DTA FAQ's
  1. Is there a nomination form?
  2. Information to include in a DTA nomination letter
  3. Checklist of Items for Inclusion in a DTA Nomination
  4. Is there a deadline for submission of nominations?
  5. Who is on the selection committee?
  6. Do the persons with "the most votes" win?
  7. Is the Distinguished Teacher Award restricted to professors?
  8. Can only students submit nominations?
  9. Can teachers nominate themselves?
  10. Is renomination possible?
  11. Are nomination files ever available for viewing?
  12. Can an instructor win the DTA more than once?

1. Is there a nomination form?


No. A nomination can be made in a typed or legible handwritten letter, approximately 1 to 2 pages in length, addressed to:

Chair, Selection Committee
Distinguished Teacher Awards
c/o Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
Environment 1 Building, EV1 325
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1


POSSIBLE ITEMS FOR INCLUSION IN A DTA NOMINATION

In order for an instructor to be considered for the Distinguished Teacher Award, his/her nomination file must include ten individual nomination letters, of these, at least five should be from present or former students, indicating exemplary attributes of the nominee's teaching and their impact on the student learning experience at UW. The following list suggests other items that are often included in successful nominations. They are presented here as suggestions if these types of resources are available to you. Please feel free to submit other materials that are not included on this list.

  • the nominee’s teaching approaches, special strengths, and impact on student learning and development
  • letters from colleagues providing they have direct knowledge of the candidate’s teaching abilities and achievements
  • honours and awards for teaching, such as those given by student societies or professional organizations
  • evidence of success of former students that can be traced back to the influence of the candidate (e.g. student projects or theses submitted for publication, prizes and honours awarded to students, examples of excellent student work)
  • evidence of work with colleagues to promote teaching (e.g. presenting seminars on teaching, acting as a mentor to new faculty, organizing workshops for teaching assistants)
  • descriptions of teaching innovations, if possible with evidence of their success in promoting student learning

2. Information to include in a DTA nomination letter

The following is an outline of information that may be included in a nomination letter for the Distinguished Teacher Award. Other information, not mentioned in this outline, may be included. Please address the nomination letters to:

Chair, Selection Committee
Distinguished Teacher Awards
c/o Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
Environment 1 Building, Room 325
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 3G1

3. Checklist of Items for Inclusion in a DTA Nomination

In order for a teacher to be considered for the Distinguished Teacher Award, her/his file must include ten or more nomination letters, of these, at least five should be from present or former students. The following is a list of other items that are often included in successful nominations. They are presented here as suggestions if these types of resources are available to you. You should also feel free to submit other materials that are not included on this list.


  • The nominee's teaching approaches (e.g. lecture, small group discussion) and special strengths (e.g. student advising, supervision). Letters from individual students and alumni describing the candidate's teaching and its impact on student learning and development would speak to this.
  • A listing of the courses taught by the candidate over the past five years (including correspondence, graduate, and undergraduate courses), information on course enrolments, and the length of time the nominee has been at UW. This information is most easily obtained from the chair of the candidate's department. A detailed curriculum vitae with a complete list of publications, research grants, etc. is not normally of interest to the committee.
  • Samples of excellent or innovative teaching materials, such as course handouts, project descriptions, assignments.
  • Evidence of major contribution to curriculum development.
  • Summaries of course evaluations for the past several years (original course evaluation forms are usually inappropriate because of the volume of material).
  • Evidence of success of former students that can be traced back to the influence of the candidate (e.g. student projects or theses submitted for publication, prizes and honours awarded to students, examples of excellent student work).
  • Letters from colleagues providing they have direct knowledge of the candidate's teaching abilities and achievements.
  • Honours and awards for teaching, for example from student societies or professional organizations.
  • Descriptions of teaching innovations, if possible with evidence of their success in promoting better student learning.
  • Evidence of work with colleagues to promote better teaching (e.g. presenting seminars on teaching, acting as a mentor to new faculty, organizing workshops for teaching assistants).

4. Is there a deadline for submission of nominations?
    Yes. The nomination deadline is always the first Friday in February. This allows time for the selection of award winners, whose names are approved/announced at the March meeting of Senate.

5. Who is on the selection committee?

    The Committee, appointed by Senate, consists of three undergraduate students (nominated by the Federation of Students), two graduate students (nominated by the Graduate Student Association), one representative from the Alumni Association, four members of Faculty, and the Provost as chair. Membership is normally for two years, with half the membership changing annually.


6. Do the persons with "the most votes" win?

    No. Quality of nominations is more important than quantity. That is, supportive letters from a number of persons are more indicative of the nominee's favourable and lasting influence than a single letter with hundreds of signatures a ppended.

    Serious consideration for awards is usually limited to files containing a great deal of more evidence and support than the required minimum.

7. Is the Distinguished Teacher Award restricted to professors?

    No. The Senate guidelines state that the award is open to all those who teach students at the University of Waterloo and its federated and affiliated colleges. This includes lab instructors and clinical associates, as well as professors and lecturers at all ranks [part-time and full-time]. From 1989 to 2005, one of the four annual awards was set aside for "non-regular" instructors, but in 2005 Senate passed a motion stating "that the categories of Distinguished Teacher Award - DTA, DTA [Non regular] - be removed, and that up to 4 awards be made each year to Distinguished Teachers." The overriding criterion is a record of excellent teaching at UW over an extended period, usually at least five years.

8. Can only students submit nominations?

    No. Undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty or colleagues may submit Distinguished Teacher nominations. As mentioned before, a number of signatures can be appended to one letter, with comments, or letters from single nominators may be submitted; however, it is extremely important that evidence be collected from as many different sources as possible (students, colleagues, alumni, administrative officers, etc.), and a first nomination must comprise at least ten separate nomination letters (NOT one letter with ten signatures) in order that it be considered by the selection committee.



9. Can teachers nominate themselves?

    No. In addition, teachers should not be informed when a nomination is made on their behalf, since the nomination process is confidential and impartial. It is important that candidates not be perceived as having had any involvement in their own nominations. Once the the Selection Committee makes its choices, award recipients are contacted personally by the Vice-President Academic and Provost.

10. Is renomination possible?

    Yes. Renominations are both welcomed and encouraged. Each year, the Selection Committee reviews many nominations and a number of excellent candidates must be passed over simply because the awards are limited to four per year. Accordingly, members of the University community are urged to renominate candidates who have not won an award in previous years and who continue to show excellence in teaching performance. It only takes one nomination letter in the current year to make a whole file of accumulated past support admissible. Of course, new evidence is always desirable; however, renominations submitted by the same person, for the same teacher, are not recommended.



11. Are nomination files ever available for viewing?

    No. These records are maintained in the strictest confidence by the CTE Office. Members of the Selection Committee are permitted to read the files after the Deans from the respective faculties have reviewed the files.

12. Can an instructor win the DTA more than once?

    No. An individual can receive only one Distinguished Teacher Award from the University of Waterloo; however, there are other awards available if you would like to nominate a past award winner. These awards include: the CASE Canadian Professor of the Year, the 3M Teaching Fellowships, the OCUFA Teaching Awards and the Robert Foster Cherry Awards for Great Teachers. Information about each of these award programs is available at the Centre for Teaching Excellence, and we would gladly provide assistance with a nomination.