Date Started: Jun 16, 2008
Status:Pending

Project Description

The English Department's Writing faculty is one of the largest and most diverse at the University. It is made up of tenured and tenure-track instructors, faculty associates, term-contract full and part-time writing instructors, adjuncts, and graduate teaching assistants. The composition of this group changes each semester and each academic year, with potentially adverse effects on program integrity. We believe that instituting the practice of creating and maintaining teaching portfolios among the composition faculty will address this problem, in addition to helping instructors in a number of ways. 
 
The following goals are specified for this project:

• to provide staff development for a large and diverse faculty.

• to ensure the coherence of the composition program.

• to encourage instructors to develop a self-reflective practice that will be reflected in their teaching and the overall College English program.

• to enable faculty, many of whom are new each year, to share teaching philosophies, strategies, and techniques.

• to provide training in the use of information technology for teaching.

• to help faculty create a record of teaching practices for both self-evaluation and tenure/ reappointment.

 
The common goal for the participants in the Teaching Portfolio Project is the creation of professional electronic portfolios. All writing faculty (except adjuncts) are expected to participate in this project, which thereby guarantees program-wide impact on teaching and learning. The electronic portfolios will contain:
 

• A current teaching philosophy

• Artifacts from current and recent courses, including assignments

For more information, please contact the Department of English or the Teaching Learning and Technology Center.