Recognition for Excellence in HIPs

Award is given to the winner.

Georgia Tech’s Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning

In the fall of 2025, the Office of Experiential and Engaged Learning and the Center for Teaching and Learning launched a call for nominations for Georgia Tech’s inaugural Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices (HIPs) and Experiential Larning. This award recognizes schools, departments or programs that demonstrate excellence in implementing HIPs in their curriculum and co-curricular experiences that result in transformative outcomes for students.

The selected award winner will be the institutional nominee for the University System of Georgia (USG) Regents’ Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning. (Learn more about the USG Regents’ Teaching Excellence Awards.)

Award Criteria

The awards committee will seek compelling evidence that reflects the following key aspects of effective implementation of High-Impact Practices:

  1. Integration of HIPs: Clear demonstration of how the department or program has seamlessly integrated some or several HIPs into their curriculum and co-curricular activities.
  2. Evidence of Impact: Showcase of concrete and measurable outcomes that illustrate the positive impact of HIPs on student engagement, learning, and overall academic success.
  3. Innovative Pedagogical Approaches: Description of innovative teaching and learning strategies employed, which could include collaborative learning, undergraduate research, community-based learning, global learning, internships, and capstone projects.
  4. Assessment and Continuous Improvement: Evidence of thoughtful assessment methods and data-driven practices used to continually enhance and refine HIPs implementation.
  5. Faculty Development and Support: Clear indication of the department’s efforts to support faculty in effectively implementing and facilitating HIPs.

Call for Nominations

The Fall 2025 Call for Nominations has closed.

The call for nominations will be released each year in the fall semester, with a deadline on or around November 1st. Recipients will be notified on or around December 1st.

Instructions for Applying for the Georgia Tech Award

Nomination portfolios must not exceed 15-pages total, including all supporting materials (1-inch margins, minimum 12-point font). Submissions that exceed the page limit or do not meet formatting guidelines will not be accepted. Submit proposals as a single word document.

All portfolios should include the following:

Contact Information: (Note: Does not count toward the 15-page limit)

  • Name, title, and email address of nominating party
  • Name of school, department or program
  • Name of school, department or program leader/representative

Table of Contents: (Note: Does not count toward the 15-page limit)

A list of all portfolio components.

Portfolio Components:

  1. Narrative Statement (2-3 pages): A cohesive narrative that directly addresses the award criteria below. This statement should describe the school, department or program’s philosophy, goals, and strategies for implementing High-Impact Practices and enhancing student learning and engagement.
  2. Fact Profile (1-2 pages): A concise overview of the department or program, including:
    • Name of the department or program and its institutional context
    • Number of students served or majors enrolled
    • Key courses or programs using HIPs
    • Relevant partnerships (e.g., community, global, research)
    • Any additional background that helps reviewers understand the scope and scale of the work
  3. Evidence of Excellence (3+ pages): This section should include curated materials that demonstrate strong performance in each of the five award criteria (above). A narrative should be woven throughout the section to clearly explain the significance and context of each piece of evidence. Examples of evidence may include:
    • Artifacts from innovative teaching practices
    • Assessment data demonstrating impact on student success
    • Syllabi or curriculum maps showing HIPs integration
    • Documentation of assessment cycles or improvement strategies
    • Materials or descriptions of faculty development or support for implementing HIPs

For more information about the Georgia Tech Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning, contact Chris Reaves at chris.reaves@gatech.edu.