Criteria will be rated on a scale from 1 to 5.

(1 = needs improvement; 2 = fair; 3 = good; 4 = very good; 5 = excellent; NA = not applicable)

1. Project Description

• Is clear and understandable.
• Serves the mission of the VCCS strategic plan.
• Demonstrates creativity/originality/”thinking outside the box.”
• Is based on sound educational principles and practices.

2. Applicability

• Is “user-friendly” and easily adopted by staff and students alike.
• Demonstrates transferability across disciplines and institutions and offers suggestions for such transferability.
• Demonstrates viability over an extended period of time

3. Impact

• Describes how the project makes teaching and learning more effective or efficient.
• Provides evidence on the size of the student population impacted by the project.

4. Effectiveness of Presentation (at the conference)

• Effectively communicated with the audience at the Excellence in Education reception.
• Effectively utilized technology at the Excellence in Education reception.
• Provided a 4-8 minute video of the project in use (optional).

Eligibility

Full-time and part-time VCCS employees of all personnel categories are eligible to receive the Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Best Practices in Teaching or be a member of an EIE award-winning team.

Submission

• Self-nominations for individuals or teams for the Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Best Practices in Teaching will be accepted through the conference web site until January 15, 2010 at 1:00 pm. Multiple nominees for a single project are asked to make their submission together. At this point, they are nominees.
• Out of the nominees, individuals or teams (called “finalists”) will be selected to present their project at the Excellence in Education reception (similar to a “poster session”) on Wednesday afternoon, April 7, 2010, , starting at 4:30 p.m. with a private hour with judges, followed by the full reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.  Finalists are also required to present their projects during a concurrent session. All are required to register for and attend the conference. Lead presenters are given top priority for lodging at the conference hotel.
• Finalists will be notified by February 1, 2010. Finalists will have 7 days to confirm their acceptance by emailing newhorizons@vccs.edu and putting "EIE Award Acceptance" in the subject line. 
• Winners will be determined among the finalists and will be announced the next day at the awards luncheon on April 8, 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I apply if I received an award last year?

Presenters of projects nominated and showcased in a prior year need to explain how the current year's nomination is new, materially improved, or materially different than the prior year's submission. Nominations must be for work done in the Virginia Community College System.

2. If selected as an Excellence in Education (EIE) Award: Best Practices in Teaching finalist, what type of presentation can I make?

Finalists will have a table in the Crystal Ballroom to display materials related to their project from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in a private hour with judges, followed by the full reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. on Wednesday, April 8. Finalists are also expected to provide a concurrent session on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, or Friday morning. Consult the call for proposals information to find out more about concurrent session requirements and opportunities. In addition, finalists are strongly encouraged to prepare a 4-8 minute video of their project in action to be shown at their table at the reception as well as possibly used at the awards ceremony itself, for conference promotions, and posting on the VCCS New Horizons iTunes University website.

3. What do the awardees get?

The college of the winning project will receive $300. The 1^st Runner-up will receive a $200 award. If multiple colleges are involved, the purse will be split between the colleges. Both awards may be used by the college(s) for travel, hardware, software, or other expenses to support the project.  Each project participant will receive a certificate.

4. How will my team communicate with the conference organizers?

All contacts between presenters and VCCS will be through email. The VCCS will contact only the primary author who will be responsible for informing the rest of his/her team of any communications between the system office and the team regarding this project.