There are 2 juries for the Education Awards: 

1. A jury for the awards for individual teachers (category Active Learning and category Inclusive Education); 
2. A jury for the awards for courses, teams, or projects (category Collaborative Education and category Innovative Education). 

The juries consist of engaged UvA staff members with expertise related to the categories, as well as students from the Central Student Council and the Student Assessor. With the composition of the jury, we aim to form a representative reflection of UvA experts related to the categories. The jury ultimately decides who will receive the education awards. They know how many times each nominee has been nominated. Each individual nomination includes a written explanation of approximately one paragraph (maximum 100 words) in which students/staff have had to motivate their choice.

From nominee to candidate

All nominees will be informed of their nomination by email. For each faculty, the nominees with the most nominations per category will be invited to put themselves forward as Education Ambassadors. They have a chance to receive an Education Award by submitting a letter to the jury that includes:

• A response to the motivation for the nominations submitted by students and staff;

• An explanation of their teaching approach (what the nominee has done, what choices were made? Optionally, additional clarification of certain educational choices that may not be visible to students and/or staff and therefore were not mentioned in the nomination forms);

• A justification of the choices made and their educational vision (the ‘why’ behind them, and how these choices and the vision relate to the category of this education award);

In addition, candidates are asked to share a good practice from their teaching. This example should provide insight into:

• How the lecturer excels within the relevant category;

• What the (learning) objective and concrete (learning) outcome for students are within the example provided;

• Why this example, according to the nominee, qualifies as a good practice within the category.

The entire submission may be a maximum of two A4 pages. Instead of written text, the submission may (partially) be delivered as a video, podcast, interview, or poster, with a maximum duration of ten minutes or the equivalent of two A4 pages. Other innovative formats are encouraged, in consultation with the jury chair.

The jury proces

The juries receive the letters and 'good practices' submitted by all candidates within their respective prize categories. Based on these, they make a preliminary selection of Education Ambassador candidates. Each jury member then individually assigns points to their top three candidates, using the established assessment criteria.

Next, the two juries meet separately to select the four final Education Ambassadors. A carefully reasoned decision is provided for each category.
The juries aim to honour a broad and diverse representation of the UvA teaching community with the Education Awards. In cases of equal merit, they may deliberate further, taking into account the faculty affiliation and background of the candidates. All decisions will be substantiated in a public jury report.

Assessment criteria

There are general criteria and category-specific criteria. The general criteria are intended to ensure that the education awards are granted to those who are able to present their ‘good practice’ in a clear and inspiring way. This is important in order to effectively fulfill the role of ambassador. Each jury has additional criteria that are specifically applicable to their own category. These category-specific criteria are based on the focus areas and ambitions outlined in the UvA Institutional Plan and the UvA Education Vision.

General Criteria

• Does the candidate provide a clear insight into the choices they have made?

• Does the candidate demonstrate a convincing educational vision related to the category?

• Does the example used show that the lecturer excels within that category?

Additional Criteria for Student Activating Teaching

• To what extent does the lecturer make effective use of active learning methods?

• To what degree does the lecturer actively involve students in the learning process?

Additional Criteria for Inclusive Teaching

• How accessible is the lecturer’s teaching for students from diverse backgrounds and with different talents?

• To what extent does the lecturer promote equal opportunities within their teaching?

Additional Criteria for Collaborative Teaching

• To what extent does collaboration take place beyond the lecturer’s own discipline (with other disciplines or societal partners)?

• To what extent does this collaboration contribute mutually to the advancement of knowledge and/or the solving of complex issues?

Additional Criteria for Innovative Teaching

• How innovative is the teaching offered?

• To what extent does this innovation have the potential to contribute to a powerful learning environment?