Regents' Outstanding Teaching Awards

The Application Window for the 2024 ROTA has closed.

For more information about previous years’ awards (2008-2023), including past winners, please see the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards webpage. Questions regarding the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program may be directed to: rota@utsystem.edu.

Overview

The UT System’s vision as an “institution of the first class” includes a commitment to continuous improvement in the quality of the education its faculty provide to its students. The Board of Regents places the highest priority on teaching at System universities. The Regents encourage teaching excellence by recognizing faculty who deliver the highest quality of instruction through demonstrated excellence in teaching and a promising future of sustained excellence in all aspects of instruction.

In November 2008, the Board of Regents introduced the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards for the academic institutions, and the awards were later expanded to include UT System health institutions. The awards are a symbol of the importance placed on the provision of teaching and learning of the highest order. The awards are offered in recognition of those who serve our students in an exemplary manner and as an incentive for others who aspire to such service.

Note: As of 2021, certain features of the ROTA program have been revised, including the timeline for submission, selection criteria, etc. Please refer to this webpage. For more information, please email rota@utsystem.edu.

Nomination Criteria

  • The ROTA program will focus on a commitment to teaching and delivering excellence to the learning experience through outstanding teaching including effectiveness, innovation, and creativity.
  • 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.

Eligibility

  • Both tenured/tenure-track and non-tenure-track candidates are eligible.
  • Educators at the undergraduate or graduate level, including faculty supporting professional degree programs (i.e., J.D., M.D., M.Arch, etc.).
  • Faculty who have not previously received a ROTA award.

Nominations Process

  • A joint call for nominations will be issued by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Health Affairs in January 2024.
  • Candidate nomination will be a rigorous institution-based process and endorsement from the institution president (or their delegate) is required for all candidates.
  • Number of Nominees: no more than two (2) per institution.
  • Due date for applications submitted to UT System: Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
  • Electronic nominations may be submitted to rota@utsystem.edu. Alternatively, nominations can be sent via Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, or a USB flash drive containing all of the nomination materials for an institution can be mailed to: The University of Texas System, Office of Academic Affairs, 210 West 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701.
     

Nomination Materials Required

The materials for each nominee must be no longer than 50 pages and compiled as a single PDF document bearing the nominee’s last name and campus (e.g., Smith-UTARL.pdf). Note: nomination materials will not be returned.

The following application composition is provided to assist faculty as they put together the nomination packet. Additional evidence may be included at the nominee’s discretion:

Application packets will be no longer than 50 pages in length and must include the ROTA Application form, which asks for the following:

  • A Table of Contents that hyperlinks to all sections of the application packet
  • Nominee’s name and job title (ex: John Doe, Ph.D., Associate Professor and University Distinguished Teacher Professor)
  • Department
  • Institution
  • Contact information, including mailing address, phone number, and email address.
  • Demographic information
    • Gender
    • Race/Ethnicity

 

  • Mandatory: The mandatory section of the written section should not exceed 25 pages, and should include:
    • Curriculum Vitae
    • Teaching Philosophy
    • Endorsement from the President of the institution (or their delegate)
    • 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: The supplemental section is in addition to the written portion and should not exceed 25 pages (the overall application packet should not exceed 50 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.) the faculty member’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.

 

Selection Process

  • Number of Recipients: Up to 15 awards will be given across both academic and health institutions. The number of awards will be determined by the number of applications, recommendations from the review committee, and other factors. No institution is guaranteed an award.
  • Selection Committee: The Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Health Affairs will appoint separate selection committees. These selection committees will make recommendations to the Executive Vice Chancellors of Academic Affairs and Health Affairs.
  • Timeline:
    • Call for Nominations: January
    • Applications Submitted to UT System: Late May
    • Notification to Recipients: September
    • Presentation: November BOR Meeting

Submitting Nominations

Electronic nominations may be submitted to rota@utsystem.edu as an attachment or a cloud storage link. Alternatively, a USB flash drive containing all of the nomination materials for a campus can be mailed to, The University of Texas System, Office of Academic Affairs, 210 West 7th Street, Austin, TX, 78701.

Selection Criteria

Award nominees must clearly demonstrate their commitment to and sustained excellence in teaching. The review of portfolios is expected to evaluate teaching excellence using the following criteria:

  • Focus on a commitment to teaching and delivering excellence to the learning experience through outstanding teaching including effectiveness, innovation, and creativity.
  • 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.
    • Demonstrating the use of strategies that actively engage the learner.
    • Creating opportunities for experiential learning.
    • Using technology creatively and 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.
  • Application packets will be no longer than 50 pages in length and must include the ROTA Application form, which asks for the following:
      • Nominee’s name and job title (ex: John Doe, Ph.D., Associate Professor and University Distinguished Teacher Professor)
      • Department
      • Institution
      • Contact information, including mailing address, phone number, and email address.
      • Demographic information
        • Gender
        • Race/Ethnicity
    • Application Composition:
      • Mandatory: The mandatory section of the written section should not exceed 25 pages, and should include:
        • Curriculum Vitae
        • Teaching Philosophy
        • Endorsement from the President of the institution (or their delegate)
        • Plan for disseminating methodologies/innovations 
        • Letters of Support from Department Chair and/or College Dean, Peer Faculty, and Former Students
        • The remaining pages 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: The supplemental section is in addition to the written portion and should not exceed 25 pages (the overall application packet should not exceed 50 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 evidence (e.g., student recommendations, peer faculty recommendations, etc.) the faculty member’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 (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.)
    • 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.

Presentation of Awards

  • Monetary Portion: The monetary portion of the award per recipient is $25,000. By applying for the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, nominees acknowledge and accept that their award money is includable in their gross income for federal income tax purposes and is subject to tax withholding.  Nominees are strongly encouraged to consider this fact prior to applying for the award. Award money transferred by the recipient to an institution in the form of a donation in lieu of receipt by the recipient does not avoid taxation, although the recipient might be entitled to a charitable income tax deduction. Please note that award money is considered creditable compensation for the purposes of ORP and TRS and subject to withholding. Award money will be added to a recipient’s paycheck sometime after the November Board of Regents’ Meeting. The use of these funds is subject to applicable laws and UT System policies.
  • Date of Presentation: During the November BOR Meeting each year (Note: this is subject to change based on feedback of the BOR).