Award for Excellence in Online Teaching

The self-nomination period for the Award for Excellence in Online Teaching is open through October 31, 2026.

Introduction to Award

Note: Only fully online (not hybrid) courses taught in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026 are eligible.

TXST Global is pleased to support the annual Award for Excellence in Online Teaching.

The award recipient will receive $3,500, and two runners-up will each receive $1,750, at a recognition reception. All recipients will be asked to present their work to the campus community.

The awardees may be asked to assume a leadership role in promoting online instruction at Texas State and serve on the Award Selection Committee the following year. 

Purpose of Award

The award recognizes and rewards superior online teaching, provides models of excellence for fellow faculty, and encourages all faculty to continue to improve and advance their online teaching pedagogy.

Nominations

To nominate yourself for the award, follow the submission directions below. You will need to complete a nomination form and submit documentation for one online course you taught in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026. It is recommended that you review the nomination form and documentation requirements well in advance of submission.

Apply by following the directions below.

Note: You will be required to provide access to a course site that allows judges to assess the quality and frequency of your interaction with students.

Submission Directions

1. Download and add comments to the Quality of Course Design Rubric. Your comments should summarize how your course addresses each point in the rubric. The rubric, along with your comments, the other nomination materials, and your course site, will be used to judge your submission.
2. Prepare a Student Feedback Report, which will be a copy of the student evaluations from the course's conclusion, as submitted to your academic department and the HB site. 
3. Complete the Award Nomination Form online, and attach the supporting documentation described above.
   • Note: Award Nomination Forms that do not include the required documentation (Quality of Course Design Rubric and Student Feedback Report) will not be considered. If you have any questions regarding the preparation of the documentation, please contact Extended Learning.
4. In your Course site in Canvas, please be prepared to provide permission for Award Selection Committee members to review and examine all aspects of your course.

Timeline

• Accept nomination form and documentation: April 30, 2026 - October 31, 2026
• Judge entries: November - December 2026
• Announce award recipients: January 2027

Note: The Award Selection Committee cannot provide award nominees with individualized feedback. 

Course Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to receive an award, courses must

• be developed and taught by faculty who meet the faculty eligibility criteria below;
• be 85% or more online; and
• have been taught online in Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026.

In addition, a faculty member may only nominate one course for consideration.

Faculty Eligibility Criteria 

• The applicant's primary appointment is for instructing classes at Texas State. 
• The applicant is in a faculty position.
• The applicant's primary affiliation is with TXST and primary role is instruction. 
• The applicant must hold one of the following approved titles: 
  • Tenured and Tenure-Line Faculty: 
    • Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor
    • Regents' Professor/Teacher
    • University Distinguished Professor
  • Non-Tenure Line Faculty: 
    • Professor/Associate/Assistant of Instruction, Practice, Clinical, or Research tracks
    • Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Clinical Lecturer, or Lecturer of Practice
    • Regents' Teacher
    • Emeritus/emerita faculty
  • Per Course: 
    • Clinical Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer
    • Emeritus/emerita per-course faculty

Award Criteria

The award is based exclusively on work the award applicant conducted while serving a teaching appointment at Texas State University. The criteria for the award include

• quality of the online course design;
• instructional and technology innovation; and
• student feedback on course effectiveness.

Award Selection Committee

The Online Steering Committee appoints an Award Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is comprised of the following:

• Committee chair
• Two to three faculty with demonstrated online teaching experience (may be filled using previous award recipients, and the faculty representatives must represent different departments)
• One representative from TXST Global

Eligibility of Previous Recipients

A previous recipient (whether winner or runner-up) of the Award for Excellence in Online Teaching

• may receive the award more than once, but not more than once every three years; and
• cannot receive the award for the same course more than once (e.g., if a faculty member was recipient of the award for work done on TXST 1301, they may not win the award subsequently for TXST 1301 but may nominate a different course).