Teaching Portfolios

A teaching portfolio is a collection of materials that document teaching performance in higher education. It brings together in one place information about a professor’s most significant teaching strengths and accomplishments. The portfolio is to teaching what lists of publications, grants, and honors are to research and scholarship.

The portfolio is not an exhaustive compilation of all of the documents and materials that bear on teaching performance. Rather, it presents thoughtfully chosen information on teaching activities and solid evidence of their effectiveness. Just as in a curriculum vitae, all claims made in the portfolio must be supported by firm empirical evidence.

It is estimated that as many as 3,000 colleges and universities throughout the world are using or experimenting with portfolios. They are used to document teaching ...