Key Items in a Teaching Portfolio
 

Philosophy statement about teaching
A statement that is both formative (you are developing and modifying it regularly) and summative (you include a dated copy in your teaching portfolio) that you draft over the course of a teaching career. The statement should be more than a summary or report. Strive to be thoughtful, questioning, self-revealing (but not to your detriment), and above all, honest. The statement might be one or two pages long—don’t overdo it!

List of courses taught
Prefix, number, course title, semester and year, enrollment. Be methodical and complete. This list might appear in a curriculum vitae and be a page or two in the portfolio.
 
Course evaluations
The college or department instrument(s) that students complete toward the end the semester. Be sure to include any information pertinent to interpretation (i.e., the rating scale).
 
Course materials
Syllabi, examples of assignments, representative examples of student work (included by with specific permission).
 
Classroom observations
Formal observations conducted by a supervisor or peer (has to be a highly credible peer). Be sure they are dated and signed and your relationship to the observer explained.

Teaching credentials
Certificates, awards, distinctions. Also include particular skills such as instructional technology (e.g., PowerPoint, Classroom Performance System, WebCT, online software) or instructional approaches (e.g., service learning, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, the case method). List in curriculum vitae; include copies of certificates in the portfolio.

The Premise of Teaching Portfolios

• Portfolios make teaching public and the scholarship of teaching community property.

• They foster a culture of teaching and new discourse about it.

• They capture the complexities of teaching.

• They locate the responsibility for evaluating teaching with faculty.  This viewpoint prizes self-reflection and assessment.

• They are a disciplined way to be thoughtful about teaching and its improvement.

• They have multiple purposes and audiences, both formative and summative.

• They are living documents, amenable to updating and changing.  Date your revisions with sticky notes.

Creating a Teaching Portfolio

• Summarize teaching responsibilities.

• Describe your approach to teaching (statement of teaching philosophy).

• Select items for the portfolio.

• Prepare statements on each item.

• Arrange the items in order.

• Compile the supporting data.

• Create a table of contents so a reader might scan what you have included and find particular items.

• Keep your teaching portfolio in a three-ring binder or create an electronic version and save to a website or CD.