Objectives: 1. Improving the teaching quality of faculty members. 2. Recognizing the efforts of exceptional faculty members in the field of education. 3. Encouraging faculty members for academic excellence. 4. Raising students’ learning levels. 5. Helping in academic excellence and accreditation of the university and affiliated colleges and departments. Definitions and Terms: -
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University of Dammam Award of Excellence in Teaching: it is an annual award offered by the University of Dammam for creative and outstanding faculty members in terms of: teaching, evaluating and raising students’ academic achievement. The award program has three levels: Academic Department, College, and Academic Field levels) Faculty member: includes Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor. Candidate: any faculty member who is nominated by: him/herself, others, or by an academic department.
Award Levels: First: University of Dammam Prize of Academic Fields that includes: 1. 2. 3. 4.
University of Dammam award of Health Track. University of Dammam award of Literary and Humanitarian Track. University of Dammam award of Scientific and Administrative Track. University of Dammam award of Engineering Track. The Prize for each Track is: . University of Dammam gold medal. . 30.000 SR. . Certificate of Appreciation.
Second: University of Dammam Award at Colleges Level consists of: -
University of Dammam silver medal. 15.000 SR. Certificate of Appreciation.
Award Target Participants: Faculty members who are officially employed (professor, associate professor, assistant professor, in addition to the lecturer who is teaching independently). 1
General Rules & Conditions: 1. Any faculty member has the right to nominate him/herself. 2. Any faculty member has the right to nominate any other faculty member who deserves to be nominated. 3. Each academic department has the right to nominate whom it considers outstanding among its faculty members. 4. Each academic department may nominate maximum three of its faculty members. 5. Each college nominates one faculty member from department nominees for the third level of the award in Academic Field. 6. The candidate should have spent two academic years of teaching at the University of Dammam. 7. Nominations are accepted in Arabic or in English. 8. The Permanent Committee of the Award of Excellence in Teaching chooses the winners; and the criteria is based upon the submitted files; and to what extent they meet the conditions and rules of the award. 9. Those who have won the award before can be nominated again after three academic years.
Nomination Requirements: The file of nomination should include the following: 1. Form* of nomination application signed by the candidate him/herself and certified by the head of the department. 2. CV of the candidate. 3. A copy of the course portfolio for the courses he/she has taught (during one academic year) including students’ transcripts and three samples of students’ answers in the final exam that show the highest, lowest and average grades, in addition to the model answer. 4. A disclaimer from the head of the department indicating credit hours of teaching (for the last two years). 5. A copy of the students’ evaluation about the faculty member’s performance for each section he/she has taught during the last two academic years. 6. A copy of job performance report for the last two years. 7. Recommendation form (form-B); it should be highly confidential and opened only by the members of the College Committee. 8. Two recommendations by other faculty members in the department (form -B) and they should also be confidential and opened by the members of the College Committee. 2
The Criteria of Nomination for University of Dammam Prize of Excellence in Teaching: Section I: Criteria for Excellence in Teaching: The candidate should demonstrate what distinguishes her/him mostly in teaching and attaches necessary evidences as follows: 1. Planning and designing the courses according to the following: 1. Vision, mission and philosophy of teaching. 2. The ability to demonstrate a deep understanding of the content of the courses and linking that with the latest studies, researches and developments in the fields' he\she teaches. 3. The ability of planning the units of the course and organizing them in a logical and methodological manner with specific description for the objectives and expected learning outcomes. 4. Participating in preparing and designing the courses (according to the curriculum and the conditions of the academic departments). 5. Participating in course development. 6. Participating in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate studies. 7. Participating in teaching and training interns in Health colleges. 8. The ability to identify the requirements of evaluating courses clearly. 9. Providing a list of the latest references related to the courses the faculty member teaches. 10. Using technology in designing and preparing courses. 11. Participating in designing and preparing the Study Guide. 12. Using effective presentation skills. 13. Enforcing and participating in raising expectations of students’ performance. 2. Strategies of presenting courses according to the following: 1. The ability to show enthusiasm and interest in teaching and communicating with students. 2. The ability to adopt distinct and creative strategies in presenting courses in a way that achieves the targeted learning outcomes. 3. Using technology in presenting courses. 4. Using student-centered teaching method. 5. The ability of developing and raising creativity, increasing the desire of discovery and developing the motivation of self-learning among students. 6. The ability of developing analytical and critical thinking among students. 7. The ability of developing the sense of research and inquiry among students. 8. The ability to use a variety of the methods of teaching for interdisciplinary departments. 9. Having the ability and initiative to teach different courses and levels.
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10. The ability to encourage students to participate and interact during the presentation of the course, and being committed to develop knowledge values among students. 11. Adopting effective methods and strategies of teaching to improve students’ learning. 3. Evaluating students’ performance and feedback according to the following: 1. The ability to combine the strategies of evaluation and the objectives of teaching that has a direct relation with the expected outcomes of the course. 2. Adopting scientific strategies that meet the students’ needs and the requirements of the courses which the faculty member teaches. 3. Evaluating student works in a comprehensive and constructive way that leads to the development of their skills and their learning motivation. 4. Providing quick, effective and comprehensive feedback to the students in a variety of methods and strategies that help them in identifying their weaknesses and strengths. 5. Establishing a timetable for evaluating the students’ performance during the semester. 4. Academic Counseling according to the following: 1. Faculty member should be allocated to office hours for students’ academic counseling. 2. Faculty member must be in office during office hours to guide and advise students and answer their queries. 3. Faculty member must be in the lab to guide the students and answer their questions and queries. 4. Helping students with special needs to participate and achieve success in the courses s/he teaches, in addition to guiding them academically. 5. Encouraging excellent students and discovering the talented ones and developing their talents. 6. Guiding students educationally, professionally, psychologically and personally. 7. Positive communication with students. 8. Appreciating students’ academic and professional needs. 5. Professional self-development related to the teaching process according to the following: 1. Attending conferences, seminars, workshops and courses of learning and teaching related to the teaching process. 2. Presenting lectures and research papers in conferences, seminars and workshops related to the teaching process. 3. Conducting studies and researches with direct relation with teaching and publishing them. 4. Supervising research projects theses related to teaching. 5. Giving consulting in the teaching field to local or regional or international bodies, institutions and organizations. 4
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The ability to encourage students to participate and interact during the presentation of the course, and being committed to develop knowledge values among students. Adopting effective methods and strategies of teaching to improve students’ learning.
6. Academic and teaching leadership according to the following items: 1. Supervising, advising and following up colleagues. 2. Initiatives and efforts to raise students’ learning level in the Department, College and University. 3. Participating in putting strategies, procedures and policies that would develop teaching and learning. 4. Participating in the training of others outside the classroom.
Section II: Evaluating the candidate’s performance in teaching ـThe ones' nominated for Faculty Member award should illustrate the teaching hours of the previous two years prior to the application for the award. ـThe results of students’ evaluation of performance of the nominated faculty member of every section s/he taught during the previous two years of the application to the prize. ـCandidate should attach a copy of the results of the head of the department evaluation of the previous two years of the application to the prize. ـCandidate gives the names of two faculty members in the department that are able to evaluate the process of teaching and write a recommendation according to form* (B) which shows the extent of the eligibility of the candidate for the nomination and examples of excellence in the teaching process. The provider of the recommendation sends it in a closed envelop (confidential) to the committee of the college for the nomination of the Prize of Excellence. Section III: awards and letters of excellence in teaching Candidate shows the awards and letters of excellent performance and appreciations in the field of teaching only and their names and the donors and the date of receiving them and attaches a copy of them. Section IV: other materials related to teaching Candidate shows any other materials related to teaching and submits a copy of these materials, like CD, tape, film… etc. 5