Recognising excellent teachers

Teaching awards, whether at the institutional or national level, are regularly made available. The general expectation is that the award would be an incentive to strive for excellence in teaching, that the award would be recognised as a reward, and that the award recipients will continue to excel in their teaching.

The monetary value of the CAAUT Awards (outlined above) is a clear incentive for university teachers and institutional programmes to seek nomination for these awards. Such is the case for many internal university award schemes including the UWA Excellence in Teaching Awards. But does the lure of such financial awards actually make a difference to the quality of teaching and the student experience? Is it worth the considerable time and expense for the individual nominee and the university to compile these applications, knowing that there is a strong chance that they will emerge a “loser”? What do we know about the implications of receiving an award?

Eleven years ago, a project commissioned by the Committee for the Advancement of University concluded that

Rewards are not enough. Survey and case study evidence strongly endorsed the view that the right institutional conditions - meaning above all an environment that encourages staff to exchange ideas about teaching, and provides concrete support for their efforts to improve - are essential. Effective management and leadership at all levels are absolutely critical to good teaching and its proper recognition. (Ramsden et al., 1995)

In a more recent review of teaching awards,

A lot of participants expressed the view that although the Awards are important for the recognition of good teaching, they are not seen to contribute greatly to improving the quality of teaching and learning. … Others, however, suggested a variety of ways in which the Award scheme is having a far-reaching impact on the quality of teaching across the higher education sector, in particular, through its impact on institutional processes, providing an incentive for improvement, facilitating transfer of ideas about teaching practice and encouraging reflection on teaching (Ballantyne et al., 2003, p. 17).

So, do teaching awards make a difference to the quality of teaching and the student experience in your discipline?

• Ballantyne, R., Packer, P., Smeal, G., & Bain, J. (2003). Review of the Australian awards for university teaching. Retrieved February 7, 2006, from http://www.autc.gov.au/projects/completed/comp_projects_review_aust_awards_uni_teaching.htm
• Ramsden, P., Margetson, D., Martin, E., Clarke, & S. (1995). Recognising and rewarding good teaching in Australian higher education. Retrieved February 7, 2006, from http://www.autc.gov.au/pubs/caut/rrgt/exec_summary.htm