Open Awards - Dossier Requirements and Format

Dossier Requirements

1. Cover sheet (click to download template)


2. Executive summary (1 page) of the dossier signed by the dean or the chair, as appropriate. The most useful summary does more than list the contents and reiterate the letters. In its own words the summary illustrates why the Teaching Awards Committee should give an award to the nominee. Thus it makes a clear, persuasive case for the nominee. For example, the executive summary might identify the main reasons for the nomination and/or refer directly to the nominee’s strengths and talents.


3. Nominee’s curriculum vitae (2 pages)


4. Nominee’s reflective and personal statement about teaching from the nominee (1 page). The committee is looking at how nominees articulate their beliefs about and commitment to teaching and learning.


5. Quantitative data and other comparative materials about the nominee’s teaching, normally from students (2 pages). The committee recommends using the University-wide on-line course evaluation results for the years for which it is available. The most constructive of these sections include:
   1. quantitative data organized in a table rather than a bar graph or chart
   2. course names, course numbers and dates taught
   3. final enrollments figures
   4. percent of enrolled students responding
   5. quantitative indications of how the nominee compares to other faculty in the same department or school
   6. selected qualitative comments from individual students’ comments organized by course and listed in bulleted format.


6. Six letters of support in this order:
   1. 1 from the nominator (1page)
   2. 2 from faculty colleagues (1page each)
   3. 3 from students (1page each)
      The most powerful letters give a compelling picture of the nominee’s teaching and why he or she is effective. Letters originally written for peer review offer helpful information about classroom teaching but should be rewritten as letters of support.

Dossier Format

NB: It is imperative for the sake of fairness that all dossiers conform to these requirements. Any that do not will not be considered by the committee.

• 13 pages total only, including cover sheet
• 12-point font, Times New Roman
• Margins: 1” top and bottom, 1.25”sides
• No folders or binders. Clips or staples only
• Please do not specify a particular award in the Open category.  The committee considers every nominee for all eligible awards

Please deliver 13 copies of the complete nomination dossier by 5:00 pm, Monday, February 6, 2012 to the Provost’s Office (Booker House), ATTN: Deirdre Davie  (982-2016 or ddavie@virginia.edu).