Graduate Teaching Awards

A statement from the nominee's department or program describing:

• Teaching effectiveness and instructional contributions
• Evidence of student engagement and learning impact
• Contributions to teaching and mentoring within the discipline

Current curriculum vitae highlighting:

• Instructional appointments
• Teaching assistantships
• Professional development activities
• Awards and recognitions

Letters from undergraduate and/or graduate students describing the nominee's:

• Teaching effectiveness
• Mentoring abilities
• Impact on learning and academic development

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 and/or 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 disciplines will be grouped into the following categories for the Carlin Distinguished Teaching Awards. One graduate student award recipient will be selected from each category:

Arts and Humanities 

• African and African-American Studies
• American Studies
• Architecture
• Classics
• Design
• East Asian Languages and Cultures
• English
• Film and Media Studies
• French and Francophone Studies
• History
• History of Art
• Linguistics
• Museum Studies
• Music
• Philosophy
• Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Spanish and Portuguese
• Theatre
• Visual Art Education
• Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, and Education 

• Anthropology
• Applied Behavioral Science
• Audiology
• Child Language
• Clinical Child Psychology
• Communication Disorders
• Communication Studies
• Counseling Psychology
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Economics
• Education
• Education Administration
• Educational Leadership and Policy
• Educational Psychology and Research
• Geography
• Health, Sport Management, and Exercise Science
• Higher Education Administration
• Journalism and Mass Communications
• Music Education
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• School Psychology
• Social Welfare
• Social Work
• Sociology
• Special Education
• Speech Language Pathology

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Business

• Accounting
• Aerospace Engineering
• Atmospheric Science
• Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Bioengineering
• Biological Sciences
• Business
• Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Computational Biology
• Computer Science
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
• Environmental and Water Resources Science
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Microbiology
• Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
• Neurosciences
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Pharmacy Practice
• Physics

A statement from the nominee's department or program addressing:

• The innovative teaching practice or approach
• Originality and creativity of the innovation
• Evidence of effectiveness and impact
• Potential for broader adoption, transferability, or scalability
• The nominee's role in developing and implementing the innovation

Current curriculum vitae highlighting:

• Instructional appointments or teaching assistantships 
• Professional development activities 
• Innovation- or pedagogy-related activities, awards, and accomplishments

Letters from undergraduate and/or graduate students reflecting:

• Impact of the innovation on learning
• Engagement with innovative teaching practices
• Effectiveness of instructional approaches, technologies, or learning experiences

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 Innovative Teaching Practices

The nominee should describe any innovative teaching practices or instructional approaches they have implemented. The discussion should explain the nature of the innovation, the rationale for its implementation, and its impact on student learning or engagement. Nominees are encouraged to provide evidence of effectiveness, such as assessment results, student feedback, or other indicators of success, and to reflect on lessons learned, future improvements, or opportunities for broader application.

Evidence of Effective Student and/or 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 2027, TBA. 

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.