International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award

All full-time faculty in on-going (tenure track or multi-term) positions are eligible for the award. There is a preference for nominees whose teaching falls outside of area or cultural studies.

Competitive nominees will demonstrate excellence and transformative impact across several internationalization areas, including: 

• Playing a creative and innovative role in internationalizing the curriculum at KU in fields that fall outside area or cultural studies or foreign language curricula. Nominations in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics fields as well as professional schools are highly encouraged.  

• Developing high-impact experiential learning opportunities for students, such as study abroad programs or educational programming that introduces students to international fieldwork research, service learning or working with international populations located in the United States. 

• Demonstrating a sustained commitment to the internationalization of the curriculum through participation in aligned faculty development opportunities on campus and beyond, such as internationalizing the curriculum workshops or seminars focusing on intercultural competency development.

• Transforming one or more courses by adding international content.

• Playing a leading role in the internationalization of instruction in an academic program. 

• Leveraging international partnerships and networks toward the transformation of curricula through the incorporation of guest speakers or visiting international scholars into course content or leveraging distance-bridging technologies in the classroom through initiatives like Collaborative Online International Learning.

• Supporting the internationalization of faculty and student work through mentoring.

Please submit an electronic version of the nomination as a single PDF attachment via the submission link below. 

The nomination file must be assembled as one (1) pdf document. Name the file as follows: YearIAAB_LastnameFirstname (e.g., 2023IAAB_HawkJay). No hard copies are accepted, unless the demonstration of teaching excellence is not capable of reduction to a digital document

The pdf file should include the following and be presented in this order:

• Nomination Letter
  
  • Written by the department chair, dean, or a faculty peer from the department (or school in units without departments) that addresses the award criteria and focuses particularly on the nominee’s efforts to internationalize their teaching.
  • Maximum of five pages for the letter and five pages for any supporting documentation of student learning and engagement).
  • In writing a nomination letter, you should consider that there are many fine international educators at this institution. To differentiate among such outstanding educators is quite difficult, as all of the nominees will be individuals highly regarded by students and colleagues for their commitment to teaching excellence. You can help the committee to see the unique contributions of the nominee by attending to the award criteria in the nomination letter and any supporting documents.
  • For more information on writing the nomination letter, you may consider guidelines on evaluating teaching and examples of peer reviews online at the Center for Teaching Excellence website
• Following Materials Assembled by the Nominee
  
  • A list of internationalized courses taught and enrollments for the last five years for tenured nominees or since appointment at KU for tenure-track nominees (1-2 pages)
  • A summary of course evaluations of internationalized courses for the same time period (1-2 pages)
  • Evidence of student learning related to international outcomes, including feedback from students (1-3 pages)
  • A statement from the nominee that speaks to the award criteria and describes the course’s internationalized learning objectives (maximum of 5 pages)
  • A short CV (5 pages maximum) that includes research and service for the last five years for tenured nominees or since appointment at KU for tenure-track nominees. Research and service related to the criteria for the award should be highlighted on the CV (e.g., by using boldface type or asterisks)
• Chair Endorsement (if applicable)
  
  • Unless the chair has written the letter of nomination

1. Quality of intellectual content

• What decisions has the instructor made in including material or activities that internationalize student learning and choosing which particular aspects of the field will be included, excluded, or emphasized?
  
  • To what extent does the instructor integrate internationalized content/activities into the classroom that may not “naturally” seem to align with the course content area?
  • To what extent are the intellectual goals (related to internationalization) for students well-articulated and congruent with the course content and mission?
  • To what extent is are the internationalized materials and/or activities in this course(s) appropriate for the topic, appropriate for the curriculum, and for the institution?

2. Innovation and quality of teaching practices

• What learning activities has the instructor created that enhance the impact of internationalization efforts?
  
  • Has the instructor developed high-impact experiential learning opportunities (e.g. COIL, study abroad, international fieldwork, international service learning, working with international populations located in the United States)
  • Are there particularly creative or effective course structures or procedures that contribute especially to the likely achievement of understanding by students?
  • How are students actively engaged in understanding the material?
  • What opportunities (in or out of class) are provided for students to practice the skills embedded in the course goals?

3. Depth and breadth of student understanding

• Does the instructor ask students to demonstrate their understanding of goals related to international content and/or activities? Is there evidence that a large percentage of students show high levels of achievement?
  
  • How does the performance:
    
    • Facilitate students’ critical evaluation of the material/activities appropriate to the level of the course and of the students?
  • What evidence indicates that deep learning occurs in the course? If possible, consider the following:
    
    • What proportion of students are achieving a very good level of understanding?
    • What is the range of levels of performance and their distribution for an entire class?

4. Reflective consideration and development

• Does the instructor regularly examine successes and difficulties with integration and making meaning of international content/activities and make incremental adjustments that would promote better learning in future offerings?
  
  • To what extent has the nominee examined the relationship between how she or he integrates internationalized content/activities into the course and the extent to which students demonstrate their comprehension of the goals of those activities?
  • Is there evidence of insightful analysis of teaching practice that resulted from consideration of student performance?
  • Is there evidence that the faculty member has changed teaching practices based on past teaching experiences? Is there a positive trajectory of teaching skills and outcomes?
  • Is there evidence that the faculty member has participated in relevant faculty development opportunities such as internationalizing the curriculum workshops or seminars focusing on intercultural competency?

5. Dedication to students and to the profession

• Does the instructor commit time and energy to further the goals of internationalized education for the institution and the field? 
  
  • How does the nominee embody and express in their teaching practice and demeanor the scholarly, critical, and intellectual values professed?
  • What actions by the nominee indicate dedication to the success of students and to the teaching of the field of study?
  • Does the nominee support the internationalization of faculty and students work through mentoring in either informal or formal settings?

Within the nominations from their unit, the Office of Faculty Affairs will ask each dean and CLAS divisional associate dean (in consultation with the CLAS executive dean) to rank nominations based upon the merit of the application and with the goal of ensuring distribution of the award across disciplines over time. These rankings will remain confidential. Following their review and ranking, the dean, or divisional associate dean, will return all nomination packets and this confidential ranking to the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs Office.

University Committee: The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs will convene a committee who will select, by majority vote, the most meritorious application with the goal of ensuring distribution of the award across disciplines over time.

Nominators: Self-nomination, faculty colleague, unit committee, chair, director, associate dean or dean-level nominations may be made.

Nominations are due by Monday, February 3, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. 

No announcement will be made concerning persons nominated. All materials received in relation to the process will be treated as confidential information.

Please contact us at facultyaffairs@ku.edu with any questions.