About
Honoring a long-time Communication faculty member, the Donald B. Egolf Memorial Teaching Award recognizes a graduate student in the Department of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh who demonstrates accomplishment in pedagogy and undergraduate instruction. Recipients of the Egolf Award exhibit a marked commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in teaching and learning; excellence in course design and instruction; and development in undergraduate teaching. The Egolf Award includes a $400 prize (processed through student accounts), and like any teaching award it makes an excellent addition to a CV.
Eligibility. To be eligible, applicants must have completed two terms of teaching at Pitt as instructor of record for stand-alone courses or as recitation leader for an introductory class. You may apply multiple times but may only win the award once.
Application Requirements. If you apply for the Egolf Memorial Teaching Award, you’re not just putting your hat in the ring for an award, you are also preparing things you’ll need on the job market when applying for positions involving teaching. The components of the application mirror those most often requested by potential employers. This now includes video evidence of teaching practice, more commonly requested since the coronavirus pandemic. Note that the Center for Teaching and Learning offers a Lecture Capture service (which works best during business hours) and that they also have a Media Creation Lab you can book. Sometimes the request for video evidence of teaching may require a quick turnaround, so it’s good to have a sample on hand. It’s advisable to record something that does not assume much prior knowledge (of the course or the subject matter) and that exhibits a range of teaching modes (so not wholly lecture-based, for instance).
Your application should contain:
1. A cover letter summarizing:
- Evidence of commitment to diversity in teaching and learning;
- Articulation of approach to course design and instruction;
- Evidence of commitment to pedagogical development and/or contribution to the pedagogical development of others in the department, university, or beyond.
2. A statement on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in course design and classroom practice that details:
- Aspects of curriculum design and pedagogical practice addressing issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in areas including but not limited to race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, language, and ability.
3. A teaching portfolio comprising:
- Curriculum vitae;
- Statement of teaching philosophy;
- Course materials: a syllabus, sample assignment, and assessment criteria (all from the same course);
- Video evidence of teaching practice, ordinarily in the form of a recording of a class session;
- Course evaluations: two terms’ worth, one class per term. Applicants may redact or include a statement addressing any student evaluation comments they deem offensive, discriminatory, or otherwise harmful.
Selection Criteria. Applicant materials will be assessed by a committee comprising three faculty members. Applications will be judged relative to the following criteria:
- Evidence of commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in teaching and learning;
- Evidence of excellence in course design;
- Evidence of excellence in instruction;
- Evidence of development in undergraduate teaching.
AY 24-25 Deadline & Submission. Application materials are due by 5 pm on Monday, February 24, and should be sent to Lauri Freund at llk1@pitt.edu with “Egolf Award Application” in the subject heading.
Questions: If you have any questions, do be in touch with the Egolf Committee chair, David Marshall, by email at dlm91@pitt.edu.