27 Evidence to look for in a teaching portfolio

There are a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative evidence types that may be appropriate to the skills an educator is intending to demonstrate in their teaching portfolio. Below is an adapted version of the forms of evidence table created by the Career Framework for University Teaching. It is provided to help inform what you may see, or expect to see, in a teaching portfolio, with more evidence included as one’s career progresses. This resource may additionally be helpful to you as you set norms for teaching portfolios within your department.

You can download an editable copy of the Examples of Evidence table by clicking here.

Examples of Evidence that Could be Included in a Teaching Portfolio
Self-assessment Professional activities Measures of student learning Peer review and recognition
  • Reflections on educational approach and its development over time, identifying how it supports effective student learning in the context of the cohort, discipline, and institution
  • Reflections on teaching philosophy and its development over time, as well as the role played in nurturing an academic environment that advances collective educational excellence
  • Reflections on teaching philosophy, describing how evidence-informed approaches are used to contribute to both student learning and pedagogical knowledge
  • Reflections on how leadership in teaching and learning has helped to create an inclusive, supportive and aspirational learning environment that advances student learning
  • Reflections on any national and global influence in teaching and learning, or impact on advancing educational knowledge, collaboration and/or excellence
  • Details of courses taught (student numbers, nature of teaching, assessment methods, etc.)
  • Details of student support and guidance provided
  • Participation in certification and training in teaching and learning
  • Samples of course materials
  • Mentoring and peer-coaching of teaching colleagues
  • Participation in programs of educational reform, innovation and/or development
  • Membership of institutional educational committees
  • External examiner/trainer
  • Participation in teaching and learning conferences/events within and/or beyond their school or discipline
  • Active use of ‘Action Research’ methods in their teaching practices
  • Invited speaker at key events in teaching and learning
  • Reviewer of scientific papers and articles about teaching and learning within and/or beyond own discipline
  • Visiting/honorary position held at other institutions
  • Active member of teaching and learning research group
  • Leadership role in strategic institutional curriculum and/or policy development
  • Design and delivery of high-impact course innovation
  • Leadership of Quality Assurance or accreditation processes
  • External reviewer/trainer/advisor
  • Participation in government consultation committees
  • Invited speaker at national/global events in teaching and learning
  • Participation in and leadership of high-impact national and global educational programs
  • Student evaluation surveys and student interview feedback
  • Informal and unsolicited student feedback
  • Pass rates, attrition rates and student progression that can be attributed to specific courses
  • Examination/assessment results, benchmarked against other cohorts
  • Evaluation of student products or projects
  • Retrospective assessment by alumni
  • Assessments made by graduate recruiters and employers with respect to specific courses/experiences
  • Student and/or institutional prizes/achievements that can be linked to specific course/program
  • Student learning journals
  • Concept tests (course level)
  • Students’ self-reported learning gains (course level)
  • Student engagement surveys (course level)
  • Assessments made by graduate recruiters and employers
  • Students’ self-reported learning gains, student engagement surveys (program or institutional level)
  • Program pass rates/progression rates
  • Concept tests or standardized tests (program level)
  • Institutional surveys of student perception or experience
  • Institutional pass rates/progression rates
  • Standardized tests (institutional level)
  • Peer observation of teaching
  • Peer review of course content, objectives, and materials and/or teaching portfolio
  • Review and letters of reference from teaching mentor
  • Letters of reference from: students, alumni, Director of Studies, Head of School, and course/program leaders
  • Letters of reference from: staff mentees, external examiners and collaborators
  • Authorship of widely used textbooks and e- learning materials
  • Pedagogical conference presentations
  • Institutional and national teaching awards/fellowships/prizes
  • Letters of reference from research collaborators
  • Refereed conference and journal publications in teaching and learning
  • Research grants and income for teaching and learning development projects
  • Letters of reference from senior university managers, external collaborators and those who have taken inspiration from the candidate’s educational approaches
  • Reports from collaborators, external impact reports/case studies
  • Publications, citations, research grants and income within the field of teaching and learning
  • National and global press coverage
  • National/global awards and prizes

This table is based on The Career Framework for University Teaching

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Preparing a Teaching Portfolio Guidebook Copyright © 2024 by Paul R MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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