Hi everyone,
The department of graduate studies just circulated an email seeking nominations for the GSA's Annual
Teaching Assistant Excellence Award. I thought to myself, "Where better to publicize than Macinsiders?" and so here we are!
Personally, I'm a huge fan of awards like this because they not only reward the remarkable TAs who are actually committed to their job, but the prospect of such awards also motivates TAs to better themselves and deliver the higher level of academic excellence. Be sure to nominate your favourite TA(s) so they have a chance at the respect of their peers, and a nice cash stipend to boot! Nominations take literally 5 minutes and are submitted through an electronic form.
The GSA Teaching Assistant Excellence Award
The Graduate Students Association gave its first TA Teaching Assistant Excellence Award in 1986-87. This award honors the contributions that teaching assistants make to undergraduate education at McMaster University. Each year, the TA Excellence Award's selection committee accepts nominations from undergraduate students. The nominees are evaluated by their students on the following criteria: (1) commitment to teaching, (2) reliability, (3) enthusiasm for the subject matter, (4) personality, (5) adaptability, and (6) communication skills. In addition to formal recognition, the award winner will receive a $375 cash prize.
The online nomination form is available here. (http://www.mcmaster.ca/gsa/gradsday10/TA.html)
General Information
Nominations should be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 13th 2010. 
