ADEA/Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Excellence in Teaching Award

Purpose

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA)/Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes dental educators who demonstrate exemplary standards and promote excellence in dental education through scholarship and innovation. The award is ultimately aimed at enriching educational experiences by generating intellectual excitement within dental institutions and programs.

This commitment to excellence and the scholarship of teaching and learning may be demonstrated in any dental, allied dental or advanced dental instructional setting, including classroom or laboratory instruction, clinical teaching or preceptorships, research and instructional mentoring, continuing education, community-based instructional settings or electronically mediated teaching and learning experiences. 

Overview

The ADEA Council of Faculties established and participates in the selection process for this highly prestigious award. To ensure the excellence and continuity of the award, the ADEA Council of Faculties strongly recommends the recipient maintain a high profile in teaching excellence within his or her school or program and at nationally recognized educational forums.

The recipient should also be actively involved in identifying future nominees. The recipient will receive a $2,500 award to be used to enhance his or her teaching efforts. The recipient is encouraged to share his or her expertise with ADEA members through submission to ADEA weTeach®, poster or presentation at a future ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition, submission of an article to Journal of Dental Education and/or other similar appropriate venues.

Eligibility Requirements

Nominees are to be identified and recognized initially within individual institutions or programs of dental, allied dental or advanced dental education. Ideally, identification, review and recognition of the candidates will be coordinated by a team comprised of: 

• The ADEA Council of Faculties Representative, if available, or if the nominee is the ADEA Council of Faculties Representative, another faculty member from that institution or program should serve on the nomination team.
• The dean, academic dean or program director.
• A peer teaching professional.
• An appropriate student or alumni representative.

Nominations are to be forwarded by the dean or program director. General characteristics and identifiers of excellence in teaching include the following: 

• General Characteristics
• Commitment to principles of lifelong learning.
• Demonstrated creativity in curriculum design or innovation in the delivery of education to students.
• Motivation of students to study and master subject matter or clinical competency.
• Regarded by peers as an excellent educator.
• Exemplary mentoring skills.
• Student-centered approach that shows concern for growth and development.
• Identifiable impact on student learning.
• Teaching Excellence Identifiers
• Performance evaluations conducted by peers and students.
• Application of the philosophy of the scholarship of teaching and learning.
• Development of innovative teaching and learning strategies or technologies.
• Continuous improvement of courses.
• Articles, invited presentations or workshops on teaching strategies and effectiveness.
• Excellence in Clinical Instruction
• Provides thorough orientation for students in their clinical experiences.
• Discusses scientific underpinnings for patient management protocols.
• Cultivates students’ analytical abilities and judgment skills.
• Integrates textbooks and didactic learning into clinical encounters.

The nominee must demonstrate excellence in teaching students, hold a full-time faculty appointment at an ADEA Member Institution and be an ADEA Individual Member.

Application Process Checklist

The following items must be submitted by Sept. 19, 2024, using the ADEA online application process.

1. An abbreviated curriculum vitae including:
• Name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers and email address.
• Title and academic rank.
• Employer.
• Years of experience.
• Current academic appointment.
• Previous academic appointment(s).
• Educational background (area of study, schools and programs attended and graduation dates).
• Other training or education (fellowships, residencies, courses and completion dates).
• Teaching accomplishments, honors and awards.
2. An optional listing of key publications and presentations.
3. A listing of career highlights.
4. A composite letter of nomination to be prepared by the dean, academic dean or program director with input from the ADEA Council of Faculties institutional representative, if available, a peer professional and a student or alumni representative. The letter should detail the nominee’s contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning and describe the reasons the nominee should receive the award. This letter must identify the nominee’s past recognition and summarize the most recent course evaluations.
5. A personal statement outlining: 
• The nominee’s educational development, self-learning, growth in teaching and goals.
• The nominee’s philosophy of teaching and ways he or she has contributed to the student learning experience.
• How the award will be used to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning.  

Notification Date and Award Announcement

Scholarship recipients and applicants not receiving awards will be notified on or before Dec. 12, 2024.   

Awards will be announced during the 2025 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition, March 8–11, 2025, in National Harbor, MD.