Some institutions use the construction of a portfolio as the occasion for collaborative faculty development. Teachers come together to discuss a given portfolio component, such as syllabi or summaries of student ratings or teaching philosophy statements, for the purpose of common reflections and exploration of assumptions. These samples will be carefully selected and structured as evidence organized around agreed upon categories or themes representing key dimensions of the scholarship of teaching. And these samples will be accompanied by commentary and explanation from the teacher, reflecting on the values and the thinking behind the teaching process. An effective portfolio conveys a clear, deep, and nuanced understanding of the art teaching, a theory of teaching grounded in reflective practice.
Portfolios place responsibility for evaluating teaching in the hands of faculty.
Portfolios can prompt more reflective practice and improvement. Portfolios can foster a culture of teaching and a new discourse about it. Consider ways in which each of these four tasks might be documented.