The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD) is pleased to recognize exceptional contributions to dental education at Canadian Universities through the creation of the ACFD National Dental Teaching Award. A maximum of one award can be presented annually to a faculty member who has displayed the qualities of an outstanding dental educator.
The Award
- a cheque of $2,500 to the recipient;
- expenses paid for the recipient to attend the award ceremony (Up to $2,000);
- an award certificate.
Award Ceremony
The award will be formally announced and presented to the recipient at a significant dental gathering each year.
Promotion of the Award
The award will be promoted through extensive coverage, to include:
- an announcement by ACFD to all of its member institutions;
- a news release to national and local media.
Eligibility
The award is open to any faculty member currently teaching within a Canadian DDS/DMD program. Only one nominee may be nominated from each dental institution.
The recipient of the award should demonstrate the following characteristics:
- knowledge of the theory of teaching and learning, as demonstrated through the organization and presentation of didactic and/or clinical instruction;
- involvement of student participation in the learning process;
- specification of performance standards and stimulation of students to reach those standards;
ability to communicate effectively; - accessibility to students outside class;
- development of rapport with students;
- utilization of evaluation methods which assess the higher levels of learning.
Criteria for the Award
The Selection Committee will look for independent evidence of the following:
- demonstration of teaching excellence as shown by course evaluations and letters of support from students and colleagues;
- demonstration of contribution to education as shown by invited lectures, chapter and text authorship and other contributions to knowledge and understanding important to dentists beyond the nominee’s home institution.
- demonstration of work on innovative curriculum projects;
- demonstration of innovative teaching methodologies or special teaching techniques and materials and methods of evaluation of students;
- demonstration of educational leadership as shown by the following:
- summary of seminars, workshops, conferences, invited presentations or other events on teaching/learning conducted by the nominee;
- scientific and educational publications;
Examples of Independent Evidence
- data from teaching evaluations over several years
- special course development efforts
- teaching awards received
- a description of any particularly effective teaching strategies
- letters of support from students, alumni and/or colleagues
- examples of course materials
- a summary of seminars, workshops, conferences or other events on teaching/ learning conducted by the nominee
- publications on university teaching/learning
- work on curriculum projects
- examples of leadership in educational development
- publication of educational materials relevant to the nominee’s area of expertise
Selection Process
Each nominee will be evaluated in three categories:
- Excellence in teaching
- Scholarship in Education
- Other significant contribution to dental education
It is expected that most nominees will excel primarily in one area and the selection process is weighted to recognize nominees with high ratings in one area over those with average ratings in more than one area.
The Selection Committee is comprised of a Chair (ACFD Past President), three representatives selected by the Academic Affairs Committee. Selection will be based on evidence submitted in the nomination material. Members of the Selection Committee will not vote/evaluate a nominee from their faculty. It is the responsibility of the selection committee to determine that the nominees meet a standard worthy of this national award. The Committee can determine that no award be made in a given year.
Nomination Procedure
Nominations will be accepted from students, alumni or colleagues. The Selection Committee requires the nomination material, either in paper form or e-copy. The paper copy of the nomination material must be contained within a binder no larger than ½ inch in thickness and will require five copies. If submitting by e-copy only one is required. Completed nomination material must include:
- a covering letter from the nominator outlining the justification for the nomination;
- a letter from the Dean, or equivalent, that addresses the nominee’s special qualifications for the award;
- a curriculum vitae of the nominee;
- a statement of the nominee’s teaching philosophy;
- independent evidence that the nominee’s teaching is very highly regarded by students, alumni and/or colleagues, and that the nominee has played a leadership role in the development of university teaching and learning;
- a listing of submitted documentation. The copy of the nomination material will be returned to the dental institution. Dental institutions are encouraged to re-nominate candidates who were not chosen the following year. There is no limit to the number of times nominations may be re-submitted for this award.
Deadline
Nomination documentation must be submitted by November 1 to:
Chair
ACFD National Dental Teaching Award Selection Committee
c/o D113 Dental Building
780 Bannatyne
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2
Past Recipients