Preparing your teaching dossier

Typically 1–2 pages, the title page and table of contents present initial information about you.

Title Page

1. Title: Teaching Dossier
2. Name, degrees (highest level achieved/in progress)
3. Department
4. Faculty
5. University

Table of contents

• The table of contents will help to situate the reader so that navigation between the different sections of the dossier is simplified. The table should specify the page on which each section starts and the accompanying appendices.

No more than a half page, the short biographical statement is a brief section (one or two paragraphs) giving the reader a snapshot of your teaching career and helping them place the dossier’s information in a broader academic context. More specifically, it presents:

1. A brief history of your trajectory: how you got to your current position (adjunct or associate professor, part-time professor, TA, teaching field, etc.)
   • e.g. I gained my first teaching experience in higher education when I was a master’s student, Ph.D. candidate, part-time professor…
2. Your general responsibilities and your current teaching load (type of courses/classes)
   • e.g., I have had the opportunity to teach x courses … lead discussion groups … demonstrate laboratories…
3. Your interests: courses you would like to teach or develop.

Typically 1–2 pages long, the teaching philosophy is a personal text (introduction-body-conclusion) outlining your teaching philosophy and how you put it into practice (providing examples). It should specify the following:

1. Beliefs: What are your key beliefs about teaching and learning? What are your goals for student learning and student success in the classroom?
2. Strategies (teaching methods and approaches): How do you put your beliefs into practice? How do you enact your goals? What teaching methods/approaches do you use?
3. Impact: How do you evaluate the effectiveness and impact of your teaching strategies? How do you measure student learning?
   • Helpful Tip: To reflect on the impact of your teaching, start by looking at your student course evaluations and gathering any comments (formal or informal) you have received about your teaching, either from students, peers or support staff.
4. Future goals: How do you hope to continue to improve and grow as an educator? How can you continue to help students? What are your plans for future development?

According to the Senate committee decision on June 10, 2019 (item 14), a teaching philosophy statement is mandatory for faculty members submitting a teaching dossier.

Like the work experience detailed in your curriculum vitae, this section provides brief descriptions and useful information on your teaching activities. The information should be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent teaching activities.

a. Detailed teaching activities should include:

• Courses taught (number of students, level, credits, hours, etc.)
• Other teaching activities: guest lecturing, TA contracts (labs, discussion groups, etc.), course development, research supervision, coaching, mentoring, etc.

b. Aspects to consider:

• Workload (marking, supervising, etc.)
• Resource development (materials, online components, etc.)
• Awards linked to your teaching (yourself or your students)

c. Helpful tips:

• Think of the context surrounding your experiences: consider providing a short introductory paragraph to situate the reader at the start of the section.
  • e.g., In the last ten years, I have taught 12 courses at the undergraduate level at two different higher education institutions. Here is a detailed list of my experiences and responsibilities.
• Think of the structure of the section: consider dividing your teaching responsibilities into subsections.
  • e.g., by role (course instructor, teaching assistant, facilitator, etc.), by the institution (university, college, etc.).
• Think of the layout: consider using tables to present information.
• Use your CV as a starting point.

This section allows you to show how effective your teaching is based on gathered evidence. The information I've shared should highlight and summarize your best teaching moments. Evidence pieces might include:

1. A summary of formal evaluation results and student comments
2. Highlights gathered from informal evaluations (positive feedback, student messages and emails, etc.)
3. Letters of support (colleagues, students, TLSS, etc.)
4. Peer evaluations or observation reports
5. Aspects to consider:
   • Data presentation: be sure to present the collected data effectively and readerly.
     • e.g., in a graph or table, by themes, year, etc.
   • Supporting documents: refer readers to appendices when needed.
     • e.g., for long letters or documents, full official evaluation results.
6. Helpful tips:
   • Think about how you welcome feedback: consider adding a short conclusive paragraph describing how you have welcomed feedback (from students, mentors, observers, peers, etc.), and what you have done with it for your professional development.
   • Think about your personal processes: beyond the formal evaluations, consider adding information regarding any feedback processes you have integrated into your course(s).
     • e.g., a mid-session check-in, an informal survey sent to students to understand how the course and the learning are going, etc.

According to the Senate committee decision on June 10, 2019 (item 14), evidence of teaching effectiveness (i.e., the A-reports and a reflection on them) is mandatory for faculty members submitting a teaching dossier.

This section is optional. It should include any distinctions or acclaim you received for teaching and learning initiatives or activities. It can include:

1. A list of teaching-related distinctions
   • e.g., Excellence in Teaching, Teaching Assistant of the Year, etc.
2. Short descriptions of teaching-related innovations

This section lists initiatives specific to teaching and learning to which you contributed. It can include:

1. Educational Leadership
   • Workshop coordination or facilitation
   • Mentoring
   • Resource development (tools, techniques, guides, etc.)
   • Committee work (hiring, awards, grants, program evaluation, etc.)
2. Teaching Scholarship
   • Conference presentations or coordination
   • Publications
   • Research
   • Grants

This section should detail your efforts for improvement related to teaching and learning. It can include:

1. Courses taken (e.g., language courses, online courses, MOOCs, etc.)
2. Certificate programs (e.g., uOttawa—Certificate in University Teaching)
3. Workshops, development activities, webinars (e.g., TLSS, eCampus, etc.)
4. Consultations and observations with teaching and learning specialists (e.g., TLSS)
5. Conferences or events
6. Technology training
7. Initiatives
8. Memberships
9. Professional development plan
   • This could include reflecting on how your professional development activities have improved your teaching (takeaways, changes, and impact on your practice) and your next steps (what you will be working on) in the next few months or years.

This section comprises a series of supporting documents that provide further evidence of your chosen teaching approaches and strategies and their effectiveness. Appendices should present your best teaching work. They can include:

1. Sample course syllabi
2. Sample course materials (evaluations, websites, recorded lectures, etc.)
3. Letters of support
4. Comments or student letters (thank you messages, etc.)
5. Sample official/original course feedback evaluations
6. Certificates or other official documents (awards, micro-credentials, diplomas, etc.)
7. Instructional innovations (games, modules, etc.)