Eligibility
To be considered for the American Associations of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Faculties Emerging Teaching Scholar recognition, the prospective recipient:
- must be a current, full member of the AACP Council of Faculties;
- must have authored at least three (3) scholarly works related to teaching and learning accepted in peer reviewed forums (e.g. peer-reviewed journal, peer-reviewed book or book chapter, peer-reviewed abstract for a poster/ podium presentation at a professional meeting);
- must be the first/primary author or senior author of at least two (2) scholarly works related to teaching and learning;
- must have NO MORE than 8 years since first publicly available scholarly work as a faculty member in the field of teaching and learning;
- may be any faculty academic rank; and
- has adhered to all award submission requirements (e.g., word count, number of artifacts).
Criteria for Evaluating Applicants
- Teaching and learning excellence. Definition of Teaching Excellence: Common characteristics of good teachers include: positive student-faculty contact, effective active learning, achievable yet high expectations for learners, respects diverse talents and ways of learning, effective communication skills, commitment to teaching well.
- Excellence and contributions in scholarly teaching. Proof of efforts (direct or indirect) that impact the activity of teaching, and resulting learning, in a scholarly fashion. Definition of Scholarly Teaching (ST): Scholarly Teaching promotes student engagement and learning using systematically and strategically gathered evidence, which is related and explained by well-reasoned theory and philosophical understanding, with the goal of maximizing learning through effective teaching. Scholarly Teaching involves: Self-reflection, observing a teaching-learning problem or opportunity, consulting literature, developing and revising teaching philosophy and/or methods informed by literature and self-reflection, instituting changes and improvements, conducting systematic observation, documenting observations, analyzing results and obtaining peer evaluation
- Excellence and contributions in the scholarship of teaching and learning that are disseminated. Proof of contributions to the advancement of the scholarship of teaching and learning in education literature. Definition of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL): SOTL builds on the end product of Scholarly Teaching. It involves identifying key issues from scholarly teaching, analyzing results and putting them into the context of the existing knowledge base. Best practices for SOTL involve systematic study of teaching and learning, using established or validated criteria of scholarship, to understand how teaching (beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and values) or systems that support teaching can maximize learning, and/or develop a more accurate understanding of learning, resulting in products that are publicly shared for critique and use by an appropriate community. Once a venue for dissemination is chosen (i.e. presentation and/or publication), peer review is conducted on the manuscript or proposal. Therefore, SOTL results in formal, peer-reviewed products, which then become part of the knowledge base of teaching and learning. In short, the scholarship of teaching communicates the goals, preparation, methods, results, presentation and reflection of teaching in the literature.
Application Process / Content
- Demographic Information, CV, and Administration Acknowledgement
- One narrative (3000 word limit) describing Teaching Excellence, Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
- Appendix 1: Up to 3 artifacts as evidence of Excellence in Teaching and Learning
- Appendix 2: Up to 3 artifacts as evidence of Scholarly Approach to Teaching
- Appendix 3: Up to 3 artifacts as evidence of Contributions to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Each artifact includes an explanation (no more than 300 words) explaining its rationale for inclusion in the corresponding appendix.
Part 1
Demographic Information and Administrative Acknowledgement
- Administrative Acknowledgement Letter (completed)
- Name of applicant, contact information, signature of applicant
- Name and title of academic administrator (e.g., Department Chair, Division Head, Associate Dean, or Dean) who is supporting application; signature of academic administration on submission letter.
- Current CV
- The first scholarly work disseminated by the applicant (as primary or co-author/senior author) related to teaching and learning will be clearly BOLDED. The first scholarly work must have been disseminated when the applicant was a faculty member and must have been disseminated eight (8) years or less from the application deadline.
- A complete list of the applicant’s publicly disseminated scholarly works including publications, books, book chapters, blog essays, webpages/sites, instructional tools or videos, poster presentations, and podium presentations related to the teaching or learning should be included in the CV. If the applicant is the primary author or senior author of the work, the item should be designated with an insertion character (^). Items that were peer-reviewed should be designated.
Part 2
Narrative; A narrative (no more than 3000 words) describing the following:
- Evidence of Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Describe evidence of excellence in two or more of the following areas:
- positive learner-faculty contact
- effective active learning
- sets achievable, yet high expectations for learners
- respecting diverse talents and ways of learning
- effective communication skills
- commitment to teaching well
- high student achievement or level of learning
- Evidence of a Scholarly Approach to Teaching and Learning: A self-reflective statement regarding the applicant’s growth as an educator and how the scholarly works of others have influenced his/her teaching. In addition, comment on ST themes and initiatives over the years including one or more examples of ST with description/evidence of:
- Observing a teaching-learning problem or opportunity
- Consulting literature
- Making an improvement that impacts learning (this could be an educational intervention but may also be other types of improvements or changes that have ultimate impact on students)
- Conducting systematic observation or analysis of impact
- Documenting observations or impact
- Analyzing results
- Obtaining peer evaluation
- Evidence of Contributions to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Narrative/reflection commenting on SOTL themes and initiatives over the years, including one or more examples of SOTL with description/evidence of:
- identifying key issues from ST
- analyzing results
- placing into context of existing knowledge
- preparing a manuscript or proposal for presentation
- submitting for peer review
- disseminating and adding to existing knowledge base
- your role and roles of others involved
Artifacts
Each artifact must include an explanation (no more than 300 words) explaining its rationale for inclusion in the selected appendix. Each appendix must have a unique item (e.g., no artifact can be used for more than one section).
If an artifact is considerable in length and/or detail, the applicant should make every effort to clearly highlight those segments that are the most relevant to the award application.
Within required documentation and appendices, applicants are encouraged to use hyperlinks to electronic portfolios, publications, websites, and any other electronically available media.
Appendix 1
Example Artifacts of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (in no particular order)
- Award for teaching excellence (copy of certificate or other proof) – this includes awards and related forms of formal recognition bestowed for teaching excellence in classroom, laboratory, or experiential learning environments and may be at the national, state, university, school/college or departmental level. A brief description of the selection process and criteria for the teaching award must be included.
- Letters of support from current and/or former students and trainees, or peers. It is strongly encouraged that the applicant provide guidance to the letter writers so that the letter content supports the narrative content. It is highly recommended that letter content should describe the impact and/or value of the applicant’s “Excellence in Teaching and Learning” on the letter writer. No more than three (3) letters of support may be included and count as one artifact.
- Peer evaluations – this may include formal peer evaluations conducted as part of the annual or promotion review process at the applicant’s academic institution. The formal evaluation must (at a minimum) include an assessment of the applicant’s ability to plan and execute a learning event or experience as well as assess learning outcomes. In other words, the assessment must go beyond simply evaluating the applicant’s presentation skills. No more than three (3) peer evaluations conducted over the five (5) years preceding the application may be included and count as one artifact.
- Summary data from learner evaluations (e.g., end-of-course or rotation evaluations) from three (3) of the last five (5) years. Graphical presentation is recommended when applicable. An interpretation of the student evaluation data (300 words or less) must be included in the artifact explanation.
- Summary data from alumni evaluations from three (3) of the last five (5) years. Graphical presentation is recommended when applicable.
Appendix 2
Example Artifacts of Scholarly Approach to Teaching and Learning (in no particular order)
- Example(s) of designing a course or lesson plan taking a scholarly approach (e.g., including literature foundation and peer review).
- Analysis of teaching related artifacts (e.g., assignment) with description of scholarly approach to development, implementation and evaluation (e.g., baseline measures, pre-post results). A self-assessment and reflection on teaching, including: 1) a description of development over time, including failures, 2) with evidence of student and/or faculty discussion and input.
- A list and brief description of self-development/CPD activities completed by the applicant that have enhanced the applicant’s ability / competencies as an educator. This may include degrees in education (or closely related fields), formal coursework, certificate training programs, and continuing education programs.
- Letters of support from current and/or former students and trainees, or peers. It is strongly encouraged that the applicant provide guidance to the letter writers so that the letter content supports the narrative content. It is highly recommended that letter content should describe the impact and/or value of the applicant’s “Scholarly Approach to Teaching and Learning” on the letter writer. No more than three (3) letters of support may be included and count as one artifact.
Appendix 3
Example Artifacts of Contributions to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (in no particular order)
- A list of educational journals, book chapters, or books in which the applicant has published, served as a reviewer, or acted as an editor, including the number of papers or chapters the applicant has published, reviewed, or edited in each of the past three years.
- Recognition by peers for contributions to SOTL as evidenced by awards documented in the CV (e.g., Rufus A. Lyman Award). Applicant must include copy of certificate or other proof and a brief description of the selection process and criteria of the award.
- A sample of scholarly works. These works are selected by the applicant as a representative sample of the applicant’s best scholarly work related to teaching and learning. Sample works may include copies of written scholarly works or digital audio or video files. A description of the applicant’s role in the project should be included in the artifact explanation. Number of citations and impact factor may be included.
