Teaching portfolio examples and what to put in one

01The standard structure

Caltech's Center for Teaching, Learning and Outreach describes a teaching portfolio as a document that describes and provides evidence for your teaching strengths and accomplishments, and notes there is no strict format. It suggests this structure, which most university teaching centers share.

02Writing the teaching philosophy

Caltech's guide, drawing on the University of Michigan's teaching center, says an effective statement offers evidence of practice, conveys reflectiveness, communicates that teaching is valued, is student-centered and is clearly written. Its practical rules: keep it brief (one to two pages), use a narrative first-person voice, discuss your goals for students, your methods and your assessments, and use specific examples from your discipline.

• Open with what you want students to be able to do, not a quotation.
• Give one or two concrete examples of a method you use and why.
• Mention a challenge and how you changed your teaching because of it.
• Say how you know students are learning: assessments, feedback, results.

03Example entries

Teaching activities read best as short, specific entries. Caltech's guide gives this model: a role and course title, the years, then two or three bullets on class size and audience, your responsibilities and something you contributed.

04Evidence of effectiveness

Caltech recommends summarizing evaluations in the main text, drawing out themes and patterns with concrete quotes or numbers, and placing the complete evaluations in the appendices. Peer observation reports, teaching certificates, awards and examples of student work (with permission) all count.

Keep it honest. A portfolio that admits a weak first semester and shows what changed is more convincing than one that claims perfection.

05Do you need one, and in what format?

It depends on the role. On Academia Stack Exchange, the top answer says full teaching portfolios are rarely asked for at US research universities, though a teaching statement often is. A schoolteacher replying described a three-inch binder that only one administrator ever opened. Teaching-focused colleges, teacher education programs and promotion reviews are where portfolios are actually read.

If you do make one, a short online version is easier to share than a binder: a simple site with your philosophy, a list of courses and downloadable evidence. Websites for teachers and what makes a good portfolio website cover the build.

06Mistakes to avoid

Caltech's guide also recommends giving context for any materials in the appendices: how and why you developed them, for what course and what teaching strategies they use. A syllabus without that context is just a syllabus.

• A philosophy full of general statements ("I believe every student can learn") with no examples.
• Raw evaluation forms in the main text instead of summarized themes.
• Claims with no evidence, or evidence with no explanation of why it matters.
• Including everything you have ever made instead of representative materials.
• A portfolio that never changes; Caltech's guide stresses that portfolios should evolve as your teaching does.

07Further reading

Caltech's guide recommends Peter Seldin's book The Teaching Portfolio, especially its chapter of examples across disciplines, and the University of Michigan's guide to writing a teaching statement, which includes a rubric you can use to check your own draft before anyone else reads it.