Distinguished Teaching Awards the result of almost a year’s work

The Distinguished Teaching Award winners receive a diploma and SEK 20,000 each to spend freely. But the process of selecting the winners is long, taking almost a year. Work begins already in November. The nomination period is from January to March. In May, the award winners are selected and on the University’s anniversary, 7 October, the awards are presented.

So say Charlotte Sundström and Helena Lindqvist of the Division for Quality Enhancement. Charlotte is the secretary and Helena the coordinator on the review committee for the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Who else is on the review committee?
“It includes representatives from the four different award areas (see the award areas in the fact box below), and the disciplinary domains choose the teaching staff representatives for the committee,” says Helena Lindqvist. “The student unions appoint the student representatives.”

“Many teachers on the review committee have received the award themselves,” says Charlotte Sundström. “That’s a good experience to have when it comes to nominating candidates.”

What’s involved in the review committee’s work and what are your roles?
“We convene the committee and coordinate the nominations, we prepare the documentation and organise the meetings, we keep track of who has received an award in the past, and we’re involved in putting together the information on which the decisions are based,” says Helena Lindqvist. “The review committee compiles information about the candidates and we assist with background checks.”

The Independent category award has a different theme from year to year. It is the review committee that draws up the nomination criteria for the Independent category.

Vice-Chancellor’s decision

Anyone can nominate candidates for any of the five awards.

“It can be a colleague, manager or student,” says Charlotte Sundstrom. “The justification is important and the criteria must be met for the review committee to be able to assess a nominee. It’s not meant to be a popularity contest,” she emphasises.

The review committee then puts together proposals for candidates including why they should receive the award, but the final decision is made at the Vice-Chancellor’s decision meeting (RS).

The nomination period for the Distinguished Teaching Award opens in January and during the period March to May is when work on the award is at its most intensive.

Are there many nominations?
“Last year there were 150 nominations, the year before no fewer than 250, and coordinating all these nominations takes time,” says Helena Lindqvist. “What carries the most weight when we’re determining who should be candidates is how they work, innovative methods and their commitment to teaching.”

Each of the award winners receives a diploma with the citation for the award. In addition, they receive SEK 20,000 each – money that the Uppsala University Foundations Management of Estates and Funds pays out from a special fund. The money can be used in any way the award winners wish

False pretext meetings and a watertight process

One of the best things about working with the Distinguished Teaching Award is when the awards are going to be announced to the winners according to both Helena and Charlotte. The review committee arranges a meeting on some false pretext.

“It might be the head of department, manager or director of studies who calls a meeting,” says Charlotte. “Sometimes it can happen at a department meeting or a lecture. On one occasion, a winner was surprised on an excursion.”

“With the award, these crusaders get acknowledgement for their efforts and a chance to inspire others in the environment they work in,” says Helena. “When Deputy Vice-Chancellor Coco Norén shows up with flowers, a diploma and a photographer, it’s a big surprise that most people find delightful. And no. The names of the winners have never been leaked in advance,” she smiles.

Ulrika Hurtig