Teaching Portfolios, e-portfolios, and Teaching Dossier

A teaching portfolio, e-Portfolio or teaching dossier is a combination of documents or narrative descriptions of teaching, sample teaching materials and evaluations that highlight and summarize the instructor’s teaching experience.  It also highlights the instructor’s efforts for continuous improvement of teaching performance and specific steps taken to improve instruction.  A strong dossier/portfolio is concise and selective.  It is sincere, well-written and organized.  It should not be a burden to read.

A teaching portfolio or teaching dossier enables the faculty member to assemble in one place information about your teaching (e.g., syllabus, exams, exercises, samples of graded student work). Whether or not you choose to include an entire dossier or portfolio as part of your promotion case or annual evaluation, it can be an excellent way for you to personally reflect on your teaching and can also be used for consideration by your supervisor for your annual reviews.  This is just one additional way in which faculty members can provide evidence of their performance both in and outside of the classroom.  The task force offers the following guidelines in the preparation of your teaching portfolio or teaching dossier.

Guidelines – Teaching Portfolio/Dossier 

An in-depth assessment of teaching required for all candidates seeking promotion and/or tenure. The expert reviews will be conducted by a minimum of three reviewers selected from outside the department but not necessarily from outside UTA. No more than two of the reviewers will be selected from a list provided by the candidate.

Recommended Content of the Teaching Portfolio: 

  • Teaching Philosophy

A brief (up to 500 words) statement in which the candidate describes her/his approach to teaching and learning. Candidates should specifically address how they gauge the level of student learning.

Improve Teaching Philosophy

  1. Course List

    The candidate will supply a list of courses, number of credit and/or contact hours for each course, and number of students per course. Comparative information supplied by Department Head to help reviewers interpret the teaching load within the department.

  2. Student Evaluation of Faculty Forms

    Student evaluation forms including a brief synopsis of written comments.  Instructors are encouraged to supply a brief narrative offering his or her interpretation of the results.  Other forms of student feedback—compared to departmental and/or college or university averages, either collectively or by course level (i.e., freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior) or course type (i.e., survey, major, non-major, elective or required, etc.).

  3. Course Materials

    For two different courses taught, the course syllabus, course goals, samples of student assignment examination, and other relevant course materials. This will be accompanied by a description from the candidate that explains why the course is designed the way it is, how it coordinates with other courses or programs, and how the evidence presented is designed to help students meet the course goals.

  4. Student Work Samples

    Where appropriate, candidates may supply student work samples as evidence of improvements in student understanding or performance.

  5. Classroom Observations

    Conducted according to the departmental procedure for peer observations of teaching, which is available from the Department Head. The observers will be selected by the Head and may be selected from outside the department. We encourage departments to develop an observation protocol that includes specific instructions on how to conduct and report the observations.

  6. Letters

    Both recent students, alumni, Department Chair, colleagues in the department, an outside source from someone in the field of study.

  7. Evidence of Innovation or New Teaching Methods

    Evidence and assessment data of innovations followed with an explanation.

  8. Beyond the Classroom

    Any activities that have a direct impact on the education of the student and could include textbook writing, curriculum development, professional involvement or writing about teaching innovations. The format and design of one’s teaching portfolio or teaching dossier may, in fact, vary depending upon one’s discipline—therefore, it’s not a one size fits all type of scenario.  Therefore, the teaching effectiveness task force offers the following sample teaching portfolios as examples of various diverse disciplines.  Feel free to look these over, see what you like and then come up with a portfolio or dossier that best suits your needs.

Peer Review of Teaching E-portfolio/Dossier 

Once you’ve created your teaching e-portfolio or dossier, it might be a good idea to have a colleague give you feedback not only on your teaching statement but comments on your dossier in general.  The following document, provided below, can be used to complete the peer evaluation.  Teaching portfolios and peer evaluations may be used as part of the tenure and promotion review process, for professional accreditation, and for teaching award nominations. More importantly, they may be used for personal reflection and continuous improvement in teaching.  As “living” documents, they offer an immediate too and a depository for evidence of their teaching effectiveness and student impact.

Teaching Dossier Peer Evaluation Form (pdf)*

* For access to this document, please contact CRTLE at crtle@uta.edu 

Guidelines

An in-depth assessment of teaching required for all candidates seeking promotion and/or tenure. The expert reviews will be conducted by a minimum of three reviewers selected from outside the department but not necessarily from outside UTA. No more than two of the reviewers will be selected from a list provided by the candidate.


ePortfolio Canvas Tutorial

Sample teaching dossiers and e-portfolios:

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