Teaching Portfolios Description and Purpose A teaching portfolio is one of the most comprehensive and commonly used labels for assessing someone's teaching. Portfolios are often a component of summative evaluations related to tenure or promotion (as in the Humanities Division at the UW), but a variant known as the course portfolio can be put to a variety of uses, including both summative and formative evaluations. At its most basic level, the teaching portfolio represents a course-by-course archive of syllabi, student assignments and responses, course handouts, and evaluations from peers and/or students. Its chief advantage is that it makes the structure of a given course visible to readers of the portfolio by displaying what the instructor was trying to accomplish. Depending on what is included in it, a teaching portfolio can also document how well the instructor succeeded in his or her teaching. Finally, portfolios can also document the specific efforts made by an instructor to improve his or her teaching; indeed, assembling and maintaining the portfolio is one such effort. In most cases, portfolios are assembled by the instructor, although collaborative possibilities exist. For example, they can be assembled and discussed with the consultation of a faculty mentor, or as part of a teaching round table. The time required to produce the portfolio initially can be considerable, on the order of 15-20 hours, much of which will be spent on the articulation of the instructor's teaching philosophy, an essential component of all portfolios, regardless of their purpose. To be useful, a portfolio must be kept up to date and reviewed regularly. Otherwise, it becomes just another competitor for space in a file cabinet. Using a portfolio to improve your teaching In creating a teaching portfolio for personal use, the first question one encounters is whether the portfolio should attempt an overview of all teaching to provide a broad activities, or whether narrowly on a single course. For purposes of this it should focus discussion, the designation "teaching portfolio" will refer exclusively to the more comprehensive version, and the latter, version will be referred to as a more focused "course portfolio." there is nothing to prevent one from pursuing both aims Of course, together, by including a course portfolio within a teaching portfolio. This may be desirable when, for example, an instructor is undergoing formal review and submits both portfolios. In this case, the course portfolio can provide evidence of professional development. Comprehensive Teaching Portfolios I. The reflective statement The essential ingredient that makes any teaching portfolio more than just a collection of old syllabi and test questions is the reflective statement written by the instructor. It contains three distinct parts: A discussion of the instructor's core beliefs about learning and teaching. This would include what the instructor wishes students to learn in the discipline (e.g., abilities, attitudes, approaches to inquiry, problem solving methods) and how best those goals can be reached. A chemistry professor, for example, might wish to have students experience hands-on laboratory inquiry in addition to understanding abstract concepts. Similarly, an instructor in a drama class might wish to discuss the relative importance of having students perform certain plays as opposed to reading and critiquing them. A statement about the specific goals of each course taught by the instructor. For example, what are the major themes to be developed in a course? Does the instructor of a course in macroeconomic theory want to teach students about the major theoretical systems of Keynes or Marx, or organize the course around the role played in economic activity by trade or government? If the course is taught with specific outcomes in mind, such as developing particular skills in students, what are those outcomes? An introductory course in soil science may be intended to give students a knowledge of soil types and the ability to recognize them in the field, as a prerequisite to other departmental offerings. Similarly, an introductory language course might be the first step in a sequence of such courses that are intended to make students fluent speakers and readers of that language. The match between overall philosophy and specific goals. Relevant here may be consideration of how an instructor's specific goals can best be achieved in different teaching situations: lectures; directed small-group discussions; independent student work, either individually or in teams; laboratories, and so on. II. The teaching archive This is the main body of the teaching portfolio, and can be organized in a variety of ways. One basic method is to arrange it on a course-by course basis. For each course included in the portfolio, there would be: A syllabus, perhaps supplemented with previous syllabi to document how the course has evolved. Copies of examinations and other student assignments (both the assignment and what students produced in response to it), again with possible inclusion of material from earlier versions of the course. Other relevant course materials [bibliographies, guides to laboratory practice, etc.] Evaluations from students and/or colleagues. Letters from students might be solicited on specific matters relating to a course. Reflections on what has worked and what needs improvement. Under item 4, the possibilities for student evaluation include the formal course evaluations traditionally conducted at the end of the semester, as well as informal feedback from students initiated by the instructor at any time during the semester. For suggestions and options, you might consider Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross, 1993). Possibilities for evaluation by colleagues are similarly varied, ranging from one-time classroom visits to more formal peer reviewing. There are also other options for organizing this portion of the portfolio, such as: What one teaches, including descriptions of courses, grading standards, and goals of each course. Whom one teaches -- whether students are majors, taking the course for breadth requirements, etc. Why they are taught -- what goals students bring to the course; how the course links up with broader campus and departmental missions; what it is hoped that students will learn. How they are taught -- these include syllabi, assignments handouts, and techniques for assessing what students have learned. Reflections on what has worked and what needs improvement. (Adapted from Murray 1995, pp. 22-25) Obviously one issue that immediately comes up in choosing how to organize a teaching portfolio is the question of length. Even portfolios designed for an instructor's own use must make conscious choices about what will be retained and discarded. In the absence of such criteria, they will rapidly silt up with paper. For this reason, it is essential that attention be paid to the basic question of what the portfolio is for. Is the instructor attempting to introduce new materials into a given course, perhaps readings for small-group discussion? The portfolio might want to display the results of such efforts, perhaps with directed feedback from students or written observations from a teaching assistant. Has the content of the course been changed by adding new subject matter? In this case, the portfolio might be designed to reflect the impact of such changes on the course's overall coherence. Results of student examinations might be a useful indicator of this. III. Critical reflections and plans for the future An effective portfolio for personal development will often include a final summary of what the portfolio shows about teaching. It should be as comprehensive as possible, for example examining whether the courses have developed in a way consistent with the instructor's overall teaching philosophy. The final reflection should also include specific plans for changes that will made be in existing courses, along with proposals for new offerings. REFERENCES Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1993. William Cerbin, "The Course Portfolio as a Tool for Continuous Improvement of Teaching and Learning." Journal of Excellence in College Teaching 1994, 5:95-105. John P. Murray, Successful Faculty Development and Evaluation: The Complete Teaching Portfolio. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report Number 8: Washington D.C., 1995.