please note this call is now closed

What constitutes “Innovation” in teaching and Learning?
For the purpose of this award  “innovation” is considered to be a teaching/learning approach that is unique or pioneering, and has not been implemented previously. The innovation need not have been implemented via technology.

Nomination process
Nominations are invited for innovative contributions in the area of teaching and learning, in keeping with the following guidelines:

• Nominations must be for an a teaching/learning innovation which must have been implemented.
• Innovations shortlisted for previous iterations of the award cannot be considered.
• The award is open to staff and students in all Irish education sectors.
• The submission for the nomination must capture the essence of the innovative idea. Each reviewer will spend no more than 10 minutes reviewing your initial submission, so they must be able to understand the essence of the innovation, and rate it against the specific evaluation criteria, within this time frame.
• You may nominate your own work or someone else’s but, if short-listed, the originator/instigator of the idea must be the presenter/one of the presenters at the judging final during the EdTech 2014 Conference.
• It is important that your submission illustrates/provides examples of how the idea was implemented in teaching and learning, how it was brought to life, and how it impacted learners.
• Nominations must be for a specific work/project/idea, rather than for an individual person or group.
• Nominations must be submitted via email to jenniferburkeaward@gmail.com and should include the following:
  1. Submission title
  2. A short summary of the innovative idea (140-characters max). Summaries of shortlisted awards will be used to promote the award via Twitter in advance of EdTech.
  3. Nominee/Nominator contact details
  4. A more detailed description of the innovative idea (150 words maximum). This should include:
     • A clear, concise description of the innovation, and explain why it is innovative. Note that the scope of the innovations may be broad  (for example concerned with a whole module or programme) or more specific (for example concerned with a specific learning outcome or threshold concept).
     • Detail on the pedagogical rationale behind the innovation
     • Detail on how the innovation has been implemented
     • Detail on what lessons have been learned from the implementation For example, how might you convince someone else that the innovation was successful?
  5. Either a short PowerPoint presentation (up to 5 slides), or 5 minute video (mp4 format),  highlighting key points of the nomination.
  6. If desired, a link to a URL may be included, to illustrate or support the submission. However, please note the reviewing time constraints above.

Evaluation process

• On receipt of nominations, all nominations will be reviewed by a short-listing committee comprised of the Jennifer Burke Award committee and representation  from the ILTA steering group.
• Based on their review of the submissions, members of the short-listing committee will each award marks under the following headings for submissions:
  1. What was the innovative idea and how was it innovative? (10 points/50%)
  2. What was the rationale for the idea? (5 points/25%)
  3. The creativity and quality of the submission (5 points/25%)
• Four shortlisted applicants will be invited to make a short five minute presentation of their submission at the 2014 EdTech conference in UCD on 29 May. This presentation session will be followed by a five minute Question and Answer session with the audience. On completion of the presentations, the audience will vote for the innovation that they feel should win the 2014 Award.
• Short-listed candidates will have their EdTech conference and conference dinner fee waived (In the case of a team submissions, one member of the short-listed team will have his/her EdTech conference and conference dinner fee waived).
• The 150-word briefing abstract for each short-listed nomination will be made available prior to the judging panel event.

Award Activities

• The final judging event will take place on 29th May in UCD, and the award will be presented at the EdTech Conference dinner on the evening of 29th May.
• The winner must be present to accept their award.

How to submit

• Please submit your nomination via email to jenniferburkeaward@gmail.com.
• Any queries regarding the award should also be directed to jenniferburkeaward@gmail.com.
• You should receive an email confirmation of receipt of your submission within 48 hours of submitting your nomination.

Key dates

• Call opens: 18th March 2014
• Deadline for submission of nominations: *extended* to 2nd May 2014
• Shortlisted applicants notified: 13th May 2014
• Final judging event: 29th May 2013 at EdTech 2014, University College Dublin