Teaching Innovation Awards
Innovation in Teaching Award
The Innovation in Teaching Award (ITA) provides faculty stipends of $2,000 to enhance student learning through innovative activities and approaches. This award is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Prior to 2023, this award was called the Teaching and Learning Award (TLA).
Eligibility
This competitive award is open to all faculty and staff who have continuing appointments and course development responsibilities (i.e., an assignment from the dean, chair, or designee to develop a new course or significantly revise an existing course). This includes, but is not limited to, tenured and tenure-track faculty; clinical instructional faculty; lecturers, and graduate student teachers.
Applications from teams of collaborating proposers are encouraged but only one stipend will be provided to the primary applicant named in the application. Activities may not be similar to other submitted/proposed projects.
Application Details
All applications are handled electronically. Applications must be submitted as PDF documents to cetl@uttyler.edu by the application deadline noted below. Please download the Application Form for details on application requirements, award requirements, and the application evaluation rubric.
Application Deadline: March 2025 (Date TBD)
Award winners will be announced at the end of the year during the 2025 Faculty Awards Banquet.
2024 Innovation in Teaching Award Winners
An Example of the Use of Technology in the Introductory Accounting Course: AccounTaverse
Drs. Harsha and Willis will be implementing a virtual Accounting world called AccounTaverse in their introductory accounting courses. This virtual world will allow students to complete active learning problems with their peers in an online setting, promoting accounting content mastery and also peer collaboration.
ChatGPT Coding Companion: Enhancing Student Learning through Conversational Programming
Dr. Schumaker will be developing a ChatGPT coding companion interface for his online courses. This interface will allow students to use ChatGPT to provide conversational programming assistance, virtual tutoring, interactive learning, and peer collaboration during the course.
Competition-Driven Learning: A Project-Based Learning Approach
Dr. Fumo will be implementing a project-based learning strategy in his course by assigning student teams to participate in the Department of Energy’s JUMP into STEM competition. This is an online building science competition where students will not only create a tangible product but also have the opportunity to work with industry partners during their project development. Students will also have the opportunity to earn a competitive summer internship at a national laboratory if selected at the end the competition as well.
Ethics Bowl Competition
Dr. Bock will be implementing a ethics bowl competition in his philosophy courses, using the UT Tyler’s regional ethics bowl as a standard. The class-based competition will allow students to apply ethical theories to concrete cases, evaluate arguments from alternative theories, and build their oral competency skills by arguing for their point of view.
SPICE: Speciality Pediatric Intensive Clinical Experiences
Drs. Smith and Cooley will be creating a series of Speciality Pediatric Intensive Clinical Experience sessions, or SPICE sessions, where students will completed simulations and small group discussions with children and families impacted by chronic illnesses. These SPICE sessions are designed to introduce pediatric subspecialties and allow students to practice clinical skills while minimizing logistical barriers with existing clinics.
Previous Winners of the Inovation in Teaching Award
Dr. Carla Lacerda, Chemical Engineering
Dr. Forrest Kaiser, Educational Leadership
Dr. Maddie Dawsey, Mathematics
Dr. Colleen Marzilli, Nursing
Dr. Alwathiqbellah Ibrahim, Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Colin Snider, History
Dr. Sooah Park, Music
Dr. Tahsin Khajah, Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Danielle Bailey, Criminal Justice
Dr. Kassie Archer, Mathematics
Dr. Prabha Sundaradivel, Electrical Engineering
Dr. Ashley Dalby, Health and Kinesiology
Dr. Jessica Rueter, Education
Dr. Cheon-woo Han, Education
Dr. Leanne Coyne, Pharmaceutical Science
Dr. Annamary Consalvo, Education
Dr. Clement Chan, Biology
Dr. Mark Owens, Political Science
Dr. Nelson Fumo, Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Scott LaLonde, Mathematics
Dr. Tyler Hall, Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Rochelle McWhorter, Human Resource Development
Dr. Laura Owens, Psychology & Counseling
Dr. Sooah Park, Music
Dr. Leanne Coyne, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. Nelson Fumo, Mechanical Engineering