Faculty can become eligible for a 2026 Rising Star Award by completing the below requirements before the deadline, January 20, 2026. All Rising Star Award requirements must be completed within the past two years, and each eligibility requirement can only be applied to one qualifying award. For example, if you win the 2019 Rising Star Award by submitting the Great Teaching Certificate, you cannot use the Great Teaching Certificate for a future application.
Faculty are eligible to receive the award once within a two-year span.
1. Professional Development
- Complete at least one Passport to Great Teaching certificate
2. Focused Training
Participate in at least two of the following:
*Must submit proof of completion (certificate, badge, etc.)
- Elevate
- Teaching Excellence Academy
- Team-Based Learning Workshop
- Global Learning Institute
- Design a Virtual Exchange
- CITT Course Mapping Camp
- CITT Best Practices for Teaching Online
- The Great Online Course Series
- Faculty Learning Community
- Receive an FLC participation form after the second semester
- CALS Teacher College
- CTSI Mentor Academy
- The AI Adventure (must complete all 3 courses)
- Complete the Critical Teaching Behaviors Reading Group
3. Pay it Forward
Select two of the following:
- Present a workshop for the Center for Teaching Excellence in Fall and Spring
- Contribute a chapter (or whatever we’re calling it) to the resource library
- Share your published SoTL or RiTL article
- Present at Interface
- Host a café conversation
- Record a podcast with the Center for Teaching Excellence
- Lead a Faculty Learning Community as a facilitator
- Assess and provide feedback on CTE initiatives
- Develop an OER for your course or adapt content to make your course affordable