Criteria

NYU School of Professional Studies faculty demonstrate teaching excellence across multiple modalities. Learn more about the specific SPS Teaching Excellence Award criteria below. 


Student Engagement

Faculty who demonstrate commitment to student engagement: 

  • create a learner-centered classroom culture. 
  • incorporate active learning experiences.
  • build on students' lived experiences in the design of assignments and assessments.
  • facilitate peer-to-peer interaction.
  • mentor students in and out of the classroom. 

Experiential Learning

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to experiential learning: 

  • design activities where students learn through action and reflection.
  • immerse students in hands-on and/or skills-building projects. 
  • design lessons that allow students to apply what they have learned to out-of-school contexts. 
  • implement a problem-based approach to assessment.

Emerging Technology

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to emerging technology: 

  • use apps and tools that advance course learning experiences.
  • enable all students to develop proficiency around current and evolving technologies in industry regardless of prior experience or skill level. 
  • integrate technologies to engage students, facilitate collaboration, provide feedback, and assess learning. 
  • experiment with software and applications to drive innovation in teaching and learning. 

Anti-Oppressive Education

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to anti-oppressive education: 

  • connect the curriculum to contemporary social justice issues. 
  • embed the values of inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and accessibility (IDBEA) into their teaching.
  • address the impact of racism, sexism, heteronormativity, and other systematic forms of oppression on their discipline. 
  • teach students how to support advocacy work and engage in multiple forms of social activism. 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration: 

  • work with colleagues outside of their academic program to create resources to enhance learner experience. 
  • launch student-centered initiatives that engage faculty from across SPS.
  • publish and/or present research on teaching with colleagues from multiple academic programs. 
  • collaborate with colleagues from multiple disciplines at SPS to organize school-wide activities that extend student learning outside the classroom. 

Learning Materials

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to learning materials: 

  • incorporate multimodal resources that are inclusive, current, accessible, and aligned to course goals. 
  • continuously evaluate and update course content to reflect emerging social, economic, and political developments. 
  • integrate learning artifacts/objects that connect students' lived experiences with their professional aspirations. 
  • teach students how to identify and evaluate resources that deepen understanding of subject matter. 

Curriculum Design

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to curriculum design: 

  • collaborate with faculty colleagues to create new programs that advance the SPS Vision
  • revise existing courses and academic programs to reflect emerging developments in industry. 
  • draw from multiple academic disciplines at SPS to design learning experiences for students. 
  • leverage learning science and educational research to create and/or update curriculum. 

Reflection

Faculty who demonstrate a commitment to reflection: 

  • emphasize the development of metacognitive skills among their students. 
  • create a learning environment where student feedback is a central educational practice. 
  • seek recommendations from their Academic Leadership to improve their teaching and course design. 
  • adapt their teaching practices and course materials based on SPS Faculty Advancement: Teaching Review and NYU Course Feedback

Additional Links

Teaching Excellence Award

Past Award Recipients

SPS Faculty Awards

NYU Distinguished Teaching Award