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The Teaching Excellence Award Scheme (TEAS) aims to recognise, reward and promote excellence in teaching at the University.
Teachers who have made outstanding teaching and learning contributions are encouraged to apply for these awards.
The UGC invites annually nominations from the university for its UGC teaching award. Award recipients under the TEAS have a priority in being considered for nominations.
Categories of Awards
- University Distinguished Teaching Award (UDTA)
- Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA)
- Individual Award
- Team Award
- Early Career Teaching Award (ECTA)
- Teaching Innovation Award (TIA)
- Individual Award
- Team Award
Eligibility
The awards are open to all full-time teaching staff with
- a substantial responsibility for teaching of undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes offered by the University; and
- a minimum years of service in this University as follows:
For ECTA, applicants should possess no more than five years of teaching experience in higher education institutions as at April 25, 2025.
Teaching teams which comprise up to five members with at least one of them, preferably the team leader, satisfying the above criteria are eligible for OTA and TIA. In any case, all members should be staff on full-time/fractional appointment at the University.
A teaching staff may not apply for more than one of these individual awards in the same exercise: UDTA, OTA and ECTA. Recipients of UDTA and OTA (individual) awards are not eligible to apply again for the same award until after respectively ten and six years from receiving the first award. In such cases, the applicant should provide evidence of substantial innovations and contributions to teaching and learning beyond those recognised in the previous award.
Criteria for Awards
Applicants for the UDTA, OTA and ECTA should demonstrate:
1. Adoption of learner-centred approaches, ability to engage/inspire/impact on students and demonstration of superior acumen in teaching
A good understanding of pedagogy and how students learn
Adopting teaching and assessment approaches that can achieve better student learning outcomes
Being able to interact with and engage students in learning with enthusiasm
Inspiring and supporting students
Respect for students’ diverse learning needs
Building students’ confidence and capability (including critical thinking, analytical skills, values, etc.)
Outstanding classroom teaching (in face-to-face, virtual or hybrid settings)
2. Course/programme/curriculum design that can reflect a command of the field,
Demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of the field of study in the curriculum and student learning resources design (e.g., textbooks, e-learning resources)
Adopting complementary research-informed teaching practices
Developing appropriate student learning outcomes
Adopting innovative approaches to teaching and assessment which can facilitate students’ achievement of the learning outcomes
3. Past/present achievement(s) and leadership in teaching and potential scholarly contribution to and impact on the development of effective teaching practice,
Demonstrating educational research and innovations in the field of study
Demonstrating leadership in the promotion of teaching excellence
In the case of ECTA, the focus will be on the applicant’s potential for leadership in teaching as well as their past achievements. In the case of team applications, the impact of the collaborative work of the team on the development of effective teaching practice will also be considered.
Applicants for TIA will have to present a recent innovation in pedagogy and/or curriculum design:
- Adoption of learner-centred approaches, ability to engage/inspire/impact on students and demonstration of superior acumen in teaching.
- Evidence of sustainability to be embedded in the curriculum to enhance student learning.
- Impact on the development of effective teaching practice.
The three criteria for each award category carry no specified weighting. The Selection Panel will consider each application on its own merit with reference to the criteria.
Prizes & Recognition
1. Tenured Associate Professors or Professors aged 53 or above who have been honoured with UDTA may be given special consideration when applying for reappointment up to the age of 65. Recipients of OTA (individual) may also qualify, provided they submit for evaluation five positive peer review reports of their teaching, inclusive of two reports from reviewers nominated by the Dean/Department Head/Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) (VP(T&L)). The application and approval process for such reappointments shall adhere to standard procedures, with VP(T&L) co-opted into the University Selection and Promotion Committee for these cases. Reasonably good research performance is expected from applicants.
2. To recognise their achievements in teaching and learning, UDTA, OTA (individual) and ECTA awardees will be given a special title of Distinguished Teaching Fellow, Senior Teaching Fellow and Teaching Fellow, respectively, from the date of award until the end of the academic year 2027-28. They are encouraged to collaborate with the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TALIC) to share best practice and join the University academic community to provide pedagogical support and professional development initiatives to make impacts across the University.
3. The monetary award for UDTA, OTA (individual) and ECTA awardees comprises two components, viz. a cash award (in the form of a one-off, lump-sum payment) and an award for academic purposes related to teaching and learning (on reimbursement basis). The cash award will be processed through payroll and will not form part of the base salary and will not be taken into account for gratuity payment and Staff Provident Fund (SPF) contribution. It will however be deemed as income and shall be subject to salaries tax. The cash award is subject to clawback if the awardee leaves the University by resignation or declining an offer of further appointment within one year of the grant of the cash award. For OTA (team) and TIA (individual/team) awardees, the monetary award will be solely for academic purposes related to teaching and learning activities. The monetary award for the different categories of awards is set out below:
| Award | Cash award | Award for teaching and learning activities | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| UDTA | $200,000 | $200,000 | $400,000 |
| OTA (individual) |
$100,000 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| OTA (team) |
N.A. | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| ECTA | $50,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| TIA (individual/team) |
N.A. | $75,000 | $75,000 |
In the case that an awardee wishes to use the grant to support teaching relief to focus on a teaching and learning initiative, a maximum of two courses taught in different academic years may be allowed subject to Faculty/Department approval. Awardees are expected to submit a brief report on the uses of the award at the end of the funding period, which is five years for UDTA and OTA, three years for ECTA and two years for TIA (or up until the expiry of the awardee’s appointment with the University, whichever is the earlier). For the team award, the amount will be shared equally among team members.
4. An award plaque will be presented to each awardee at the University’s Excellence Award Presentation Ceremony. In addition, the names of awardees/teams will be posted on the plaque of honour located on the Centennial Campus.
Expectations of Awardees
Awardees are expected to continue to contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning at the University. They should be active members of the University’s Teaching Academy.
Selection Panel
The Selection Panel comprises the following:
- Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) (Chair);
- Director of TALIC;
- An external member (normally a teacher from another university); and
- Up to two co-opted members
- To be determined by the Selection Panel – a student representative and a previous award recipient were co-opted in the previous exercises.