Writing in the Disciplines Awards
The University Writing Program honors faculty members and graduate teaching assistants each year who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and planning Writing in the Disciplines (WID) courses. Please click the links below to jump to a specific award.
- Joseph P. Dymond WID Distinguished Teaching Award
- WID Best Assignment Design Award
- WID Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award
Joseph P. Dymond Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Teaching Award
and
Writing in the Disciplines Best Assignment Design Award
The Joseph P. Dymond WID Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated dedication, excellence, and innovation in the teaching of Writing in the Disciplines courses.
The WID Best Assignment Design Award recognizes excellence in assignment design and implementation.
Students, fellow faculty, and chairs may nominate faculty for these awards. Faculty may also self-nominate. Faculty are considered for both the Dymond Award and the Assignment Design Award at the same time; only one nomination and packet is required.
The Award Criteria, Selection Process, and Deadlines below are applicable to both the Dymond and Best Assignment Design Awards.
Award Criteria
- The nominee must have taught at least three complete semesters of WID.
- The design of the nominee’s WID course(s) must reflect an informed and innovative approach to the WID criteria, including the:
- development of students’ capacities as writers within a particular disciplinary context
- scaffolding of writing assignments throughout the term
- process of drafting and revising with faculty feedback
- practice of providing and receiving substantive feedback from peers
- For the Dymond Award, special consideration will be given to WID work beyond teaching, for example through workshop leadership, curricular development, conference presentations, or professional activities related to student writing.
Selection Process
Students, fellow faculty, and chairs may nominate faculty for these awards. Faculty may also self-nominate. Faculty are considered for both the Dymond Award and the Assignment Design Award at the same time; only one nomination and packet is required.
The process:
- Nomination form must be completed by the deadline (below) and the nominating party (student, colleague, or chair) must notify the nominee.
- The nominee is responsible for submitting the materials listed below by the deadline (below), compiled as a single PDF document and emailed to [email protected]:
- A letter of support from the nominee’s chair, explaining the nominee’s WID teaching and contributions to WID (1-2 pages).
- A letter of application from the nominee addressing their use of WID principles and practices, including how assignments elicit high achievement from student writers (2-3 pages).
- Relevant course documents, including syllabus, major assignments, scaffolding materials, handouts, etc. (about 10-20 pages).
- One or two examples (short or excerpted) of student writing (about 6 pages).
- 1-3 letters from students in support of the nomination (3-6 pages).
- Any additional evidence of teaching effectiveness and contribution to WID, including within the department, school, university, or profession.
- CV (no page limit).
- The entire PDF must not exceed 35 pages, exclusive of nominee's CV. The PDF must be named "Last Name, First Name WID Fac Award Nomination 2024."
- Email the PDF to to [email protected] with the subject heading: "Last Name, First Name - WID Fac Award Nomination 2024" to ensure it goes to the proper queue.
Deadlines
- November 30, 2023: Nomination forms for 2024 are due via InfoReady
- January 16, 2024: Submission packets due to [email protected] with the subject heading: "Last Name, First Name - WID Fac Award Nomination 2024" to ensure it goes to the proper queue.
The submission package should be a maximum of 35 pages, exclusive of nominee's CV.
*Nomination materials will not be returned*
Please contact [email protected] or 202-242-5327 with any questions.
Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award
This award recognizes outstanding contributions by graduate students to the teaching of writing at GW, either as a graduate assistant or as instructor of record in a WID course.
Undergraduate students, fellow graduate students, faculty mentors, directors of graduate studies, and department chairs may nominate graduate students for this award. Graduate students may also self-nominate.
Award Criteria
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The nominee must have taught at least two complete semesters of WID, either as GA or as instructor of record.
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The nominee’s WID teaching must reflect an informed and innovative approach to applying the WID criteria, including the:
- development of students’ capacities as writers within a particular disciplinary context
- scaffolding of writing assignments throughout the term
- process of drafting and revising with feedback from the GA/instructor
- practice of providing and receiving substantive feedback from peers
- Special consideration is given to graduate students who craft or revise curricular materials, lead workshops, or otherwise contribute to WID development in the department, school, university, or profession.
Selection Process
Undergraduate students, fellow graduate students, faculty mentors, directors of graduate studies, and department chairs may nominate graduate students for this award. Graduate students may also self-nominate.
The process:
- Nomination form must be completed by the deadline (below) and the nominating party (student, colleague, or chair) must notify the nominee.
- The nominee is responsible for submitting the materials listed below by the deadline (below), compiled as a single PDF document and emailed to [email protected]:
- A letter of support from the nominee’s chair or director of graduate studies, explaining the nominee’s WID teaching and contributions to WID (1-2 pages).
- A letter of support from at least one faculty member whose course(s) the nominee has supported, explaining the nominee’s WID teaching and contributions to WID (up to 4 pages).
- A letter of application from the nominee addressing their use of WID principles and practices, including how assignments elicit high achievement from student writers (2-3 pages).
- Relevant course documents the nominee created, revised, or sees as especially important to their work with students; these should be clearly explained in the nominee’s letter; e.g., the professors’ documents should be distinguished from materials the nominee created/revised (about 1-5 pages). If the nominee was instructor of record, the entire syllabus may be included (up to 10 additional pages).
- One or two examples (short or excerpted) of student writing (about 6 pages).
- 1-3 letters from students in support of the nomination (3-6 pages).
- Any additional evidence of teaching effectiveness and contribution to WID, including within the department, school, university, or profession.
- CV (no page limit).
- The entire PDF must not exceed 35 pages, exclusive of nominee's CV. The PDF must be named “Last Name, First Name WID Grad Award Nomination 2024.”
- Email the PDF to to [email protected] with the subject heading: "Last Name, First Name - WID Grad Award Nomination 2024" to ensure it goes to the proper queue.
Deadlines
- November 30, 2023: Nomination form for 2024 are due
- January 16, 2024: Submission packets due to [email protected] with the subject heading: "Last Name, First Name - WID Grad Award Nomination 2023" to ensure it goes to the proper queue.
The submission package should be a maximum of 35 pages, exclusive of nominee's CV.
*Nomination materials will not be returned*
Please contact [email protected] or 202-242-5327 with any questions.
2023 Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Teaching Award Winners Video
2020-2022 Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Teaching Award Winners Video
2019 Writing in the Disciplines Distinguished Teaching Award Winners Video
All previous Writing in the Dsiciplines Distinguished Teaching Award Winners