Instructional Resources

Preparing a Teaching Dossier: General Advice

This series of teaching dossier resources is designed to assist individuals who are applying for tenure, promotion, an academic position, teaching award, or teaching innovation grant, and those preparing for non-decision year review.

The overview of recommendations in this resource are derived from a literature review; the teaching dossier guidelines offered at other Canadian universities; the documentation required for 3M National Teaching Fellowship nominations; and the scholarship on the evaluation of teaching effectiveness published by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. The descriptions of the narrative and evidence sections are also compliant with the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ (CAUT) Teaching Dossier (2018) publication. The current Collective Agreement between Memorial University of Newfoundland and Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association recommends faculty follow the suggestions in the CAUT Teaching Dossier (2018) document for promotion and tenure processes.

What is a teaching dossier?

A teaching dossier is a curated document in which instructors “describe the unique circumstances of their courses and general approaches to teaching; explain their use of specific strategies and methods; and provide convincing evidence that they are effective” (Seldin et al., 2010, p. 5). As a document that describes and provides evidence of teaching strengths and accomplishments, the teaching dossier comprises two parts: the narrative and appended evidence. The narrative is personal, reflective, and descriptive of your teaching practice. It may be three to ten pages in length, depending on your experience and your purpose for developing the dossier. Evidence of the statements you make about your teaching in the narrative is placed in a set of appendices.

The Narrative

  • Be selective and representative; not exhaustive. Keep your reviewers and purpose in mind and focus on the unique, creative, and particularly effective aspects of your teaching practice.
  • Depending on the purpose of the dossier, and unless otherwise advised, focus on teaching activity undertaken in the previous three to five years.
  • Demonstrate that you are purposeful in your teaching actions by explaining why you do what you do and linking activities to student learning outcomes.
  • Context is important. Whether articulating your teaching philosophy or describing effective teaching strategies, methods of assessment, or instructional materials you developed, provide information about the contextual factors that influence your approach. These may include the priorities of your academic unit, course goals, students’ prior knowledge and experience, and the learning environment or format.
  • It is acceptable to write about your teaching challenges and teaching and learning activities that did not go according to plan. Explain what you learned from the experience and what you have done, or plan to do, to develop your teaching and improve opportunities for student learning.
  • A strong, convincing, and cohesive teaching dossier results when there is alignment among the beliefs expressed in the teaching philosophy, the practices described and critical reflection in the narrative, and the appended evidence.

The Evidence

  • As Border (2006) advises, “documentation should be carefully selected, minimal, and powerfully illustrative of the teacher’s personal style and contributions” (p. 4).
  • A variety of evidence from a variety of resources is recommended. Consider not only what artifacts you produced and can append but also what evidence students and colleagues can provide.
  • Seek and document permission for use of student work. Include a statement that indicates the piece is used with permission from the student author or developer.
  • Help the reviewer interpret the evidence you provide. Tell the reviewer how the material relates to the beliefs and approaches expressed in your teaching philosophy and what you think the material says about your teaching strengths and effectiveness.
  • Do not append any material that you have not referenced in the narrative.

 Tips to keep in mind

  • The material you compile will form the basis of your teaching evaluation and every teaching dossier is unique. The structure, content, and design of the dossier should reflect your perspectives and strengths, and your purpose for developing it. The resource on Preparing a Teaching Dossier: Suggested Framework provides a suggested table of contents for a teaching dossier.
  • In preparing for promotion and tenure, consult with your dean or department head early in the process to seek guidance on the particular expectations of your academic unit.
  • Support and advice in the preparation of a dossier are available from deans and department heads, from staff in CITL, and, for faculty members in the Faculty of Medicine, from staff in the Office of Professional & Educational Development.

References

Resource created by: Melanie D.

Originally Published: July 12, 2024

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