Portfolio Items: Detailed Descriptions

Detailed Information for Portfolio Requirements

• Syllabi and other 1st day handouts

  • Syllabi should be in accordance with the Master Syllabi guidelines.

  • First-day handouts covering special information not included in the syllabus (e.g., special project guidelines, lab report guidelines).

• Exams

• • 1. Include a copy of every exam, including the last or final exam.

    2. Give clear grading policy based on Department requirements.

    3. Consider including pictures and graphics for clarity.

• Labs: Give examples of three labs.

  • • Submit only three labs for each course. The number of labs shall not be two, or four, or all of them. Please submit three labs.

    • Labs should be include topics from the entire semester (e.g. one from early in the semester, one from mid-way in the semester, and one from the end).

    • Labs should include different types that are representative of the labs you teach. For example, you could include a standard lab, a discovery lab, or a formal lab if you teach these types.

    • In your labs, consider including pictures and graphics for clarity.

    • If verbal instructions are given before the labs with important instructions not written in the labs, give the committee that information, summarizing what your verbal instructions are, or by taking and submitting a picture of the board if your instructions are written there.

• List of All Labs Done

A list of all labs done (include the list with your submitted labs even if it is also included in the syllabus).

Projects or Major Assignments (Engineering and All Non-lab Courses)

For Engineering courses, include:

• • • • All major projects
        
        

For lecture-only courses, include:

• • • • Examples of at least two major assignments. (These could be reports, projects, homework, or other assignments). If the course has no such assignments, include a note stating this.

For Honors lecture classes:

• • • • Include examples of assignments/projects that exemplify why these are Honors classes.

Faculty Input Form - (Download the FIF here)

• • It is recommended that you complete a FIF after you receive your Student Evaluations each semester for the previous semester. For example, at the beginning of the summer semester, you will receive your Student Evaluations for classes you taught in spring. At the beginning of fall semester you will receive Student Evaluations for your summer classes. At the beginning of the spring semester, you will receive your Student Evaluations for fall classes.

  • Submit a FIF for Spring, Summer, and Fall classes for the calendar year being reviewed.

  • If you choose to submit only one FIF during the year, it must be submitted in spring (usually by early February) after you receive your Student Evaluations for Fall classes. You must still comment on Student Evaluations for the entire year (Spring, Summer, and Fall classes).

  • Each FIF should include the following:

    • Comment on Student Evaluation comments, especially any that suggest contract violations.

    • Comment if there are unusual amounts of A's (>60%) or F's or W's (>50%).

*The final FIF or once a year FIF submitted at the beginning of Spring must also include answers to the other questions on the FIF.*

Statement of Teaching Philosophy (for 2nd and 3rd year portfolios)

• • From the ACC Faculty Evaluation Procedures Manual: The Statement of Teaching Philosophy provides valuable insight into how and why an instructor teaches. A statement of teaching philosophy contains the overall values, goals, and objectives of teaching as well as the broad objectives students should learn from the course. The teaching philosophy needs to express what faculty do as teachers and why. The evaluators use the philosophy to determine if the instructor’s goals and objectives are congruent with that of the college, the department, and the discipline.

Course Commentary (for 3rd year portfolios)

• • • From the ACC Faculty Evaluation Procedures Manual: The Course Commentary is an application of the teaching philosophy to one particular course. The course commentary should contain a statement of what, how, and why the instructor is doing what he or she is doing in one particular course. The faculty member is to reflect on what is being done in a particular course, to examine the methods used to teach the course, and to evaluate the faculty’s teaching effectiveness in that course.

Professional Development Plan (3rd year and Review)

• • The development plan is expected to be a document that describes a plan of professional development goals the faculty member has for their future growth. This document is basically an exercise in taking a thoughtful look at what one hopes to achieve in the next year. For more information on the new requirements for professional development, visit the Professional Development page.