Focus on Teaching is a three-part series about a new thematic format of professional development opportunities provided by DELTS for Memorial’s educators. Each month, educator development sessions will be offered on a selected theme; discipline-specific teaching consultations on each theme will also be available for individuals or groups.

“…it makes good sense to document teaching activities with the same care and accuracy as he or she uses to document research and scholarship. Portfolios are a step toward a more public, professional view of teaching and reflect teaching as a scholarly activity.” – The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions (Fourth edition)

It is a living document that requires reflection on personal experiences to highlight the strengths that demonstrate teaching effectiveness.

During the month of March, DELTS’ educator development team is focusing its activities on the teaching dossier. A dossier is typically prepared for tenure, promotion and review, as well as applications for an academic job or teaching award. But the teaching dossier is valuable in other ways, too.

“The critical self-reflection, as well as the collection and interpretation of material required in the process of preparing a dossier, also make it a valuable teaching development tool,” explained Allyson Hajek, instructional design specialist at DELTS. “Oftentimes, preparing a teaching dossier can be a challenging and time-consuming task, but with a little planning it need not be so.”

A teaching dossier is comprised of two parts: the narrative and the evidence. The narrative describes the instructor’s teaching experience and context, their approach to teaching and significant accomplishments. Ideally, it should demonstrate critical self-reflection on their teaching experience and ability to enhance teaching practice. Then, evidence to support the narrative is pulled from a variety of sources and is included in the appendices of the dossier.

When advising instructors about their dossiers, Ms. Hajek emphasizes that it is more than just an indiscriminate collection of all the documents and materials related to teaching activities. Instead, it is a thoughtful and selective compilation of material that documents an instructor’s intellectual work, and highlights teaching strengths and accomplishments.

“It’s beneficial to reflect on your teaching experiences and collect artifacts on a regular, ongoing basis,” said Ms. Hajek. “At DELTS, we can help instructors to create an individual plan that provides an organized framework to facilitate the process.”

Individual or group consultation services are available with Ms. Hajek, an experienced consultant on teaching dossiers. Additionally, DELTS has scheduled educator development sessions focused on teaching dossiers this month. The sessions offered include the teaching dossier: an introduction to documenting teaching activity and effectiveness; and peer observation of teaching: roles, goals and guidelines.

To learn more about teaching dossiers and related sessions visit here. Or book an individual or group consultation on teaching dossiers by contacting Ms. Hajek at ahajek@mun.ca or 709-864-4064.