Tufts University Technology Services invites students to participate in the Teaching with Technology Awards and Excellence in Online Teaching Awards. These awards celebrate educators who integrate technology to elevate the learning experience and create transformative and intellectually stimulating online learning environments. Nominate an instructor whose creative use of technology or online teaching has impacted your academic journey.

Nominations open Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
Submit your nomination here!

Teaching with Technology Awards

The Teaching with Technology Awards, presented by Tufts Technology Services (TTS) Educational Technology Services, celebrates the innovative and transformative integration of technology in teaching and learning at Tufts. Learners from all Tufts schools are encouraged to nominate instructors who employ cutting-edge technologies in creative and impactful ways to elevate the educational experience.

These awards recognize instructors who leverage technology to:

  • Foster Engaging Interactions: Instructors use technology to connect their learners beyond the classroom, such as through thoughtfully curated social media platforms, multimedia resources, and online discussion forums. Instructors using technology this way facilitate dynamic, collaborative learning experiences that transcend the boundaries of the traditional classroom.
  • Enable Immersive Learning: Technology is used in ways that help the learners explore and apply what they are learning in new ways. Creative use in this category could include mobile applications, simulations, gaming environments, and virtual/augmented reality technologies that transport learners into immersive, interactive worlds that deepen their understanding and promote active exploration.
  • Enhance Classroom Engagement: Instructors using technology for engagement create a more stimulating and inclusive learning atmosphere. Examples of this include using interactive tools like unexpected uses of PollEverywhere and audience response systems, uses of technology to provide exciting collaborative experiences, or incorporating technology in ways that provide multiple means of participation.
  • Optimize Learning Platforms: Instructors that use Canvas, Zoom, and other educational technologies beyond traditional lectures and resource delivery. Creative uses should significantly amplify the potential for intellectual growth, social connection, and personalized learning pathways within and beyond the digital classroom, such as using discussion boards for debates, breakout rooms for group problem solving, or an ed tech tool for social annotation discussion questions.

Through this award, Tufts celebrates the visionary educators who seamlessly integrate emerging technologies to cultivate dynamic, engaging, and future-focused learning environments. We invite students from all disciplines to nominate instructors whose creative application of technology has profoundly enriched their academic journeys and inspired their intellectual curiosity.

Congratulations to our 2023 Teaching with Technology Award winners!

Shameka Powell, Education, Educational Equity with Perusall and Multimedia Assignments
Dr. Krista Johansen, TUSM, Human Anatomy with 3D Interactive Atlas, Poll Everywhere, and Live Anatomy Lab Video
Erica Kemmerling, SoE, Mechanical Engineering with ChatGPT, Slack, and Qualtrics
Ira Caspari, A&S, Chemistry with Poll Everywhere, Canvas, and a Flipped-Classroom Approach
Steven Bell, SoE, Engineering with Reprogrammable Computer Chips, Multimedia Canvas Course Site

In this video the 2023 award winners discuss why teaching with technology is important, and reflect on how they used technology to achieve their goals in the classroom —

Learn more about past winners of the Teaching with Technology Awards!


2024 Excellence in Online Teaching

The Excellence in Online Teaching Awards, presented by Tufts Technology Services (TTS) Educational Technology Services, celebrates the outstanding dedication, creativity, and innovative teaching practices of instructors in Tufts’ online and blended academic programs. Students from these programs are invited to nominate exceptional instructors who embody the following qualities of excellence in online teaching:

  • Engaging Presence: The instructor cultivates a dynamic and supportive learning environment through frequent, personalized interactions. They leverage creative communication channels, virtual office hours, and opportunities to showcase their expertise, passion, and unique teaching persona.
  • Meaningful Interactions: The instructor designs inclusive and collaborative learning experiences that foster a strong sense of community. Examples of this include thoughtfully crafted group activities, stimulating discussions, and compelling challenges where learners actively engage with the instructor, their peers, and the course material.
  • Diverse Instructional Strategies: The instructor employs a rich repertoire of effective teaching methods and multimedia resources to cater to varied learning preferences. They provide multiple avenues for learners to explore topics in-depth, demonstrate their knowledge, and benefit from creative approaches to content delivery, such as innovative lecture formats or interactive learning modules.
  • Holistic Learning Support: The instructor nurtures critical thinking and self-reflection by guiding learners in making meaningful connections between course content, real-world applications, and personal/professional goals. They offer insightful feedback, facilitate metacognitive exercises, and create opportunities for learners to relate their academic pursuits to their lived experiences and aspirations.

Through this award, Tufts celebrates the exceptional efforts of online instructors who create transformative and intellectually stimulating learning environments. We encourage graduate students to nominate instructors who exemplify these qualities and contribute to their academic growth and success.


Nominations open Wednesday, March 13, 2024, and run through April 1, 2024.
Submit your nomination here!

Nominations are reviewed by a dedicated committee that reviews each nomination and submits votes.

Thank you for participating and shining the spotlight on exceptional teaching practices and engagement with technology at Tufts!