A Portfolio For The New Engineering Educator

There are several reasons why educators compile teaching portfolios. With any particular compilation, the purpose determines suitable types of information that may be included in the portfolio. For many new educators on tenure track appointments, a teaching portfolio may serve as evidence of progressive teaching and scholarly accomplishments during promotion and tenure (P & T) evaluations. The portfolio of the new educator may include, among other things, evidence to demonstrate how the quality of an educator’s teaching method has progressed during the period, the effectiveness of his/her teaching method in motivating students to learn, and new courses that have been developed. The teaching portfolio is used to document decisions that have been made during the development or improvement of courses, as well as the outcomes of those decisions. Although many institutions do not currently require teaching portfolios, the idea is rapidly catching on. For many new educators, the development of a teaching portfolio can be a daunting task. In addition to figuring out the kinds of material to gather, there is also the need to strike a balance between excessive information, which may overwhelm the evaluator, and inadequate information, which may result in an unfair assessment. This paper serves to introduce the new engineering educator to the teaching portfolio. In doing so, the author looks at issues to consider, worthy materials to include, an approach to developing a portfolio, and the need to update the portfolio on a regular basis.