TC Q&As

What types of UBC-V BEd awards are there?

UBC-V BEd awards can be divided into two main categories: Entrance and End-of-Year awards.

There are 7 entrance awards and about 100 end-of-year awards.

Entrance award descriptions can be found in the list of UBC-V BEd awards here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/  and are awarded based solely on GPA.  Although every entrance award may not be offered every year, they are as follows:

    • University Women’s Club Vancouver Dr. Evlyn Fenwick Farris Scholarship
    • CK Choi Scholarship in Secondary Education
    • Chitose Uchida memorial Prize
    • Michael J. Crooks Memorial Scholarship
    • University Women’s Club of Vancouver School in Education
    • Mary A. Bryant Scholarship in Education
    • Mary Anne McWaters Bursary in Medicine/Education

There are approximately 100 end-of-year awards listed  here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/ along with links to application forms and instructions. End of year awards can also be divide up into three categories:

    • Adjudicated Course/Practicum Awards
    • Outstanding Practicum Awards
    • Outstanding Community Field Experience (CFE) Awards

What is the difference between an “Adjudicated Course/Practicum Award” and an “Outstanding Practicum Award”?

Adjudicated  Course/Practicum awards usually come with financial compensation and are adjudicated by a committee composed of Faculty members from each UBC Faculty of Education Department.  Instructors and faculty advisors (FAs) are able to nominate teacher candidates (TC) for Adjudicated Course/Practicum awards, and TC’s are able to self nominate themselves for Adjudicated Course/Practicum Awards.

Outstanding Practicum Awards (and Outstanding CFE Awards) are not adjudicated by a committee and come with no financial compensation (although it does ‘pay back’ as a line on the TC’s resume).  Instead TC’a are nominated by their FA only, and every TC nominated for an Outstanding Practicum Award (and Outstanding CFE Award) receives said award.

Who is eligible to be considered for a UBC-V BEd Award?

All BEd teacher candidates, who will be completing their certification year and who are attending the UBC-V Point Grey Campus, or a Native Indigenous Teacher Education Program  (NITEP) field centre outside of Greater Vancouver, are eligible for the UBC-V BEd awards. All nominations are entered, and information distributed through this webpage: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/

UBC Teacher candidates, who will be completing their certification year and who are attending the West Kootenay Teacher Education Program (WKTEP), or the Rural and Remote Program (R&R) , are eligible for awards offered through through their individual programs.  Instructors or FAs for the WKTEP and R&R  programs,  do not use the award nomination forms or instructions listed at the above URL.  Instead they are encouraged to speak to their program coordinator/manager to determine their program’s awards and awards processes.

What is the application processes for entrance and end-of-year awards?

Entrance awards are based solely on teacher candidates’ GPA, and are assigned automatically. Therefore, teacher candidates do not apply for entrance awards.

However, to be considered for an end-of-year award the teacher candidate must either be nominated by an instructor/faculty/FA or the teacher candidate must self nominate themselves (and be supported by two different instructors and/or faculty and/or FAs). Instructions for applying for an end of year award is outline here:  https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/application-process/ (and question answered below in this blog).

Where can I find the UBC BEd award nomination forms?

UBC BEd nomination forms are located here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/

What are the deadlines for submitting a nomination?

UBC BEd award nomination deadlines are listed here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/

The awards page says “nomination should be made at the end of each course”.  Can a teacher candidate or faculty member submit a nomination two months after 1st term courses have been completed?

Yes. Award nominations for any term can be submitted at an time up until the UBC BEd award nomination deadlines listed here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/

Can teacher candidates self-nominate themselves for an award?

UBC-V teacher candidates can self-nominate themselves using the form: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/forms/student-self-nomination-form/.

Must all self-nominations be accompanied by two supporting nominations?

Yes. A teacher candidate must also have two additional ‘supporting’ nominations submitted by two of the teacher candidate’s instructors, or one instructor and one FA. (The supporting nomination form, called the Faculty Reference Form for Self-Nominated Teacher Candidates, can be found here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/forms/faculty-reference-form/). Faculty advisors may incorporate school advisors’ insights into the faculty  advisor’s nomination, however school advisors are unable to submit nominations themselves.

Can a teacher candidate self nominate themselves more than once?

No.  Only the most recent nomination will be forwarded to the BEd Awards Adjudication committee.

Should the self nominating teacher candidate choose two instructors, or one instructor and one FA, to support their self nomination?

There are three types of funded end-of-year BEd program awards:  1) performance in course work, 2) performance in practicum work, and 3) performance in both course work and practicum work. Although the exact number of awards funded from year to year varies considerably, there are approximately 30 course work awards, 10 practicum awards and 70 course/practicum awards.. If the teacher candidate feels their strengths are in their coursework, it is highly recommended that both supporting nominations come from instructors.  If they feel their strengths are in practicum work or across both course work and practicum work, it is recommended that one supporting nomination come from an instructor and he other come from a practicum Faculty Advisor.

Are teacher candidates recommended to submit their self nomination before or after practicum?

Teacher candidates can self nominate themselves for an award at any time from Jan 1 – May 30.  Aside from submitting between these dates, there is no recommended time to submit a nomination.  Having said this, there are a handful of awards that incorporate selection criteria that focuses on both the teacher candidate’s course and practicum work, and the Teacher Education Office receives many of these nominations closer to the end of award submission deadline.  Moreover, many award nominations come as Winter term 2 courses are completed.

A faculty advisor is also a teacher candidate’s coursework instructor.  Can /Should the teacher candidate ask this faculty advisor/instructor to submit two supporting reference nominations both as the teacher candidates faculty advisor and as the teacher candidate’s coursework instructor?

Self-nominating teacher candidates are required to ask two different FA’s/instructors/Faculty to submit separate supporting reference nominations. This results in three separate nominations: the teacher candidate’s self-nomination and two different supporting reference nominations.  Having nominations written by three different people often adds depth to a nomination while information corroborated across three different people adds credibility to a nomination. Although the committee will adjudicate two supporting nominations from a teacher candidates FA, and who is also the teacher candidates instructor (for example), we strongly recommend the teacher candidate approach a different instructor or FA to submit a supporting reference nomination (and then the teacher candidate includes these two different names on the teacher candidate’s self-nomination form).

Do BEd instructors know that Teacher Candidates will be approaching them to ask the instructor to submit a Faculty Reference Form for Self-Nominated Teacher Candidates? 

Yes.

Can a teacher candidates self nominate themselves for an Outstanding Practicum Award and/or an Outstanding CFE Award?

No.  Self-nominations are for adjudicated coursework and or practicum awards only. Please see the second question from the top of this page for more information.

If a teacher candidate knows they’ve already been nominated by their instructor/FA/SA/Faculty for an award can (or should) they still self nominate?

We ask that instructors/FAs/SAs/Faculty keep their nominations confidential, meaning teacher candidates should not know they have been nominated for an award, and therefore would be self nominating themselves regardless.  In the case where a teacher candidate is made aware of an  instructor’s/FA’s/Faculty’s coursework nomination in error, it is still a good idea for a teacher candidate to self nominate themselves as they will provide extra information that will help the adjudicating committee make their decision.

Can a teacher candidate ask a BEd program manager, or anyone else in the UBC Teacher Education Office, to verify that their instructor(s) and/or FA have submitted a supporting nomination (or nomination) on the teacher candidate’s behalf?

No. Nominations are treated as confidential, thus TEO program managers and TEO staff are unable to confirm that a teacher candidate’s instructor/s and or FA submitted a supporting nomination on the teacher candidate’s behalf.

Can a teacher candidate ask a BEd program manager, or anyone else in the UBC Teacher Education Office, to verify that the teacher candidate’s self-nomination was received.

Each nomination submission produces a confirmation message that is displayed right after a nomination is submitted.  However, if the teacher candidate’s submission seems to be interrupted and no confirmation message is received, they may reach out to the Teacher Education Office to request a verification that their self nomination was received.

What should a teacher candidate’s personal statement consist of?

As stated in the student self-nomination form, a personal statement should ‘In 300 words, explain why [a teacher candidate] should be considered for an award or scholarship. Include evidence of excellent quality of work, originality, leadership, and contribution to the program”.

Do teacher candidates apply for specific awards or is it just a general application?

A teacher-candidate’s self nomination alerts the BEd Awards Committee to the teacher candidate’s interest in being considered for one or more BEd awards.  Details about the teacher candidate’s accomplishments usually comes from the teacher candidate’s two supporting nominators. However, we recommend teacher candidates read the award descriptions (https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards/) before writing their 300 word personal statement to ensure their nomination form and personal statement contains information that would help award adjudicators match the teacher candidate’s “evidence of excellent quality of work, originality, leadership, and contribution to the program” to a/several specific award/s.

If a teacher candidate believes they are suited for a particular award, they can also indicate this in their personal statement.

Can the TEO provide a teacher candidate direction on how to write a self nomination?

No.  Teacher candidates are encouraged to review the self-nomination form carefully, and complete it with as much pertinent information as possible. It is important for teacher candidates to note that it is easier for award adjudicators to match a nominee to an award if the nomination information demonstrates the teacher candidate’s excellence in learning and teaching in the BEd program (and this excellence rises above competing nominations), while also demonstrating that the nominee meets the selection criteria specific to a specific award (or several awards).

Are self-nominations the only way to a teacher candidate can be nominated for BEd awards, or can BEd instructors and Faculty members also nominate students of their own accord?

Faculty Advisors and instructors can nominate TCs for a BEd award directly (without the TC knowing using the Instructor/Faculty Nomination Form), and/or they can be asked to nominate (in support of the TC’s self-nomination) through the Faculty Self Reference Form for Self Nominated Teacher Candidates. Faculty advisors do not need to nominate a teacher candidate twice through both forms as either form will suffice as support of the self nomination.

Is an ‘unsolicited’ nomination more advantageous than a self nomination? 

An unsolicited nomination does not provide any advantage over a self nomination.  The most impactful or advantageous nominations (regardless if they are self nominations or nominations directly from an instructor/FA/Faculty) are nominations that are clearly written, use details to bring the teacher candidate’s instructional accomplishments/engagement/impact alive, highlight the teacher candidate’s outstanding and exceptional teaching and/or learning qualities, and clearly demonstrates how the teacher candidate meets the selection criteria for specific and/or general awards listed here: https://teach.educ.ubc.ca/students/awards.

Are Teacher Candidates only considered for an award if they nominate themselves? Or is it also possible to be considered without a self-nomination?

Teacher candidates do not need to self-nominate themselves to be considered for an award. Instructors and faculty advisors (and school advisors through the faculty advisor) can nominate a student for an award, and this is sufficient to be considered for available BEd awards.  Thus, some students who do not self-nominate themselves can be pleasantly surprised when they win an award and deduce (since they did not submit a self-nomination) that one/several of their instructor/s and/or faculty advisor/s (and/or SA and FA) nominated them without telling the teacher candidate.

Can a School Advisor’s nominate a teacher candidate or submit a reference in support of a self nomination?

Yes.  However it must be submitted through and by the teacher candidate’s Faculty Advisor.

If nominated/self-nominated for a UBC BEd course award, is the teacher candidates considered for all UBC BEd course awards?

Yes. Every UBC BEd course award nomination (self-nominated or not) is considered for all  course awards. Understandably the criteria for some awards (e.g., the Tsutae and Hanako Sato Prize) have such specific selection criteria, that most nominations are only very briefly considered.  Whereas as more general awards (e.g., Marilyn Hunnings Memorial Scholarship in Education) result in many nominations being considered.

If a teacher candidate believes they qualify for an award, should they make their self-nomination as “general” as possible, or should they enter information that focuses on one specific award?

Since there are many factors that go into the matching of awards to teacher candidates, it is difficult to give advice on way or the other for this question.  For example, some years a specific award has only one or two nominations that meet the awards selection criteria, whereas in other years the same award has many qualified nominations.  If teacher candidates were advised to focus their nomination on a specific award, and it just happens that that year there are many competitive nominations for that specific award, then their chances may be less than if they made their nomination more general.  However if it is a year where there are few to no nominations, their chances would increase.

Having said this, what is most important is that nominators pay close attention to the criteria outlined in the specific awards and presented on the form.  Competitive nominations make it clear  (either in specific and/or general terms) that the teacher candidate meets and/or exceeds specific (or general) selection criteria.

Must a  Faculty member (FA/instructor) submit a second nomination for the Associate Dean of Teacher Education Award?

Yes.  This is the only award adjudicated by the BEd awards committee that is considered through its own nomination form.

Can a teacher candidate self nominate themselves for the Associate Dean of Teacher Education award?

No.  Only UBC BEd instructors and FAs can nominate a teacher candidate for the Associate Dean of Teacher Education Award.

Can a UBC-V BEd teacher candidate nominate another UBC-V BEd  teacher candidate?

No.  A teacher candidate can only self nominate themselves.

Can a teacher candidate self nominate themselves for the Associate Dean award?

No.  Only a faculty member (instructor/FA) can nominate a teacher candidate.

When are award winners notified?

Winners of entrance awards are usually notified in the first term of their BEd program.  Winners of end-of-year awards are notified the first September and October following the end of the teacher candidate’s BEd program.   Winners of end-of-year awards are asked to keep this information to themselves until the BEd awards ceremony – usually held the third or fourth week of the November following program completion.

Are awards offered annually?

Most awards are offered annually, however a very small number are offered bi-annually.

I’m on a tw0 (or three or four) year program plan, will I qualify for an award each year?

No. A teacher candidate must be in their final year and have completed all required BEd requirements and be graduating to be considered for an end-of-year award.

What happens if I’m on a two (or three or four) year  program and in the first year an instructor/FA/Faculty member nominates me? 

If this happens the nomination is forwarded to the awards cycle of the teacher candidate’s graduating year.

How are BEd awards Adjudicated?

Funded awards

Adjudicated Awards are divided between, and adjudicated by, the NITEP Awards Committee, the BEd Awards Committee, and the Faculty of Education’s Departmental Awards committees.  Each committee is made up of multiple faculty representatives (or adjudicators) who work in the BEd program. For example, the BEd Awards Committee is responsible for matching the majority of BEd awards with deserving teacher candidates, and the committee consists of four faculty members (one from each department contributing to the BEd program’s academic content) and one Teacher Education Office representative.

Although each committee has a slightly different process for adjudicating awards, in essence committee members are asked to individually review and assess the merit and accomplishments presented in every nomination.  Each adjudicator then: 1) matches the qualities/intentions of each nomination (faculty and self) to current award selection criteria or requirements, and then, 2) chooses one nomination that best meets each award’s specific (and/or general) selection criteria, intentions, or requirements (e.g., demonstration of excellence in using children literature on practicum, or degree of financial need during program, etc.).

Some awards are divided between several teacher candidates.  In this case, the committee member selects multiple nominations that best meets each award’s specific (and/or general) selection criteria.

Committee members then meet as a group to compare, contrast, debate, discuss, adjudicate, and democratically decide (sometimes through a vote), a final list of nominees that best meets each award’s unique selection criteria or requirements.

Non-Funded Awards

Faculty advisors often work with practicum school advisors and CFE partners in determining if any of their teacher candidates should be nominated for an Outstanding Practicum Award and/or Outstanding CFE Award.  If the FA nominates a TC for either award, and the TC is cleared for graduation, then the TC will automatically receive either (or both) awards.

Can teacher candidates ask their program manger or a representative of the Teacher Education Office to find out if their instructor’s have submitted a supporting nomination form (titled “Faculty Reference Form for Self-Nominated Teacher Candidate“)?

No. All nominations, including whether a nomination has been submitted or received, is treated as confidential information.