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About the President’s Award for Innovation in Student Learning and Success

Students are at the center of everything that we do at Niagara College, and we are continuously refining our approaches or implementing new ones to serve their diverse and evolving needs.

This award recognizes members of the NC community, individuals, or teams, who have affected student engagement, learning, or success in remarkable ways by innovating aspects of their work or by creating new opportunities. This award celebrates the outstanding efforts of NC staff and the innovative spirit of the NC community while also sharing effective practices across our organization.

Innovation involves experimentation and exploration, and through this award we want to honour those who push the boundaries to improve student learning and success at Niagara College. Three awards will be distributed annually to individuals or teams who have implemented an innovation that addresses or anticipates an important student learning or success need.

Learn more about the award
Commitment to Sharing the Innovation

One of the central aims of the President’s Award for Innovation in Student Learning and Success is to promote the sharing of effective practices across Niagara College. For that reason, the college will feature and catalogue winning innovations in InsideNC. Awardees will also be expected to present their innovation to the Niagara College community through various teaching and learning opportunities over the year, such as sessions/events offered by the Centre for Academic Excellence (CAE).

Applying for the Award

Who can apply?
  • If you are a Niagara College staff member who has affected student engagement, learning, or success in remarkable ways by innovating aspects of your work or by creating new opportunities, you can nominate yourself or your team for this award.
  • If you are aware of an impactful innovation, but did not directly contribute to it, you can also nominate a peer or peers for this award.
How do I apply or nominate others?

Any employee at Niagara College can nominate an individual or a team – or apply for the award themselves – by completing the online Award Application Form

What does the award application entail?

The Award Application requires that you respond to a series of questions in an online survey and attach a detailed description of the innovation and its impacts. The description can be submitted in either written (PDF, doc or docx) or video (mp4) format.

Additional details can be found in the Format of Submissions section and the Application Questions section of this guide.

Eligibility

  • All employees (full- and part-time) engaged in the delivery and support of teaching or student success at Niagara College are eligible to apply or be nominated for this award. The lead applicant must be a Niagara College employee.
  • Individuals or teams may apply or be nominated for this award. Teams may be comprised of two or more collaborators within or across units at the college who have contributed meaningfully to the innovation. Teams can also include non-staff partners, such as students, employers, and community
  • Individuals/teams who have previously received a President’s Award for Innovation in Student Learning and Success are ineligible to receive a second award for the same innovation. However, specific individuals or teams are eligible to receive the award more than once over the course of their career at Niagara College.
  • Unsuccessful applicants may re-submit innovations for consideration in a subsequent award cycle.
  • Nominations require that the nominator communicate the intent to and have support from the nominee(s) direct supervisor(s).

Recipients will be asked to provide a detailed plan for the use of up to $2500 in funding and awards will be announced in October. Plans will be centrally approved before funds are released. Funds will only be released for approved purposes.

Format of Submissions

Submissions are comprised of two elements – applicants must:

Written Submissions
  • Please keep your submission to 10 typed pages maximum (including appendices), using 12-point font.
  • You will be asked to upload your written submission when you are in the online application form.
Video Submissions
  • Video submissions must be saved in mp4 format and should be no longer than 10 minutes.
  • You can use any mode to capture your video and include whatever you feel is important to include. For example, your video may include a slide presentation, just you or your team members speaking, or even quotes/testimonials. The only requirement is that you clearly answer the Application Questions .
  • You will be able to share a link to your video in the online application form. To generate the link, you will need to save your video to Niagara College’s OneDrive. For more information, see: Appendices – Accessing and Sharing Videos through OneDrive.

Application Questions – Preview

Below are the application questions that you can expect to see in the online Award Application Form.

  • Provide a brief description (150 word maximum) of the innovation.
  • Select the descriptor(s) that best reflect your innovation (check all that apply).
    • new ways of engaging students in learning or self-reflection,
    • the development and/or refinement of programs, courses, or resources,
    • the application of new technologies,
    • novel approaches to instruction, assessment, and student support,
    • initiatives that promote student engagement outside the classroom and build a sense of belonging in the college community,
    • creative opportunities to connect students with employers and communities,
    • or other valuable initiatives that we may not yet even be able to imagine.
  • Identify the college priorities that the project/innovation supports (check all that apply).
    • Engaging students in applied learning opportunities that help them to build transferable skills, improve their employability, and expand their professional networks.
    • Promoting inclusivity, cultural awareness, and/or addressing equity gaps for individuals and groups.
    • Improving the accessibility of learning experiences or success supports.
    • Promoting sustainability and social responsibility.
    • Supporting respectful and meaningful engagement with communities at local, regional, national, or international scales resulting in mutual benefit to the students and community members.
    • Promoting a holistic approach to student learning, wellness, and success.
  • Provide a detailed written or video description of the innovation that addresses each of the following:
    • What motivated the innovation?
    • How did you arrive at the innovation, including any experimentation, exploration or trial and error?
    • What was the impact of the innovation? Reflect specifically on the college priorities listed in the previous question and provide evidence to support your claims. Evidence may include, but not be limited to, student feedback, student testimonials, letters of support from colleague(s) or community member(s), evidence of improved student performance, retention, or success.
    • Reflecting upon your innovation (and the outcomes), what have you learned and what might you modify in the future?
Important:

If you are nominating a colleague(s), you should let the individual(s) that you are nominating know and seek their support before submitting the application. Because recipients will be required to share their innovation with the broader college community, it is essential that nominees are aware that they are being nominated and confirm their willingness to share their innovation with others should they be selected as an award recipient. You should also communicate your intent to nominate and have support from the nominee(s) direct supervisor.

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