Started in 2014, the Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) is a highly competitive award granted by Graduate Division that recognizes exceptional teaching demonstrated by a graduate student as a Teaching Assistant or Associate-In. Based on the strength of nomination letters and the nominee’s student teaching evaluations, a committee appointed by Graduate Division awards 2-3 DTAs annually. DTA Award recipients are recognized during the annual Graduate Division Excellence in Teaching Banquet held in the Spring term and receive a monetary prize. 

The UCR Graduate Division invites nominations from faculty, graduate peers, and undergraduate students wanting to honor a graduate student teacher who demonstrated effective, impactful, or innovative approaches to teaching in the classroom over the past year.

Nominations for the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Awards are now closed. Questions about the award should be directed to tadp@ucr.edu. 

More Information

• Eligibility

  Nominees must have been enrolled graduate students that held a teaching assistant or associate-in position during Spring 2023, Fall 2023, and/or Winter 2024 Quarter(s). Summer term appointments are not eligible for consideration of this award. Nominees are still eligible for the award if they graduated in Fall 2023 or Winter 2024.

• Nomination Procedures

  A nominee may receive letters of nomination from any of the following groups:

  • Faculty supervisors who have knowledge of the graduate student’s teaching
  • Graduate student peers who have knowledge of the graduate student’s teaching
  • Undergraduate students who have taken a class with the graduate student in Spring 2023, Fall 2023, and/or Winter 2024 Quarter(s)

  Self-nominations are allowed, but cannot be the only nomination letter for that nominee

  Letters of nomination should include the following information:

  • The nominee’s full name
  • The nominator’s name and association with nominee (e.g., course instructor, graduate student peer, student)
  • The course(s) and quarter(s) in which you have observed, participated in, or worked with the nominee (e.g., Biology 5A, Winter 2024)