Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award

Potential indicators of excellence in teaching include, but are not limited to, the demonstrated enhancement of student learning through:

• Developing innovations that are responsive to student needs.
• Pursuing effectiveness, innovation, and creativity in the classroom, clinic, or setting in which teaching and learning take place.
• Demonstrating the use of strategies that actively engage the learner.
• Creating opportunities for experiential learning.
• Using technology effectively.
• Adapting teaching methods to improve teaching and learning.
• Striving to learn and improve one’s own teaching.
• Being a leader in teaching and learning by having a positive impact on their colleagues’ teaching.

All nominations must be submitted via the online nomination form. 

• Full-time, permanent faculty members at the undergraduate or graduate levels, including faculty supporting professional degree programs (i.e., M.D., D.P.M., etc.)
• Tenured/tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty candidates are eligible.
• Faculty should not have previously received a ROTA award.

The materials for each nominee must be no longer than 25 pages and compiled as a single PDF document (not a PDF Portfolio) bearing the nominee’s last name and campus (e.g., Smith-UTRGV.pdf). The following application composition is provided by The UT System to assist faculty as they put together the packet. Additional evidence may be included at the nominee’s discretion.

Packet Composition

• All packets must include a Table of Contents that hyperlinks to all sections of the application packet and the ROTA Application form.
• Mandatory Materials: (Max: 20 pages) Must include:
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Teaching Philosophy
  • Plan for disseminating methodologies/innovations (see bullet below)
  • Letters of Support from Department Chair and/or College Dean, Peer Faculty, and Former Students
  • The remaining pages (i.e., Supplemental section) of the written document are available at the nominee’s discretion and could include student evaluations (written comments and/or numerical section), evidence of the effectiveness of methodologies/innovations developed (prior to or during the pandemic), and other materials.
• Supplemental Materials: (Max: 5 pages) While it is not required, the supplemental section may be used by the selection committee to make decisions. In the supplemental section, applicants are welcome to include:
  • Video(s) – Limit of 3-5 minutes in total.
  • Multimedia
  • Digital – personal website, LinkedIn profile, etc.
  • Other forms of content
• Applications must demonstrate with quantitative and/or qualitative evidence (e.g., student recommendations, peer faculty recommendations, etc.) faculty’s effectiveness in terms of student success and learning.
• Applications must include a plan for disseminating methodologies and innovations to other faculty within their university and across UT System institutions and beyond (i.e., shows leadership and commitment). This implementation plan should be written in future tense and focused on innovative ways a nominee could share this information, rather than what one is currently doing. Reviewers will consider the medium of delivery (i.e., video, social media, etc.) as well as the intended audiences (e.g., fellow faculty members, Systemwide groups focused on teaching and learning, and state and national audiences).
• All pages are required to be numbered; additionally, we want to underscore the requirement for headers in the table of contents to be hyperlinked to corresponding sections of the application packet.

2025 Regents Outstanding Teaching Award Application Form (Cover page)

ROTA Packet Template