The Goodwin Medal

The Goodwin Medal

Each year, MIT awards the Goodwin Medal to a graduate TA or Instructor-G (IG) who has performed above and beyond the norm, and whose teaching efforts can truly be characterized as “conspicuously effective.”  Conspicuously effective TAs demonstrate some commitment to supporting student learning above and beyond excellence in typical TA tasks. Descriptions of recent outstanding teachers, who model conspicuous efficacy, can be found on the Previous Recipients page. This award was established in memory of Harry Manley Goodwin, the first dean of the graduate school at MIT, through a gift from his widow, Mary B. Goodwin, and son, Richard H. Goodwin.

Eligibility

The award will be presented to a graduate student teacher who has established a place of distinction in teaching in the opinion of their students and the faculty of their department. The nominee should be a current graduate student who is primarily at MIT (if involved in a joint program with another university). Nominees must served as a TA/IG at least twice (as a graduate student at MIT) and held positions that involved significant student support (e.g., teaching recitations, holding office hours, etc.). Co-teachers may be nominated jointly, but the specific contributions of each individual must be detailed (please see below). Descriptions of recent recipients (below) may provide helpful reference points for faculty and department nominators.

Description

The award consists of an engraved bronze medal, designed by Katharine Lane, and a monetary gift of $7,000.

Nominations/deadlines

Any member of the faculty or any organized student group (through one of its responsible officers) may submit a nomination. These nominations should be sent to the faculty head of the candidate’s home department of registration, even if the candidate has taught subjects listed in other departments.

The final nomination from each department is due to the Office of Graduate Education by 5pm on March 24, 2025. Nomination letters may be addressed to Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education Denzil Streete; nomination packages should be sent to the Director of Graduate Fellowships via the Google Form that will have been shared with Graduate Administrators on January 27, 2025.

Nominations must include:

Selection

1. Up to two recommendation letters from faculty members or lecturers who oversaw the nominee’s work as a TA/IG. This letter should include
   • The course or courses that in which the nominee and letter-writer worked together
   • Information about the course, including
     • The number of students in the course
     • The typical teaching duties and responsibilities of TAs in this course
   • How the TA went above and beyond mere excellence
   • Explanation of context for other application materials
2. Up to four supporting letters from former students. These letters could be prompted by the questions:
   • How did the TA enhance your experience in the class?
   • What big or tricky concepts did the TA help you to understand? What did they do to help you come to this understanding?
   • In what ways did the TA help you see the big picture about your course?
3. The nominee’s CV, which should include teaching experience.

Departments should not submit any other materials. If additional materials are submitted, they will be removed before circulating them to the selection committee. Prompts for the nomination and student letters should be given based on the subpoints above.

We will collect subject evaluation reports directly and include them with the nomination packages.

Selection of the winner will be made by a committee consisting of former Goodwin Medalists and other outstanding teachers who are currently MIT faculty. The selection committee is chaired by the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education.

The recipient will be announced at the MIT Awards Convocation in May.