UMMS

Guidelines for Educator's Portfolio

Purpose
The educator's portfolio provides documentation of teaching and teaching effectiveness for promotion and tenure decisions. Because faculty vary substantially in the extent and setting of their teaching responsibilities, each faculty's portfolio will be different. Thus, this document provides broad guidelines rather than rigid requirements. The educator's portfolio supplements the curriculum vita by cataloging educational contributions (e.g., teaching assignments, advising, course directorships) and providing evidence of quality (e.g., educational research or book chapters, teaching materials, peer/student teaching evaluations, appointment to state or national education-related boards, teaching awards, development of materials adopted by other institutions).

Portfolio Development
Clarify to the Promotion and Tenure Committee whether they should assess your teaching as a central or secondary component of your faculty responsibilities. Indicate the proportion of your FTE devoted to teaching and other educational activities.

Section 1: Summary of teaching activities and approximate time commitment. Emphasize activities since appointment to UMMS faculty or your last promotion. Consider separate learner categories if you teach at multiple levels (medical students, graduate students, allied health students, residents/fellows, continuing medical education).

Section 2: Most important teaching contribution(s) identified under headings such as:

Curriculum Design and Development (e.g., new course or revision, course integration)
Teaching Responsibilities
Instructional Materials (e.g., syllabi, web-based materials)
Educational Administration/Service (e.g., course, sequence, or clerkship director, residency program director, advising, curriculum committee membership)
Educational Scholarship (e.g., presentations or published manuscripts related to education; creative products of educational activity that have been reviewed for quality by peers and made public for others to build upon)
Professional Development in Education (e.g., participation in workshops; fellowship; specific efforts to advance in education/teaching dimension of career development)

Use Section 2 to highlight your most significant teaching contribution(s). More is not better (most faculty have one or a few "most important" contributions). The evidence of quality and impact of your contribution as evidenced by outcomes such as learning, program improvement, skills development, etc. is more important than the number of contributions. The extent and impact of your teaching would be linked logically to the magnitude of your teaching responsibilities.

For each "Most Important Contribution",

Briefly describe your role
Provide "Evidence" of the quality or impact of your activity. Evidence of an evaluative nature should be included, such as, evaluations by students, peers, and course directors; adoption of your work by other schools; teaching awards; presentations of your work at meetings.

Caveat: Take the time to keep it short -- No longer than 2 to 4 pages.

If you have questions about constructing your portfolio, feel free to consult either Robert Anderson, Ed.D., or Larry Gruppen, Ph.D., in the Department of Medical Education (763-1153).