The Teaching and Learning Committee introduced a Distinguished Departmental Teaching and Learning Award in 1998 as a biennial award to reward teaching excellence in the departments.

In 2002, with the implementation of University-wide restructuring it was agreed that the focus of this award should be with the school.

1. Preamble
2. Guidelines
3. Appendix 1

Preamble 

The aim of the award is to encourage, promote and reward systematic excellence in Teaching and Learning at the school level, to complement Faculty-based Excellence in Teaching Awards at the individual level, and the national ALTC (Australian Learning and Teaching Council) awards for Australian University Teaching. The award is offered on a biennial basis and applications are open for the 2010 award. 

Teaching portfolios 

The award process has been streamlined with the established University practice of cyclical school reviews. Submission of a school teaching portfolio is now an integral part of the review process as detailed in the Guidelines for the Review of Schools and other Academic Units. With effect from 2003 these school teaching portfolios are automatically considered for the next Distinguished Teaching and Learning Award for Schools and in any two year cycle there should be approximately eight portfolios submitted as part of the review process. The award however is not restricted to those schools that have undergone a review within the two year cycle. All schools are encouraged to submit a teaching portfolio in accordance with the following guidelines.

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Guidelines

1. The Distinguished Teaching and Learning Award for Schools is open to all schools and will be judged on the submission of a teaching portfolio. The winner of this award is ineligible to apply for the next award, which is offered on a biennial basis.
2. The portfolio should explicitly relate to the faculty's and school’s strategic and operational plans and should address the attached indicators (Appendix 1). These are the same indicators detailed in the Guidelines for the Review of Schools and other Academic Units. To be considered eligible for the award, the portfolio must address all the ‘core’ indicators. The ‘optional’ indicators provide a guide to further information that should be included where relevant to the school. Information included should pertain to the previous five years or since the last review.
3. The award will be presented to the Head of School at an Award ceremony during the University’s Teaching Month, normally held in May of each year. The Award brings with it funding for the appointment of 0.5 FTE at Lecturer Level B for a period of one year ($45,000). The position is intended to support the school in its priorities in teaching and learning. These might be curriculum design, teaching initiatives, on-line learning etc.
4. A judging panel will be established by the Teaching and Learning Committee to consider the portfolios.
5. Eleven (11) copies of the teaching portfolio should be forwarded to the Executive Officer of the Judging Panel for Distinguished Teaching and Learning Award for Schools, M456A. The deadline for submission of a portfolio is 30th  January 2011. This deadline should accommodate schools scheduled for review during 2009 and 2010.
6. After the judging process, the panel Chair will provide feedback to the unsuccessful schools to encourage continued improvement.

Schools are reminded that portfolios from previous award winners and those schools that received a high commendation are available on the web, as examples of best practice

First approved: November 1997. Last updated: March 2009

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Appendix 1 - School teaching portfolios indicators to be addressed

This information has been extracted from: Guidelines for the Review of Schools and other Academic Units.