Teaching Tips and Techniques
CTD Home > Teaching Assistant Resources > Teaching Tips and Techniques > Guidelines for Preparing Teaching Portfolios
Guidelines for Preparing Teaching Portfolios
Currently many graduate students seeking academic positions have been asked to supply evidence of teaching effectiveness or a statement of a teaching philosophy. As job markets shrink and teaching experience is weighed more heavily in employment decisions, it is important to begin early in your academic career to collect this evidence. One way to do this is to develop a teaching portfolio that conveys to prospective employers your special qualities as a college teacher.
A teaching portfolio is a collection of physical evidence that summarizes your major teaching activities and accomplishments. Generally it includes: 1) descriptive material on current and recent teaching responsibilities and practices (statement of teaching goals and philosophy, representative course syllabi); 2) description of steps taken to evaluate and improve your teaching; 3) products of good teaching (copies of representative student work, publications by students on course-related work, etc.); and 4) information from colleagues, student and others (evaluations, comments, letters).
Following are practical suggestions to help you get started preparing a portfolio:
Begin Collecting Evidence Early And Systematically
- arrange to have a class you are teaching videotaped, then write an informal critique of the experience
- use a mid-course evaluation instrument to gauge your students' opinions about how the section or class is progressing
- file copies of syllabi (occasionally add notes about what you would change the next time you teach the course and show evidence of changes if applicable)
- arrange for observations by faculty supervisors and the Center for Teaching Development to provide feedback on the class and documentation of the visit
- retain copies of some student work (request permission to include them in your portfolio)
- prepare short explanatory statements about items you are collecting
- start making notes in preparation for developing a statement of teaching philosophy
Organize The Material In Terms Of Your Purpose
It is important at this point to consult with an
advisor/mentor regarding the reality of what is
expected in your discipline in terms of portfolio
materials. A common mistake is to include too much
material. A search committee cannot examine a detailed
portfolio for each candidate; however, a candidate
for a teaching position might supplement the CV
with a distilled version of the portfolio including:
- one-two page statement about teaching goals and philosophy including roles and responsibilities
- one-page summary of teaching evaluations
- description of the larger portfolio indicating that other materials are available upon request
To provide assistance in preparing portfolios, check out the Center for Teaching Development. You will find a variety of books and materials dealing with portfolio preparation, examples of electronic portfolios, and examples of teaching statements from several disciplines. You may attend the portfolio workshops offered every quarter or stop in at CTD (307 Center Hall) and examine the materials at your convenience.
On-Line Resources
Here are some additional on-line resources for teaching
portfolios.
Center for Teaching Development
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0030
Phone: (858) 534-6767
Fax: (858) 822-0318
