Teaching awards in higher education: a qualitative study of motivation and outcomes

Winning an External Teaching Award in Higher Education: Teacher Identity and Recipient Characteristics

“…This attitude suggests that negative cultural cognitions about teaching at research institutions remain, despite efforts to elevate the importance of teaching. In contrast, several participants expressed positive opinions of teaching awards and felt they were valued by their departments in promotion and tenure review, a view supported by the research of Seppala and Smith (2019).…”

“…Faculty members suggested that teaching awards may paradoxically promote research activity because winning a teaching award is the "kiss of death," a phrase seen in the literature (Madriaga & Morley, 2016;Seppala & Smith, 2019), where receiving a teaching award brands a faculty member as a "teaching professor" as opposed to a research scholar. Winning a teaching award prompted a faculty member to shift focus and energy onto research lest they lose their reputation as a disciplinary scholar among their peers.…”

“…Several felt that their institutions were shifting toward a culture of valuing teaching, and noted that they participated in or led workshops to improve teaching effectiveness and implemented peer evaluations of teaching within their department. Such "systemic opportunities to improve teaching" (Smith, 2013, p. 5) have been shown to be valuable to teaching faculty (Maxwell et al, 2011;Seppala & Smith, 2019;Smith, 2013). Other participants expressed frustration that colleagues were unwilling to improve their teaching methods or teaching evaluation systems, a view expressed in prior work (Smith, 2013) but conflicting with the perceptions of administrators on the effectiveness of such programs (DiBenedetto & Whitwell, 2019).…”

“…Faculty members feel that teaching award programs need to be examined and modified to ensure transparency, reduce tensions, and provide support for teaching and teacher development beyond the award, particularly at the university level (Madriaga & Morley, 2016). Some recipients think awards have been beneficial to their careers and others indicate that winning a teaching award is the "kiss of death" for promotion and tenure because excellence in teaching is often associated with reduced research productivity (Fitzpatrick & Moore, 2015;Layton & Brown, 2011;Madriaga & Morley, 2016;Seppala & Smith, 2019). This attitude is also seen in Chism (2006), who describes teaching awards as having less value than grant attainment and research productivity.…”

“…Much consternation stems from the perception that many teaching award programs exist to bridge the gap in investment between research and teaching in higher education, particularly as faculty are under continued pressure to do more with less (Chism & Szabó, 1997;Mitten & Ross, 2018). Many suggest that teaching award programs need transformation into something more than a symbolic recognition lacking true investment in making teaching equally respected with research (Chism, 2006;Seppala & Smith, 2019;Smith, 2013). Some report a prevailing attitude that teaching awards do little to motivate good teaching practices, because education is guided by an intrinsic motivation to teach and improve for its own sake (Chism & Szabó, 1997).…”