Academic Portfolios

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Academic Portfolios

• Collection, Selection, Reflection, Evaluation and
  Presentation

Workshop 1 Victoria McGillin, Ph.D., Associate
Provost JoAnn Barbour, Ph.D., Professor
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The Academic Career Universe Old Model
TEACHING
SCHOLARSHIP
SERVICE
3
Contemporary Academic Career Model
TEACHING
RESEARCH
SERVICE
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TEACHING
RESEARCH
SERVICE

Your Philosophy
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Portfolios

• Obviously, an academic portfolio is
• A factual narrative or presentation of an
  academics strengths and accomplishments in
  scholarship, teaching and service
• An academics reflections on and evaluation of
  her/his accomplishments or work in progress in
  light of his/her philosophical position
• A collection of documents and materials selected
  to collectively suggest the scope and quality of
  a professors performance.
• Examples of best work and important
  accomplishments (via documentation or a one-page
  synopsis of such)
• All documentation directly linked to the
  narrative through specific references in the
  narrative's text

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Portfolios

• Less obviously
• Portfolios provide for an intentional focus on
  learning and assessment of ones teaching,
  scholarship/creative works and service as well as
  how and why they are being perfected
• Provides structure for ones teaching/evolution
• Did it really lead to enhanced student learning?
• How can it be improved, given your philosophy?
• Provides structure for ones scholarship/evolution
  
• Is it significantly contributing to the field?
• If not, how can it be changed?
• Provides structure for ones service
• Are you making a difference?
• If not, how can it be changed?

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Portfolios

• Are living, breathing documents
• Allow for deliberate and systematic attention to
  ones work
• Annually updated with each update of CV
• Add items reflect on changes document those
  changes remove items less relevant

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Portfolios

• Are holistic/systemic
• Portfolios as whole picture of you as an academic
• Tie your philosophy/goals to your practices and
  your outcomes
• Scholar/Artist
• Teacher
• Member of an Academic Community

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Portfolios Goals (Adapted from D. Mihram, USC)
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TWU Portfolio Expectations

• The TWU Academic Portfolio is composed of two
  parts
• Required University Documentation
• Supportive Evidence (50 page limit)

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TWU Portfolio Expectation

• Required University Documentation
• Recommendations from PRC, Component
  administrator, Dean, University PT Committee
• Curriculum Vitae TWU Format
• Letters from external reviewers (as of 2008)
• Annual reviews

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TWU Portfolio Expectation

• Supportive Evidence (Reflections
  Documentation) (50 pages)
• Introductory narrative integrating teaching,
  research service
• Your rationale for your overall work as an
  academic the assumptions and beliefs that
  underlie in common your teaching,
  scholarship/creative works and service your
  goals, to enable assessment of your progress
• Teaching narrative and documentation
• Your rationale for your practices the
  assumptions and beliefs underlying your teaching
  your goals, to enable assessment of your progress
  (Adapted from B. Schwartz, Randolph Macon Womans
  College)
• Scholarship/creativity narrative and
  documentation
• Your rationale for your practices the
  assumptions and beliefs underlying your
  scholarly/creative work your goals, to enable
  assessment of your progress
• Service narrative and documentation
• Your rationale for your practices the
  assumptions and beliefs underlying your service
  to the department, college, university, region,
  profession your goals, to enable assessment of
  your progress

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Collection
Selection
Presentation
Evaluation
Reflection
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• Collection

Presentation
Selection
Philosophy
Evaluation
Reflection
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Key Points Collection

• Compile the supporting data
• Student work, publications or exhibitions, grants
• Teaching evaluations, grants awarded, service
  recognitions
• Students, professional peers, colleagues
• Summarize responsibilities, priorities, and
  interests in areas of teaching,
  scholarship/creative activities, and service
• Courses taught, whether they are graduate or
  undergraduate, required or elective
• Teaching-related activities (e.g., serving as
  faculty advisor to student organizations,
  advising individual graduate or undergraduate
  students).
• Membership in groups and leadership roles

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Collection (cont.)

• Prepare statements on key selected items
• Statements on activities, initiatives, and
  accomplishments on each item
• Do the syllabi of courses coalesce around a
  specific theme about your teaching?
• Have you participated in programs, colloquia, or
  seminars designed to improve teaching?
• Do you have a variety of measures of your
  teaching effectiveness? Back-up documentation and
  appendices are referenced as appropriate.

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Key Points Selection

• Summarize responsibilities
• What courses do you teach? Scholarly/creative
  work completed? Service commitments?
• What courses have you taught? Scholarly/creative
  work put before peers/public in the past? Service
  accomplished?
• Include all related responsibilities
• Note A one-page synopsis is an effective option
  for reporting activities for which other forms of
  documentation are not available.
• A synopsis is a self-reported summary containing
  a detailed description of the nature of your
  important contributions and accomplishments in a
  particular area of work or achievement.
• A 1-page synopsis, for example, can describe in
  detail the extent and nature of your
  contributions and leadership while in the role of
  chair of a particular committee or task force.
• One can use a one-page synopsis in all three
  areas when other forms of generally accepted
  evidence do not exist.

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Selection (cont.)

• Select items for your portfolio
• What is most applicable
• To your teaching responsibilities and your
  approach to teaching?
• To your scholarly accomplishments?
• To your service achievements?
• Select items which are most applicable
• Choice of items should also reflect the
  professors personal preferences, style, academic
  discipline, and particular work.

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Selection (cont.)

• Compile the supporting data
• Evidence supporting all items mentioned in the
  portfolio e.g., original student evaluation of
  teaching, samples of student scholarship,
  invitations to contribute articles, colleagues
  evaluations.
• Note Such evidence is not part of the portfolio
  but is back-up material placed in the appendix or
  made available upon request.

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Key Points Reflection

• Describe your approach to teaching,
  scholarship/creative activities, and service
  and/or
• Write reflective statement(s) about your research
  agenda, creative endeavors, service foci, and
  teaching, strategies, methodologies and
  objectives in the form of one or several
  philosophy statements.
• The most valuable reflective statements include
  examples of research and scholarship, creative
  activities, service opportunities and/or
  classroom practices which show how ones
  practice, choices, activities, and/or methods fit
  his or her aims as an academic.

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Reflection (cont.)

• Describe your approach to teaching
• Teaching philosophy, strategies, methodologies,
  objectives.
• Answer the question Why you do what you do in
  the classroom?
• Prepare statements on each item
• How does your syllabus illustrate your teaching?
• Do you have multiple measures of teaching
  effectiveness?
• Describe your approach to research, scholarly
  activities and/or creative activities
• Philosophy, strategies, methodologies, objectives
• Answer the question Why you do what you do in
  the research/scholarship/creative activity area?
• What is your agenda for this area? What line of
  inquiry?
• How does what you do influence what/how you
  teach? Serve others?
• Have you integrated your research/scholarship and
  creative activities with teaching and service?

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Reflection (cont.)

• Describe your approach to service
• Philosophy, strategies of service and focus of
  service.
• Answer the questions Why do you choose to serve
  in particular arenas, whether at the local,
  state, national and/or international levels? Why
  do you choose particular activities?
• Over time, what is your agenda for service? What
  do you hope to accomplish by your service
  activities? Is there an area in which you wish
  to focus your energies? Why?
• Do your service commitments influence what/how
  you teach? In what way(s)? Do your service
  activities influence and inform your
  research/scholarship/creative activities? How?

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Key Points Presentation

• Arrange the order of the items
• The sequence of the accomplishments in each area
  is determined by their intended use (e.g., to
  demonstrate teaching improvement entries that
  reflect that goal should be stressed -- such as
  participation in seminars and workshops designed
  to enhance classroom performance).
• Align your Reflection/Documentation with your CV
• The sequence of accomplishments is also
  determined by the TWU outline
• Recommendation forms (PRC, Chair, Dean,
  University PT Committee)
• CV
• Letters of External Reviewers (in 2008)
• Reflection Documentation
• Annual reviews (in chronological order)

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Key Points Evaluation

• Evaluation by Self Determine how successful you
  are in achieving your intended outcomes in
  teaching, scholarship, and service See
  philosophy statements.
• Use an assessment tool and/or check sheet to
  determine if you have accomplished the key points
  of Collection, Selection, Reflection,
  Presentation and Evaluation.
• Evaluation by Others Determine if you
  understood/utilized the appropriate criteria from
• Component Review
• University review

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Preview of Coming Attractions

• Workshop II
• Reflection Writing the Philosophy Statements
• Assessment Evaluation of Academic Portfolios
• Workshop III
• Collection, Selection Presentation of Academic
  Portfolios
• Teaching
• Service
• Scholarship Creative Activity

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Questions?

• Is this what you needed to know?
• What information/resource/opportunities do you
  need?