Eligibility Criteria

The Wilbert J. McKeachie Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes outstanding graduate student instructors who are currently teaching or have taught in the spring or summer terms of the previous academic year. Applicants must be members of STP and may join at any time.

Per STP policy, each fall, the prior year’s award applicants will receive an email reminding them that their applications will be automatically rolled over to be reviewed again in the upcoming cycle. At this point, former McKeachie applicants who are no longer in graduate school are welcome to update their materials and resubmit them in another award category (e.g., Jane S. Halonen, Adjunct Faculty, etc.) 

Award Criteria

The Wilbert J. McKeachie Excellence in Teaching Award is based on the following four criteria: (1) demonstrated influence in interesting students in the field of psychology, (2) development of effective teaching methods and/or teaching materials, (3) outstanding performance as a classroom teacher, and (4) concerns with professional identity as a teacher of psychology. Competitive applicants generally submit dossiers that address all of the criteria, but need not be equally accomplished in each one.

See below for a non-exhaustive, non-prescriptive list of suggestions for supporting evidence for each criterion and note that pieces of evidence may be submitted in different forms. For example, a syllabus can be included in a dossier exactly as-is, while publications can be noted in a CV or in a summary document that lists the citation and abstract for each one (rather than including the full-text publications themselves).

a)    papers or projects completed by students;
b)    activities, both curricular and co-curricular, intended to increase student interest and
c)     involvement in psychology;
d)    comments on student evaluations related to increased interest in the field of psychology

a)    description and sample of methods, materials, and course syllabi;
b)    evidence of successful evaluation of methods, materials, and course syllabi

a)    summary of student evaluations (see the primary ETA landing page for more details on how to prepare this document)
b)    evaluative observations by faculty and/or peers
c)     teaching awards and/or other forms of prior recognition

a)    professional activity on or away from campus;
b)    publications or presentations on the teaching of psychology at local, regional, or national conferences;
c)     attendance at professional meetings relevant to the teaching of psychology; 
d)    memberships and/or involvement in organizations related to teaching 

Submission Instructions

Apply for the Wilbert J. McKeachie Excellence in Teaching Award here.