What is a portfolio? A teaching portfolio is a “judicious, critical, purposeful analysis of performance, evidence, and goals” (Seldin 2010); it is the result of a process of deliberate and intentional reflection on teaching. It can focus solely on the development of a single course (often called a course portfolio) or on teaching in general. 

A teaching portfolio provides numerous benefits:

• Fosters self-assessment and reflection;
• Provides personal satisfaction and renewal;
• Encourages faculty to assume more responsibility and ownership for learning;
• Analyzes teaching performance and outcomes of student learning; and
• Provides opportunity for guidance and feedback.

What does a typical portfolio include? A teaching portfolio provides descriptions of teaching responsibilities, opportunities for reflection, and accountability of the achievement of learning outcomes. Description of teaching responsibilities is not just a paragraph from the course catalog, rather the portfolio must provide details about content, types of students, teaching strategies utilized, uniqueness of course, and the faculty's commitment to student learning. Accountability of learning outcome achievement starts with defined learning outcomes, data demonstrating achievement of these outcomes, and alignment of activities and assessments with the intended outcomes.

Portfolios are unique documents that can vary tremendously in length and style—there is no one-size-fits-all design; they can take the form of anything from bound documents to electronic files with embedded documents and links. The priority is provision of multiple sources to demonstrate teaching effectiveness. The artifacts in a teaching portfolio connect to the standard or learning outcome for which you are attempting to provide evidence of achievement. Many include the following:

• Personal documents
  • Purpose of portfolio
  • Teaching philosophy
  • Description of teaching experience and responsibilities
  • Teaching awards and recognition
• Evidence of course planning and delivery
  • Teaching objectives and methodologies
  • Instructional design materials
  • Lesson plans, assignments, and exams with rationale for each
  • Syllabi
  • Course websites
  • Recordings of classes in action or other course materials
  • Samples of student work
  • Samples of student feedback
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness and personal improvement
  • Student Evaluations of Teaching reports
  • Department evaluations
  • Classroom observation reports (from peers or CETL staff)
  • Evidence of student learning
  • Formative evaluation reports
  • Teaching conferences attended/ Professional development
  • CETL Workshops/Teaching Talks attended
  • Evidence of training in specific instructional methods (certificates, badges, etc)
  • Reflections on teaching
  • Teaching Enhancement Plans
  • Reports of CETL Consultations (ONLY if you choose to share them)