Teaching Portfolios University Center For Teaching And Learning

Leo Migdal

-Nov 19, 2025, 7:51 AM

teaching portfolios university center for teaching and learning

Tips on creating a successful teaching portfolio A teaching portfolio is a selective collection of items that work together to demonstrate your commitment to teaching in your academic discipline. They provide a record of your core beliefs about teaching, your previous and current teaching experiences, and your reflective process. Overall, they exhibit evidence of your teaching effectiveness. As such, they are frequently used for both the academic hiring process and for support during the tenure and promotion process. While research statements document your disciplinary expertise, the teaching portfolio documents your expertise in teaching.

The portfolio will necessarily be both forward- and backward-looking, with examples drawn from courses you have taught or assisted in and with thought towards courses that you will prepare to teach in the future. While it is important if you are on the academic job market to present to search committees a version of your portfolio that is well-organized, clear, polished, and tailored to the specific position, consider... Overall, a teaching portfolio is a useful tool that can help you: • Develop and refine your teaching philosophy, methods, and approaches • Present teaching credentials for hiring and promotion in an academic position... Whether you are a current or future faculty member, and whether you are actively on the job market, compiling a dossier for promotion or a teaching award, or just looking for an opportunity to... If you're on the job market, your dossier generally includes a cover letter that speaks to both your past experience and future potential in research, teaching, and professional service. The discussion of teaching:

generally follows your 2–3 paragraph discussion of present and future research, and ideally begins with a transitional sentence showing some connection between them. typically reiterates a couple of the most important points from your teaching statement with regard to your priorities/commitments/distinctive approaches to teaching in general. In most fields, it is this portion of the cover letter—rather than your standalone teaching statement—where you are meant to mention specific courses you would hope to teach, with an eye to showing how... That said, there are several fields (e.g. computer science, and other engineering fields) where we hear that it is customary for the teaching statement to also go into this level of particulars. Teaching portfolios—also called teaching dossiers or evidence of teaching effectiveness—are becoming a common and highly successful tool for both formative and summative evaluation of teaching.

Formatively, the portfolio helps you reflect systematically and regularly upon your teaching. Summatively, portfolios provide a much more comprehensive and accurate picture of your teaching than any other single device. For anyone planning to apply for tenure or for a position at a university, a solid teaching portfolio is essential. A portfolio may be thought of as an annotated archive of selected course-related materials. The materials presented in a portfolio should highlight aspects of course design, teaching and learning assessment, and teaching development and should include both historical and reflective documents. The first step in constructing a portfolio is to generate or collect as many of these items as possible.

The materials are then framed by a statement of teaching philosophy, a description of teaching areas, and a summary of the student evaluations. Seldin, Peter. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions (3rd ed.). Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing, 2003. The Teaching Portfolio provides an excellent overview of the teaching portfolio and its components. Several example portfolios are provided at the end of the book.

Documenting teaching is the process of collecting information about teaching (such as course evaluations, teaching reflection notes, and class observation materials) and then reflecting upon and reporting on this information for the purpose of... Documenting teaching can be an effective part of formal processes. Peer review of teaching can be incorporated for promotion or tenure review, and new faculty applicants can be required to submit a teaching portfolio. A teaching portfolio usually includes a teaching statement and a selective collection of teaching materials that document evidence of teaching effectiveness. Building a teaching portfolio is an opportunity to step back from the immediate demands of teaching to curate representative materials from your teaching journey, reflect, and articulate what you have learned about the ways... Developing a teaching portfolio can be an organic process, carried out over time.

Create a separate file for anything related to your teaching that you think may be of value for your portfolio (e.g., syllabi from courses you have taught, assignments or rubrics you have developed, etc.) Consider how elements of your teaching portfolio complement your career and professional development goals. 📘 TLC Guide AvailableThis topic includes a full-length TLC Guide for deeper exploration.► Teaching Statement Guidelines and Tips► Teaching Statements & Portfolios mini-course (for grad students and postdocs navigating the academic job market) A teaching statement is a written document that communicates your values around teaching and learning, provides evidence of your impact, and demonstrates reflection on how you support student success in your field(s). Often used in academic job searches, teaching statements are also part of personnel review processes. When paired with a teaching portfolio, the statement serves as a framework for interpreting the materials included.

A teaching portfolio is a representative—but not exhaustive—collection of materials that document your teaching effectiveness. Portfolios provide concrete evidence of how you put your teaching values into practice, often including items such as course syllabi, sample assignments, and Student Experience of Teaching Survey (SETS) data. Importantly, portfolios also include reflections on your design and pedagogical choices. Peer Observation of TeachingPreparing Community-Engaged Teaching FilesSETSLecturer Academic Review Template Please note that, throughout the Teaching Portfolios section of the website and wiki, we use the terms “teaching portfolio” and “teaching dossier” interchangeably. A teaching portfolio communicates your values, strategies, and impact as an educator.

It presents an integrated summary of your teaching philosophy, approaches, accomplishments, and effectiveness. More than just a list of teaching activities, it includes a curated collection of documents and narratives that illustrate the quality and impact of your work across a range of educational activities, including teaching,... A strong dossier conveys a clear and thoughtful message about your beliefs and practices as a teacher, supported by specific examples and evidence (Kenny et al., 2018; Paul R MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation... The teaching portfolio can serve many purposes, some of which include: At UBC-V, portfolios are typically required as part of the tenure and promotion process. If you’re getting your portfolio ready for a job application or promotion and tenure, make sure to give yourself plenty of time.

Crafting and assembling together a portfolio takes time. If the portfolio is for reappointment, promotion or tenure, talk to your department head to get some additional clarity on the process, expectations, and deadlines. These are often obscure and the lack of clarity can create stress among faculty members. Please know you’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed or wanting more clarity on what’s needed. Your colleagues are also an excellent source of support.

Teaching Portfolios University Center For Teaching And Learning

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Tips On Creating A Successful Teaching Portfolio A Teaching Portfolio

The Portfolio Will Necessarily Be Both Forward- And Backward-looking, With

Generally Follows Your 2–3 Paragraph Discussion Of Present And Future

Formatively, The Portfolio Helps You Reflect Systematically And Regularly Upon

The Materials Are Then Framed By A Statement Of Teaching