About the Killam Teaching Prize

The Killam Scholarship and Prize Programmes were established in 1965 by Izaak Walton Killam and Dorothy J. Killam, with the aim to support advanced education and research at five Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts. UBC is one of six Killam institutions that offer the Killam Teaching Prize to faculty in recognition of excellence in teaching.

The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded to mid- to late-career, tenure or tenure-track faculty who serve as exemplary role models within UBC Okanagan’s teaching and learning community, and have and will continue to have a significant impact on the culture of teaching and learning on the Okanagan campus and beyond.

awards available

As of 2025, UBC Okanagan presents two Killam Teaching Prizes annually. To be eligible for nomination, the faculty member must have received prior awards in recognition of teaching excellence and/or innovation.

Recognition

Recipients of this award receive a $7,000 cash prize, generously funded by the Killam Foundation. In addition to being recognized at the annual Teaching Awards Ceremony and Convocation, Killam Teaching Prize recipients are invited to a ceremony and reception with the Killam Trustees, members of the Killam family and other Killam scholars at UBC.

Nomination and submission details

Who can nominate?

Nominators for the Killam Teaching Prize must be a department head, associate dean or dean (or equivilants). Faculty members cannot self-nominate for the award.

Nomination Process and timeline

The award timeline is divided into three distinct phases: Nomination, Submission and Recognition.

Nomination package requirements

Nomination packages must include the following:

1. Nomination form
2. Letter of nomination (from the nominator)
3. A letter of support from the nominee’s department head or director (unless department head or director is the nominator)
4. Selected letters of reference from students and/or colleagues
   • Up to 5 letters of support may be included.
   • One letter must be from a student and one letter must be from a UBC colleague
   • Killam Teaching Prize nominations must include a letter of support from the Faculty’s dean.
5. Teaching philosophy (max. 2 pages)
6. Personal statement explaining how the award criteria is met with specific examples (max. 3 pages)
7. The nominee’s UBC CV (no more than 15 pages; edited to focus on activities related to award criteria)
8. Overview of Student Experience of Instruction data (SEOTs, SEoIs, TEQs) (max. 2 pages)

Read Tips for Success

Get Advice: The Centre for Teaching and Learning can provide guidance to faculty members in developing their internal or external award nomination package. Contact ctl.ubco@ubc.ca to get connected with advice.

Submission details

• Nomination packages must be submitted electronically to the Provost’s Office by the deadline as one combined PDF document.
• Nomination packages should consider legibility and accessibility, including:
  • Using titles to structure a well-organized package
  • Using an accessible font type and size (such as Arial or Calibri, size 12)
  • Setting page margins to one inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
  • Ensuring adequate line spacing

Please note: Unsuccessful nominations will be carried forward for one year. Nominees will have the opportunity to update their nomination package ahead of the next year’s nomination deadline.

Award criteria

This award is intended to recognize exemplary educators who have demonstrated strong commitment to educational leadership, teaching excellence and educational innovation. Nominees should be able to demonstrate strong performance in all three categories, as well an intentional commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism.

Criteria categories

Educational Leadership

Educational leadership involves leading significant transformation in teaching and learning at an institutional, disciplinary, community, and/or societal level. Educational leadership fosters and supports change, and leads to a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse post-secondary education landscape.

Examples that demonstrate educational leadership may include (but are not limited to):

• Participation or leadership roles in professional associations
• Participation or leadership roles in community events or initiatives (on or off campus)
• Service through committees, task forces, advisory councils, etc.
• Partnerships and collaborative work with students, colleagues, institutions, etc.

Teaching Excellence

Teaching excellence refers to the intentional actions of an instructor to create an exceptional learning environment through engaging in pedagogical practices designed to maximize student learning. Excellent teachers engage in inclusive practices, scholarly teaching and ongoing reflection on their teaching practice.

Examples that demonstrate teaching excellence may include (but are not limited to):

• Courses and/or workshops improved or taught
• Student experience of instruction data (TEQs/SEOTs/SEoIs)
• Collaborative projects with colleagues, students, community, etc.
• Supervision provided to undergraduate and graduate students

Educational Innovation

Educational innovation is the novel execution of ideas that contribute to more effective teaching and learning practices. The result of educational innovation impacts people in academia and beyond to reach mutual goals.

Examples that demonstrate educational innovation may include (but are not limited to):

• Courses designed, created, or co-created (demonstrating new or improved activities)
• Initiatives/interventions to support students learning and development at the department, Faculty, or campus-level, beyond own teaching context.

Download the award rubric