Creating a Teaching Portfolio

A teaching portfolio can be an important asset when you look for a job. It provides evidence of your teaching experience and showcases your teaching achievements.

A teaching portfolio should include:

1. A brief table of contents

2. A personal statement, typically two to four pages long, that describes your teaching philosophy, pedagogical strategies, and objectives. It should explain how you use technology in instruction; the relationship you see between teaching and research; and how you integrate writing instruction into your courses.

3. A list of courses taught, supplemented with syllabi and classroom handouts. You want to demonstrate how you structure courses, the kinds and amounts of reading you assign, and the helpful supplementary materials that you create for your students.

4. Evidence of effective teaching, including teaching evaluations. Keep copies of teaching evaluations, including students comments. You can't count on your department to keep copies of these records.

5. Supporting materials, such as a videotape that offers an example of your teaching and statements from professors that document your teaching ability and commitment to high quality teaching and advising. The faculty letters should also refer to any opportunities that they have had to observe your teaching and any discussions that they have had with you about pedagogy.