Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award

Eligibility Criteria

The Jane S. Halonen Teaching Excellence Award recognizes excellence for Early Career Psychology teachers. STP defines an Early Career Psychology teacher as a member who is within ten years of beginning teaching of psychology and who is not a student. Applicants will follow the criteria related to the category for which they are eligible (i.e., 4-year college (Robert S. Daniel), 2-year college (Wayne Weiten), high school (Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial). Applicants must be currently teaching. Applicants must be members of STP and may joint STP at any time.

First-time applicants who do not receive an award will be contacted by the Chair of the committee during the following fall, at which time they may opt to have their applications rolled over to the next award year. If, at this time, applicants no longer fall into the “first 10 years of teaching” category, they may choose to (a) withdraw their materials or (b) update their materials and re-submit them in the appropriate category. 

Award Criteria

4-Year College or University

For those applicants within the first 10 years of teaching at a 4-year college or university, the award is based on the following five criteria: (1) effective teaching; (2) mentoring student professional development; (3) advancing teaching and learning through scholarship; (4) advancing teaching and learning through service; and (5) training high school, community college, or college/university teachers.  Please see the Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award for specific examples of the criteria.

2-Year College

For those applicants within the first 10 years of teaching at a 2-year college, the award is based on the criteria outlined in the Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award. Demonstration of effective teaching heads the list, particularly at the 2-year college level where capable teaching is widely viewed as the major job responsibility.  However, because activities outside the classroom are often associated with facilitating teaching performance, bolstering student learning, and advancing psychology as an applied science, the selection guidelines acknowledge the importance of both service excellence and the scholarship of teaching and learning in line with the model of the well-rounded teacher-scholar.

High School

For those applicants within the first 10 years of teaching at a high school, the award is based on the following criteria: (1) effective and innovative teaching, (2) stimulation of student interest in psychology, (3) evidence showing use of the American Psychological Association's National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, and (4) professional development.  Please see the Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award for examples of the criteria.

Submission Instructions