Preparing a Teaching Dossier

A teaching dossier provides a summary of a faculty member’s major contributions, accomplishments and strengths as a teacher. According to Britnell (2011), a teaching dossier “is a personal story that tells the reader about you and your teaching practice – unique to you, influenced by your beliefs, values, your discipline and your teaching culture” (The Learning & Teaching Office, 2011, p. 1).

The dossier should be comprised of:

• Statement of teaching philosophy, along with supporting evidence, that guides practice in higher education.
• Record and display of professional goals, growth and achievement.
• Demonstration of self-assessment (self-reflection) and evaluation of teaching practice.

Among the resources available at the university is a Guide for Providing Evidence of Teaching (2018), which has been created by the Taylor Institute.

The following elements will strengthen the impact of a dossier:

• Evidence of practice - examples of linking theory with teaching experiences;
• Recognition of differences in student ability, learning style with evidence of methods of instruction and assessment (beyond traditional lecture and testing), that address diversity;
• Demonstration of reflectiveness - examples of struggle with instructional challenges and resolutions, modifications and changes, and a plan for future development as a teacher;
• Value of teaching - a message that conveys enthusiasm and value for teaching;
• Clarity and readability of writing (The Learning & Teaching Office, 2011). 

The Taylor Institute also has an archive of teaching dossiers and philosophy of teaching statements that have been used for promotion, tenure review and award nominations.
 
Access the approved teaching dossier guidelines here. (D2L Login required)

If you need to import details on your research and publications from Google Scholar to ORCID to complement your dossier, follow the steps outlined in this document. (D2L Login required)

Peer review of teaching helps to maintain the quality of teaching and learning.  It provides an opportunity for faculty members to discuss and receive feedback on their teaching. Peer feedback can be used as part of the documentation of quality teaching. 

Click here (D2L Login required) for the Peer Review of Teaching guidelines.

Student feedback on teaching helps to inform and maintain quality of teaching and learning. Mid-term feedback allows for timely improvement in practice and it can also be used as part of the documentation of quality teaching. The University of Calgary has access to survey tools provided by Qualtrics and they can be accessed by faculty, staff and students using their university log-in.

If you wish to have mid-term student feedback, please contact the Office of Teaching and Learning with your course number and a date for this assessment and we can administer a brief survey that ensures the anonymity of students.

End-of-term student feedback can also be done by the Office of Teaching and Learning for classes of fewer than 8 students. If you would like us to complete a mid-term assessment on your behalf, email tandl@ucalgary.ca.

As part of teaching, instructors may engage in designing/redesigning a course, a program and/or an online environment (e.g., D2L course shell). When noting this work on the Annual Performance Report (APR), it is important to provide evidence of the design/redesign.  The Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee (TLAC), in consultation with the Associate Deans of the Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in Education, have developed guidelines for the process of documenting the design/redesign work, to gain peer feedback and to receive approval by an EDSA Chair, an Associate Dean or Director.  You can access the course design document template, upon D2L login, here.