A Philosophical Framework for the Course Portfolio Workshop

January 11, 2002

I see the central element of developing a course portfolio as being identifying and highlighting connections:

• Connections between what one believes about teaching and learning and the actual course design, delivering instruction and the evaluation.
• Connections to our research base in teaching and learning.
• Connections with our students and colleagues in order to inform them about the course.

I also think that a major part of making connections is through writing. The process of writing about the course requires us to formalize our thoughts and attitudes, set priorities, and wrestle with elements of coherence within elements of the course. Writing then allows us to communicate (i.e., connect) this information to students and colleagues (including ourselves). Our writing, along with the writing of our students, provides an archive of materials related to the course that assists in evaluating and documenting our work.

Those who would give up their time to come to a portfolio workshop are clearly motivated to improve their teaching and their students’ learning. Workshop participants have come from widely different disciplines and probably have widely different backgrounds and experience in teaching, and so the workshop format must be supportive and inclusive without a rigid formula for only one way of constructing a portfolio.

Finally, I think it’s important to practice what you preach. It’s important for me to use the format of a portfolio as a means to improve the quality of this workshop, to provide documentation about what is happening in the workshop, and construct an archive of material on which I can reflect, evaluate, and learn.