Eligibility Criteria

The Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award recognizes sustained excellence in the teaching of psychology by instructors who are classified as part-time and paid on a per-course basis at every institution where they teach—regardless of teaching load. Applicants must be members of STP and may join at any time.

Award Criteria

The Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award is based on the following four criteria: (1) effective teaching; (2) stimulation of student interest/advancement in psychology; (3) demonstrated commitment to student learning and intellectual growth; and (4) advancement of one’s professional identity as a teacher of psychology. Competitive applicants generally submit dossiers that address all of the criteria, but need not be equally accomplished in each one.

See below for a non-exhaustive, non-prescriptive list of suggestions for supporting evidence for each criterion and note that pieces of evidence may be submitted in different forms. For example, a syllabus can be included in a dossier exactly as-is, while publications can be noted in a CV or in a summary document that lists the citation and abstract for each one (rather than including the full-text publications themselves).

a)    Examples/descriptions of implementation of innovative teaching methods, engaging or exceptionally effective syllabi, student assignments and/or evaluation methods
b)    Evidence of outstanding student evaluations (see the primary ETA landing page for more details on how to prepare a summary document; please do not include raw evaluation forms in your dossier)
c)    Evaluations of teaching by supervisors and colleagues
d)    Evidence of prior teaching awards or other forms of recognition

a)    Stimulates student participation in discipline-related activities outside the classroom (e.g., provide service-learning opportunities, sponsoring or advising a student or community organization, mentor students in research)
b)    Supports student interest in studying psychology at the next level of education (e.g., provide pre-graduate school advising, encouraging students to major in psychology, write letters of recommendation for graduate school)
c)    Fosters student interest in pursuing psychology as a career (e.g., help students network with community organizations/professionals, provide career advising, and facilitate job search activities)
d)    Participates in community outreach projects or civic activities that heighten community awareness of the discipline of psychology and/or apply psychological principles to problem resolution
e)    Supports students who have received academic scholarships, honors, and grants for activities the adjunct instructor mentored

a)    Is accessible to students (e.g., maintains office hours, returns student emails/phone calls promptly)
b)    Maintains high standards for student performance (e.g., include assignments that incorporate application, evaluation, and synthesis)
c)    Models intellectual curiosity and passion for learning (e.g., integrate state-of-the-art research findings into the course, apply psychological/scientific information to help students understand current events, share with students what instructor learned at informal and formal continuing education experiences attended)

a)    Professional activity on or away from campus
b)    Publications or presentations on the teaching of psychology at local, regional, or national conferences
c)    Attendance at professional meetings relevant to the teaching of psychology
d)    Memberships and/or involvement in organizations related to teaching 

Submission Instructions

Apply for the Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award here.