General Education Teaching Award

The General Education Teaching Award recognizes instructors who have demonstrated commitment and excellence in the General Education Program through teaching inside and outside the classroom. This year, the General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC) will give out up to 3 awards.  Each of the awards includes $1000 in professional development funds.

The awards will be presented to outstanding instructors who demonstrate a commitment to the academic mission of the university through collaboration, innovation, excellence, and inclusion in general education teaching. 

The review criteria for the award emphasize reflective teaching practices and support for student learning. We recognize that General Education courses provide particular challenges teaching students with a wide range of interests and abilities and introducing new fields of study. We embrace stories of learning, growth, reflection, failure, and subsequent improvement as evidence of dedication and excellence.

Eligibility

General Education instructors at all levels full-time faculty, part-time faculty, graduate students, and academic staff who have taught for in the program at least three semesters are encouraged to apply. Awards are determined solely on the merits of the application. 

2024-2025 Deadlines

• Applications: February 21st, 2025
• Recipients of the award will be notified in March.

Application questions and process

Applicants must submit the online application form by February 21, 2025, which includes:

• Information about you (job title, home department, school/college)
• Information about the General Education course(s) taught and the semesters in which you taught them (must have taught in Gen Ed for a least three semesters to be eligible for the award).
• Responses to four key questions (500 word limit per question):

1. How do your General Education courses contribute to the overall goals of the General Education Program?
2. How do you create and support a diverse and inclusive classroom?
3. How do you define success in your general education course and how do you support students being successful?
4. What kinds of challenges or failures have you faced in your General Education courses? How have you responded?

• A maximum of four artifacts that provide supporting evidence for your responses to the above questions.

Please upload your answers to the questions and all supporting materials as a single bookmarked PDF by February 21, 2025. Questions about the process may be directed to the General Education Oversight Committee at gened@wayne.edu.

See the award FAQs for helpful information.

Review process

Applications will be reviewed and awards determined by a sub-committee of the General Education Oversight Committee, the representative body of faculty and staff that oversees the university's General Education Program. For more information, please see the rubric and award FAQs.  Please contact us with additional questions at gened@wayne.edu.