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[Determined to stay in h.ed]

Greetings,

I'm back on the job search horse and stumbled upon the above phrase in a job listing.  I think there's a lot of ways to interpret this request and I'm wondering what you've encountered.  Is this a 1) copy of a written evaluation from a department chair, 2) copy of a syllabus or some other related item of class work, or 3) something else.  By the way, they have also requested a copy of a statement of teaching philosophy as well.

Thanks!

[Diogenes]

I would also include a selection of student evaluations--as comprehensive as possible (namely, including actual comments made by students, statstical forms they may have filled out, etc.--depending on what is available at the schools at which you've taught).

[A Colleague]

Hello,

It's not good to send too much "stuff" because it seems unlikely that the hiring committee would bother to peruse every little thing in a huge pile of material.  What you might do, if you can, is this:

-Student evals of a course that you taught that went well; the syllabus that goes with that course; a copy of an exam that you wrote for that course; and, if you have it, an excerpt of a student paper (or exam) that was part of that material.

I always save an example or two of things that students do from my more successful courses.  This is not with an eye toward my teaching portfolio, but rather due to a sentimental streak in my nature.  Some times the students will write papers (or exams) that are so thoughtful or wonderful in some way that I can't bear to part with them so I make a copy to save for my own self.  But it turned out, as I went on the market, that having some examples to copy and show with my syllabus was helpful.

Also, even barring that last bit, if you have a cohesive package to send, then you can give your teaching statement and add some heft by alluding to things in your "evidence of teaching excellence" packet.

Good luck.  I think this is all a hassle and another hoop through which we must all jump, so I try not to let it make me go nuts (the "what do they want from me?" question).  Do what you can, and if they want more from you, you will know.

Cheers,

A Colleague

[%sig%]

[B.F.]

I sent out a 5-page teaching portfolio with my application materials. The portfolio included a table listing my student evaluations, my teaching philosophy, and the courses I had taught as well as listing other teaching-related activities. I believe that this will fulfill the schools' requests for a statement of teaching philosophy and evidence of teaching effectiveness.

[Pippin]

Is it okay to include student work in a portfolio without obtaining the student's permission? I've never thought about it before, but it seems like kind of a gray area.

[M]

Definitely send student evaluations and possibly class visit write-ups (if your department chair or a peer has done one - I have a whole pile of them from my tenure process).  That's probably what they want.  

It's also possible they want letters of reference that address your teaching abilities.  Some committees will be constrained not to call references (either due to HR rules or time) until they get down to a few finalists, so I also would include letters of recommendation, even if they just ask for names.

*Sigh*  I wish search committees would just come out and say it!

[A Colleague]

Hello Pippin,

I don't think it should be problematic to include samples of student work.  For one thing, I don't have names or things that are private (such as a grade for the work) on the sample.  Instead, I take (for example) a really good test answer, cut and paste the original exam question onto a new document, type the student's answer, and present it under "here is an example of responses to the test question."  I have a couple student essays, and I have used one on occasion, but the student knew I was keeping it and might use it.  Again, his name and the grade are nowhere to be seen.

I would feel uncomfortable if I were writing a textbook and appropriating student work to add to said textbook; in that case, I'd be earning money (at least in theory) and using student effort for that reason.  I think that to use examples of student work in a job portfolio, especially when the sample are devoid of identifying details, shouldn't be problematic, especially since for the most part I only use selected fragments.

I don't mean this in a combative way, so please don't take it as such, but: why do you think that this might be a gray area?

Thank you,

A  Colleague

[%sig%]

[Pippin]

Thanks, Colleague, for the elucidation. I was just thinking in terms of how I would feel if I knew my work were being read by an audience that I had never intended -- because I would have assumed, when writing an essay for a professor, that the professor would be the only one reading it.

The best work I have from my students is in journal form, and it seems very intimate to me, even if they cannot be identified by name. This seems somewhat different from, say, the answer to a test question, or a copy of a research paper. Again, I just put myself in their place, and it felt a little uncomfortable.

[A Colleague]

Hello Pippin,


Thank you for your clarification, too.  I hadn't even thought of journal entries and I can see your point.  I would NEVER use something personal like that for a portfolio and it actually had never crossed my mind.  When I read your post, it made perfect sense that you would have questioned.

Just thinking about it gives me the shivers--that would be an incredible violation of trust between professor and student.  No, my exam questions and the essay I have used are great examples of what bright, energetic students have done with material I have created, but nothing that could be judged personal or emotionally intimate, and I would not even contemplate using personal or emotionally intimate things in a portfolio.  And if I were on a search committee and someone sent in, say, a student's heartfelt journal entry under the category of "look what I get out of my students" I would be appalled, too.  That is just plain wrong--professionally wrong and morally wrong--to breach a student's trust in such a way.

Like I said, just thinking about it gives me shivers.

I'm glad you asked though, because I think we can all learn from these sort of exchanges.  A person could have read my original post, thought "oh, great, I have lots of material I could use..." and unthinkingly (and with no malice) sent out something that is perhaps more personal that should be sent.  This is something to think about...

Thank you, and I appreciate the thought-provoking question you have raised here.

A Colleague

[%sig%]

[Another Boring Anon]

When I get a particularly good answer/paper/whatever from a student (although I don't use journals or anything overtly personal) I go ahead and ask the student if I can keep a copy and tell them who I might need to show it to in the future.  I tell them that I keep portfolios that are shown to the department, dean, etc. as part of my evaluation process and the development of courses.

Students were extremely flattered when I asked to used some of their papers when I wrote a pedagogical article about that assignment and I told them upfront that I would need to quote from their papers, but would either attribute them by name or not, at their request.  Most didn't care, but liked that I regarded their work highly.

[Determined to stay in h.ed]

All,

Thanks for all of your great ideas.  I teach accounting so the examples of student work like those mentioned by Pippin would not be as prevalent.  However, I do have some things like exams and some evaluations that I have, etc.

Thanks a bunch,
Determined........