Teaching Portfolios
After a thorough examination of the teaching review process, the Faculty Senate-commissioned Beyond SETs Task Force found that the use of a teaching portfolio for the review of teaching would allow faculty to “demonstrate teaching excellence in a variety of ways” (Faculty Manual, p. 37) beyond the singular use of student evaluations of teaching (SETs). This decision will promote a more holistic approach to reviewing teaching for purposes of tenure, promotion, multi-year appointment, and recognition of faculty at American University.
A teaching portfolio is a “factual description of a professor’s teaching strengths and accomplishments… [that] includes documents and materials that collectively suggest the scope and quality of a professor’s teaching performance” (Seldin, Miller & Seldin, 2010, p. 4). A teaching portfolio provides an in-depth documentation of teaching that will allow you to showcase and contextualize your teaching, situated within your department, school, and field. To that end, we encourage you to first speak with the chair of your teaching unit or refer to your departmental guidelines on how to construct your portfolio.
Creating Your Portfolio
To ensure a comprehensive examination of your teaching, you should include a variety of evidence when gathering and creating materials for your teaching portfolio. Just as you include a list of publications to demonstrate your scholarship, so too should your teaching portfolio provide documentation of your teaching accomplishments. Based upon the Beyond SETs Task Force’s work, there are a variety of items you can include in your teaching portfolio under three assessment categories: self, peer, and student. Please confirm with your respective deans and department chairs if there are any specific items expected or if you are free to choose what to include.
CTRL has created guides to help you put together different elements of your portfolio that will be periodically updated to reflect best practices:
Current Requirements for American University Portfolios
Faculty must submit a full teaching portfolio for all faculty actions at American University, whether tenure-track, tenured, term, or on a continuing appointment. In addition to your updated CV, all portfolios must include five items:
- A holistic teaching narrative: This is the teaching section of the Comprehensive Narrative at the beginning of a faculty’s file for action.
- SET numeric scores: OIRA has made longitudinal reports and semester summary SET reports available in your Blue account. You should upload these reports as part of your file. Instructions on how to access these reports can be found here.
- An artifact documenting self-assessment, which can include:
- select examples of feedback you have provided to students
- a written self-evaluation of your teaching (such as self-evaluation of a classroom video)
- An artifact documenting peer assessment, which can include:
- a peer write-up based on their observation of your class, or review of a classroom video
- An artifact documenting non-numeric student assessment, which can include:
- the narrative portions of your SETs (include one complete set of SET comments for one course per year for each year you are being evaluated)
- a report from a student observer committee (composed of students not enrolled in class being observed)
- Note: CTRL does not currently offer guidance on reports from student committees who observe your teaching. Consult with your unit guidance on what types of reports or observations are required for your portfolio.
- a report from a focus group with your students lead by a facilitator, such as a Midsemester Course Analysis conducted by CTRL
Resources
References
Chism, N. V. N. (2007). Peer review of teaching: A sourcebook (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & Seldin, C. A. (2010). The teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
