Pedagogical Innovation Awards
First Year Success supports innovation and excellence in teaching first year students. The
Pedagogical Innovation Awards are designed to reward FYS faculty who have implemented changes
in pedagogy that help engender success in the long-term. Success is defined broadly to include
various forms of student learning and engagement. Examples include: increased student
comprehension and GPAs, better retention rates, deepening ability for critical inquiry,
opportunities for relationship building, and service to the local community.
Up to ten awards will be granted to Fall applicants and up to five for Spring applicants. To apply,
interested faculty should submit the following application that allows you to describe and
document your own pedagogical innovations and their impact on student success. Innovations such
as course integration, service-learning, undergraduate research, collaborative assignments and
projects, Just In Time teaching, Universal Design for Learning, and others could all be eligible
provided faculty members can document improved student learning and/or engagement among
first year students. Evidence may include things such as improved grades, student assignment
artifacts, student reflections and assessments, etc. We are interested in what worked, what didn’t
work, and how your innovations can be re-tooled for later semesters.
Each award totals $500 and is open to all faculty (affiliate, lecturer, tenure-track, and tenured)
teaching First Year Success classes. To be eligible, faculty must have taught a FYS section at least
twice to document the effect of the pedagogical shift, including the semester of application.
Furthermore, faculty can only receive the award once every three years. Course Enhancement
Award recipients are not eligible during the first three semesters of their intentionally paired
learning communities.
To apply, submit the following by January 28, 2016 (for Fall courses) to fys@msudenver.edu.
1. A brief description of your pedagogical innovation.
2. A brief explanation of its effect on student learning and/or engagement.
3. Documentation of above (up to 10 pages). Examples include: syllabus, assignment prompts,
grade reports, student feedback, etc.
Award recipients will be notified within one month of the deadline. Both 900 numbers and position
numbers are needed to complete salary supplement paperwork.
Pedagogical Innovation Award Application
Due January 28, 2016 for Fall 2014 classes
To be eligible for this award, please submit answers to the following questions to
fys@msudenver.edu. Your responses should be a minimum of two pages (text boxes are
expandable). Please limit your documentation to ten pages or less.
Name and Title of Applicant
Department
Extension
Email
Which pedagogical innovation did you implement?
Describe the effect of this innovation. Was it successful? In what ways?
How may you re-tool it for future use?
Please make an annotated list of your attached documents.
Please attach the documents in one file (Word or pdf).