentoring peers or colleagues in the context of teaching. 

Evidence of Professional Development 

The nominee should explain or describe how they have used professional development opportunities to grow in their teaching excellence. If applicable, the nominee should also convey how they have aligned professional development in the feedback they have received on their activities related to instruction and pedagogical practices. 

The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) has invited nominations for the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award, which require a Teaching in Action video as part of the nomination. The award includes a citation and a $750 honorarium that will be presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) that will take place in April 2026 in St. Louis, MO.

Students interested in being eligible for the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award must submit a link to their Teaching in Action video that meets the guidelines described below.

Maximum Length

10 minutes

Description

The video should  demonstrate how the nominee has implemented key elements of their teaching philosophy or instructional design. A variety of teaching settings may be used for the video including but not limited to lecture, facilitated discussion, lab, etc. as appropriate to the course. Rather than expertise in creating the video, the focus should be on activities that demonstrate improved learning, such as student engagement, personalized learning, project-based learning, etc.

For asynchronous online courses, a video presentation from the instructor showcasing the learning environment, learning activities, and interactions would be a good way to give the committee a good sense about their online asynchronous course. Also, showing student work, or peer-to-peer interactions are great examples of evidence showing exceptional pedagogy. The MAGS committee defined this criterion broadly so as to give nominees an opportunity to be creative when presenting their work.