Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence
Encouraging innovations
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE
NU Learning and Teaching Committee (NU LTC) annually recognizes outstanding university teaching performed by faculty, teaching fellows, instructors, and graduate teaching assistants.
The Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence was established in 2021 in addition to the existing eight nominations (Innovative Teaching, Integrating Research and Teaching – The Sofiya An Award, Inclusive Teaching,
Academic Integrity – The Kehinde Award, Internationalization, Leadership in Teaching, Sharing NU Experience, and Master Teacher). The Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence is open only to NU GTAs.
The Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence was established in 2021 in addition to the existing eight nominations (Innovative Teaching, Integrating Research and Teaching – The Sofiya An Award, Inclusive Teaching,
Academic Integrity – The Kehinde Award, Internationalization, Leadership in Teaching, Sharing NU Experience, and Master Teacher). The Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence is open only to NU GTAs.
Each March, the Chair of the NU LTC (Learning and Teaching Committee) will call for nominations for the NU-level teaching awards. Nominations are to be provided to the Chair of the School level LTC according to the Timeline.
All faculty members, teaching fellows, instructors, and graduate teaching assistants, with the exception of the current members of the NU LTC, can be nominated for a teaching award. Self-nominations are acceptable. All nomination forms need to be signed by a colleague familiar with the teaching of the nominee, or the appropriate Dean, Vice-Dean, or Department Chair.
Applications to the category can be submitted by individuals or by groups of up to six people
Each nominee will complete the nomination form called the NU Teaching Awards Application Form and complete the Judging Criteria Form.
All faculty members, teaching fellows, instructors, and graduate teaching assistants, with the exception of the current members of the NU LTC, can be nominated for a teaching award. Self-nominations are acceptable. All nomination forms need to be signed by a colleague familiar with the teaching of the nominee, or the appropriate Dean, Vice-Dean, or Department Chair.
Applications to the category can be submitted by individuals or by groups of up to six people
Each nominee will complete the nomination form called the NU Teaching Awards Application Form and complete the Judging Criteria Form.
The criteria for judging the NU Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Teaching Excellence:
The nominee has demonstrated a supportive environment for students, has encouraged a research mindset in the classroom, and has shown a willingness to be innovative.
This award is only available for Graduate Teaching Assistants.
The nominee has demonstrated a supportive environment for students, has encouraged a research mindset in the classroom, and has shown a willingness to be innovative.
This award is only available for Graduate Teaching Assistants.
NU LTC Secretary
will take all your questions at ltc@nu.edu.kz
will take all your questions at ltc@nu.edu.kz
TIMELINE
1
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Late March
Late March
NU LTC Chair calls for nomination
2
REVIEW
till May 15
till May 15
Review of nominations by School LTC Submission
of recommendations to the NU LTC Chair
of recommendations to the NU LTC Chair
3
DECISION RELEASE
Late May
Late May
Release of NU LTC decisions on winners
and notification of winners to the Schools
and notification of winners to the Schools
4
AWARD
Late September
Late September
Awarding the winners: Awarding the certificates
to winners by NU leadership
to winners by NU leadership
5
POST-AWARD ACTIVITIES
October - November
October - November
Master classes: Showcasing of aspects of
teaching to the NU Community
teaching to the NU Community
WINNER OF THE YEAR
NU STUDENTS WITH TEACHING AWARD IN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP NOMINATION
- Aliya AssubayevaPhD in Public Policy
Graduate School of Public Policy
2021 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence - Zulya KavashevPhD in Education
Graduate School of Education
2022 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence - Zhandos SalpynovPhD candidate
School of Medicine
2023 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence - Nikolay MikhailovPhD candidate
School of Sciences and Humanities
2024 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence
Tell about your GTA experience
- Zulyar KavashevWinner of 2022 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence'Being a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) during a PhD program can provide an enriching experience. GTAs can consistently develop their teaching, leadership, and communication skills, and build a profound understanding of the subject matter. One of the useful advantages of being a GTA is the possibility of receiving mentorship from experienced faculty members at NU.
That said, GTAs receive valuable support and guidance to refine teaching strategies and build rapport with both undergraduate and graduate students. I believe that this mentorship from faculty might also be fundamental in guiding GTAs for their future academic endeavors. Overall, being a GTA is about gaining rewarding experience in many different ways at NU.' - Zhandos SalpynovWinner of 2023 GTA Award for Teaching Excellence'I am a PhD student in Global Health from the School of Medicine. At NU, I served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
for the course "Biostatistical Modeling and Sampling" at the School of Medicine and for Biology 101 at the School of Sciences and Humanities. As a GTA, my primary responsibility was to assist in teaching and support student learning. This included taking students’ attendance, assessing written assignments, proctoring mid-term and final exams, uploading exam questions to Moodle, and giving lectures to students. Also, I helped Prof. Yuliya Semenova facilitate global health seminars with researchers from the University of
Oxford, ZEM Solutions in Serbia, and Almaty Medical University. In my teaching, I employed various teaching strategies to keep students engaged, including QR codes for handouts, animated PowerPoint slides, interactive case studies, and game-based
learning platform "Kahoot." To help students better grasp the learning content, I used active teaching techniques such as Socratic questioning and the Feynman Technique. I enjoyed being a GTA because it presented a unique opportunity to develop my teaching, communication, and leadership skills. Interacting with faculty members at NU enabled me to gain valuable teaching experience and shape my teaching philosophy, which emphasizes interactive lessons and fosters intellectual curiosity among students. The GTA experience equipped me with the essential teaching skills to effectively engage with undergraduate and
graduate students. In 2023, I received the Nazarbayev University GTA Award for Teaching Excellence. This recognition is a great honor for me, and I am determined to further contribute to the teaching of NU students!'