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CTE - Reflective Teaching

This guide provides resources and best practices for fauclty engaged in reflective teaching. These include resources on creating a teaching portfolio and teaching philosophy.

In a teaching portfolio, teaching artifacts are used to demonstrate teaching effectiveness and to illustrate tenants of a teaching philosophy. Teaching artifacts include any item created for the purposes of educating students. Common teaching artifacts include:

  • List of courses taught
  • Sample syllabi
  • Course maps, plans, and/or lessons
  • Assignment prompts and rubrics
  • Worksheets, activities, handouts
  • Presentations, video microlectures
  • Infographics, websites, web guides
  • Video recordings of teaching

Selecting Teaching Artifacts

The teaching artifacts that you select should

  • speak to a specific element in your teaching philosophy
  • be carefully curated representations from different courses and levels
  • include different types of artifacts
  • allow you to speak to your progress as a faculty member over time
  • give you an opportunity to address your teaching goals

Artifacts in Teaching Portfolios

In addition to the teaching artifact, you will want to include a brief description and reflection in your teaching portfolio. This reflection can include the following elements:

 

Context. A brief description of the artifact, which includes what it is, who was the audience, when it was created, where it was used (modality), and how it was used.  This will provide the reader with some information about how to read the artifact and help them to extrapolate its effectiveness.

 

Progress. In this piece of the reflection, you should talk how this artifact aligns to your teaching philosophy, perhaps by highlighting a specific tenant of the philosophy to analyze.  You should also discuss the changes and updates you have made to the artifact over time and your reasoning for them. In talking about these changes, you may want to refer to specific development opportunities, readings, workshops, conversations, and the like that have influenced your thinking.

 

Future. Finally, you will want to think about this artifact can be further improved. Consider what changes or updates you can make. Think about new technologies or approaches you may want to include. Discuss additional resources you may want to consult or provide.  Finally, you will want to link it to a specific teaching goal, so that you can circle back to the artifact and demonstrate continuous improvement.

 

Here is an example of a teaching artifact integrated into a digital teaching portfolio and the elements as discussed:

 

 

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