Documentation:CTLT Resources/Selected TL Topics Course Portfolios

From UBC Wiki

Teaching Activities

Now that you have articulated your teaching philosophy, you can build a case and connect that to your approach/beliefs/values as described in your philosophy.

The information below provides guidelines for what to include; you may encounter overlap and will need to decide what works best for you. As you consider what to include and/or emphasize, think about UBC's Strategic Plans.

Please consult your Department for requirements and samples (you may need to reach out to individual colleagues to ask if they would be willing to share their portfolio with you).

Teaching Responsibilities

Key information includes course titles and codes, enrolment numbers, and succinct descriptions of your roles and responsibilities for each course.

Include information about:

  • Teaching methods used in the classroom (e.g., collaborative inquiry, problem-based learning, case studies, lecture, small group discussion, problem solving, project-based, student presentations)
  • How you design your course and learning experiences within your course, how you think about and incorporate assessment of learning, attention to inclusivity, etc
  • Where appropriate, the number of teaching assistants assigned to assist you in the course and the nature of their involvement.
  • Details of other teaching activities such as invited lectures, special projects, seminars, advising students, supervision of a teaching or research practicum

In this sample, Dr. Greg Chan outlines his teaching responsibilities in the undergraduate classroom and provides sample syllabi.

Contributions to the Teaching Profession and/or Your Institution

This is an opportunity to share about innovative teaching strategies and other contributions you have made to curriculum and/or course development. As you write about this, resist the temptation to simply list your activities; consider how to include evidence of impact.

Include information about:

  • Workshops and seminars about teaching that you designed and instructed, including number of people who attended and any follow-up activities
  • Curriculum materials - details of published and unpublished curriculum materials, textbooks, workbooks, case studies, class notes, lab manuals
  • Research and professional contributions related to teaching - books, articles, papers in conference proceedings, bibliographies, newsletters

In this sample, Dr. Christina Hendricks (UBC) provides evidence of her educational leadership.


Supervising and Advising Students

Set the context of your supervisory duties.

You may wish to include information about:

  • Names of those supervised and the nature and extent of the supervisory activity. It is also useful to indicate the outcome of the supervision (e.g. the thesis title and acceptance date, the citation information of a student publication, or the date and venue of a public performance)
  • Supervision of graduate and undergraduate independent study or directed readings
  • Advising and mentorship on program of study, courses, or career and professional advice
  • Supervision which has contributed to publications and conference presentations

Professional Development in Teaching

This section describes the professional development activities (reading, conferences, courses, workshops) you have engaged in to enhance your abilities as an instructor. By including this section, you demonstrate engagement with and commitment to teaching--especially when you include a description of how you used the new information in your teaching.

You may wish to include information about:

  • Workshops, sessions, or certification that is specific to your development as an instructor
  • What key skills you gained and/or changes you made in your teaching as a result of participating in the activity
  • Attendance at professional training, orientation, or development sessions for faculty, such as orientation sessions for new faculty

In this sample, Dr. Jenélle Dowling summarizes her attendance at professional development activities and how she uses this knowledge in her classroom.

Committee Service

Many departmental, Faculty and University-wide activities do not take place in classrooms but do provide important support for teaching.

You may wish to include information about

  • Relevant activities that you have undertaken as a member of a Faculty, department, or cross-disciplinary committee, subcommittee, ad hoc committee, or task force. If relevant, consider membership in the Senate, Board of Governors, library committees, teaching and scholarship committees, Advisory Boards, teaching awards committees (faculty awards, university awards, special awards e.g. TA teaching) and other committees working on academic policy, curriculum, review, planning and implementation as they pertain to teaching activity
  • Teaching assistant professional training, orientation, or development
  • Involvement in establishing, adjudicating, or administering awards or honours recognizing and celebrating student achievement
  • Observing others teaching as part of formal or informal evaluation and feedback regarding teaching effectiveness