West Coast Teaching Excellence Awards
Source: https://academic.ubc.ca/awards/west-coast-teaching-excellence-awards Parent: https://academic.ubc.ca
The Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, supports faculty submissions with the West Coast Teaching Excellence Award.
The West Coast Teaching Excellence Award, hosted by the British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council (BC and Yukon), recognizes excellence in post-secondary teaching over a number of years, primarily at the undergraduate level.
Meet UBC's West Coast Teaching Excellence Award recipients
An individual or teaching team nominated for this award will be characterized by a proven commitment to enhanced student engagement and learning, a reflective and intentional approach to teaching practices, and dedication to teaching improvement including successful implementation of any of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
This award is an opportunity for recipients who are on the path to move from institutional teaching awards to national teaching awards such as the 3M National Teaching Fellowship. Nominees need not have won an institutional teaching award, however.
The BCTLC selects up to five recipients annually from different post-secondary institutions. Each institution can submit up to two nominees per year.
Application process
Each post-secondary institution may submit a maximum of two nominations per year and the preparation of the nomination dossier can be time consuming. At UBC Vancouver, a streamlined internal selection process is implemented.
Applications consist of a 20-page dossier, including a nomination letter from the President, Vice-President Academic, or designate.
Please see the West Coast Teaching Award web page for details on eligibility, criteria, and what must be submitted in the dossier (please note that there will be a few minor changes posted to these later in October).
Internal selection of nominees at UBC Vancouver
Process
UBC Vancouver internal nominees should submit a current CV and a 4-page statement (written by the nominee themselves) highlighting how their recent teaching practices address award criteria.
An internal review committee will review the submitted materials and choose up to two nominees from UBC Vancouver.
This review committee consists of:
- The Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning
- The Academic Director (or the Deputy Academic Director) of the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology
- One 3M National Teaching Fellow at UBC Vancouver
- Two other teaching award recipients at UBC Vancouver, such as the Killam Teaching Prize or the West Coast Teaching Excellence Award
Decisions will be based on the BCTLC West Coast Teaching Award eligibility and criteria
Timelines for the 2026 awards
2025
- Mid-October: Open invitations to submit nomination
- November 28, 3:00 p.m.: Internal nomination (a current CV and a 4-page statement in PDF format); submit to Alara Sever, Program Coordinator at the CTLT: alara.sever@ubc.ca
- Mid-December: Internal review committee meets to select two UBCV nominees
- Late-December/Early January: Nominees informed of internal nomination decision
2026
- January to mid-February: UBC Vancouver nominees prepare dossiers
- February 13, 3:00 p.m.: Nomination dossiers from the two UBCV nominees due to Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning, to facilitate the preparation of the nomination letters. Send to Darya Savin, Executive Assistant to the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning: darya.savin@ubc.ca
- February 28: The BCTLC representative from UBC Vancouver will forward nomination dossiers to the BCTLC Awards Committee
Contacts
- If you have questions about the award or the process, please contact Gillian Gerhard at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology: gillian.gerhard@ubc.ca
- Consultation/advice on either writing the internal application materials or the dossier to send to BCTLC is available; please contact Judy Chan at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology: judy.chan@ubc.ca