CETL's New "Thank an Instructor!" Program

by Josh Eyler, CETL director

Great teaching deserves more recognition. I know that is a rather uncontroversial statement, but it merits saying nonetheless.

But what do we mean when we talk about recognizing outstanding teaching in UM's classrooms? Some of this recognition happens through promotion and tenure, although this is a very formal kind of recognition. Some of it is conveyed through teaching awards, but these only recognize one instructor at a time. And while all of these winners are deserving, there are so many faculty who are doing amazing work with students here.

In light of this, CETL is beginning a recognition program called "Thank an Instructor!". The goals and the methods are simple. We have created a form where students can write messages of thanks to instructors whose teaching has really mattered to them. By using the term "instructor" here, we are not referring to any one particular rank of faculty, but instead we have chosen it as a good fit for describing our teaching role in a way that will resonate with both students and faculty.

We have sent this form to all students, and it is available on our website as well. Once a message is sent in, we redirect it to the faculty for whom it is intended.

It is our hope that this program helps to shine a spotlight on the incredible teaching at our university.