We’re excited to announce that the Jennifer Burke Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning is back, and submissions for the 2025 award are now open. This award celebrates unique or pioneering approaches to teaching and learning, novel in your specific discipline or context. Importantly, innovation doesn’t have to involve technology—it’s about innovative and effective examples that showcase how to enhance the learning experience.

To be considered, your submission must describe an idea, work or project that has been put into practice. Staff and students from all sectors of Irish education are welcome to apply. Nominations should include a five-minute multimedia presentation clearly outlining the innovation, how it was applied, and its impact on learners.

Deadline Submissions

The deadline for submission of nominations is 23:59 on Monday 12^th May 2025.

What constitutes ‘innovation’ in teaching and learning?

For the purpose of this award ‘innovation’ is considered to be a teaching/learning approach that is unique or pioneering, and has not been implemented previously within your own discipline/context. Remember – the innovation need not have been implemented via technology.

Criteria and Review Process

Submission are invited for innovative contributions in the area of teaching and learning, in keeping with the following guidelines:

• Submissions must be for a teaching/learning innovation which must have been implemented.
• Innovations shortlisted for previous iterations of the award cannot be considered.
• The award is open to staff and students in all Irish education sectors.
• Ensure that your five-minute multimedia submission for the nomination provides a succinct articulation of your innovative idea. Reviewers will only listen/watch up to five minutes and will not continue if your file’s viewing time exceeds this time. The reviewers will rate your submission against specific evaluation criteria and then shortlist based on this evaluation.
• It is important that your submission illustrates/provides examples of how the idea was implemented in teaching and learning, how it was brought to life, and how it impacted learners.
• Submissions must be for a specific work/project/idea, rather than for an individual person or group.

Important!

To support our planning, please indicate on the Submission Form whether or not you are planning to register for and attend EdTech 2025.

Evaluation process

• All submissions will be reviewed by a group short-listing comprised of the Jennifer Burke Award committee and representation from ILTA.
• Based on their review of the submissions, members of the committee will each award marks under the following headings:
  • Innovation and creativity: What was the rationale for the innovation? What was the innovative idea and how was it innovative? (50%)
  • Impact: Articulation of the innovation’s impact on student learning and professional practice (40%)
  • Quality and creativity of submission (10%)

How to submit

Your submissions to this award should be made using our Google Form here.

Any queries regarding the award prior to the call closing date should also be directed to jenniferburkeaward@gmail.com 

You should receive confirmation of receipt of your submission within two working days.

Key dates for this award

• Call opens: 18 April 2025
• Deadline for submission of nominations: 23:59 on Monday 12^th May 2025
• Award presentation: 2025 ILTA EdTech Conference, 29th-30th May SETU Waterford.