This award recognises and values educators who have had extensive and significant impacts on the quality of learning and teaching in CoSM.

Eligibility

Academic staff with teaching or teaching/research appointments (full-time or fractional, continuing, sessional or contract) in the ANU College of Science & Medicine (CoSM).

Staff must have been employed or have a formal affiliation with ANU for at least 3 years and must be a staff member until the end of 2026.

Staff may be nominated as an individual or as part of a team. For team nominations, the team leader and at least one staff member must have been employed at ANU for at least 3 years.

Early career

If staff have been involved in teaching and learning for less than 5 years, and have been employed at ANU for at least one year, they may be considered as an Early Career nominee.

Nomination

Synopsis

Include a description of the teaching area or discipline, teaching experience and teaching focus and methods. The synopsis must be written in the third person, avoid jargon and use plain English, and inform the broadest possible audience about the nominee’s teaching. 200 words maximum.

The Designated Nominator may like to consider the following in determining the nomination:

1. Approaches to teaching and the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn

This may include:

• Fostering student development by stimulating curiosity and independence in learning.
• Participating in effective and empathetic guidance and advice for students.
• Assisting students from equity and other demographic subgroups to participate and achieve success in their courses.
• Encouraging student engagement through the enthusiasm shown for learning and teaching.
• Inspiring and motivating students through effective communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Enabling others to enhance their approaches to learning and teaching.
• Developing and/or integrating assessment strategies to enhance student learning.
• Active and collaborative learning: recognising programs and staff who inspire, support, and enable students to learn through active and/or collaborative learning designs and pedagogies, whether through face-to-face or online.

2. Development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field

This may include:

• Developing and presenting coherent and imaginative resources for student learning.
• Implementing research-led approaches to learning and teaching.
• Demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of the field of study in the design of the curriculum and the creation of resources for learning.
• Communicating clear objectives and expectations for student learning.
• Providing support to those involved in the development of curricula and resources.
• Contributing professional expertise to enhance curriculum or resources.
• Aligning teaching to the real world: recognising programs and staff who engage students in authentic learning experiences and/or extend employability.

3. Evaluation practices that bring about improvements in teaching and learning

For the purposes of the nomination, evaluation practices do not include student assessment, but may include:

• Showing advanced skills in evaluation and reflective practice.
• Using a variety of evaluation strategies to bring about change.
• Adapting evaluation methods to different contexts and diverse student needs and learning styles.
• Contributing professional expertise to the field of evaluation in order to improve program design and delivery.
• Dissemination and embedding of good practice identified through evaluation.

4. Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or the student experience

This may include:

• Participating in and contributing to professional activities related to learning and teaching.
• Innovations in service and support for students, coordination, management and leadership of courses and student learning.
• Conducting and publishing research related to teaching.
• Demonstrating leadership through activities that have broad influence on the profession.
• Providing innovative learning and teaching for different contexts, including technology enhanced environments, for large and small class sizes and/or to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort.
• Influencing the overall academic, social and cultural experience of higher education.