The Academic Portfolio E-Book

Peter Seldin

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 471

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

This comprehensive book focuses squarely on academic portfolios, which may prove to be the most innovative and promising faculty evaluation and development technique in years. The authors identify key issues, red flag warnings, and benchmarks for success, describing the what, why, and how of developing academic portfolios. The book includes an extensively tested step-by-step approach to creating portfolios and lists 21 possible portfolio items covering teaching, research/scholarship, and service from which faculty can choose the ones most relevant to them. The thrust of this book is unique: * It provides time-tested strategies and proven advice for getting started with portfolios. * It includes a research-based rubric grounded in input from 200 faculty members and department chairs from across disciplines and institutions. * It examines specific guiding questions to consider when preparing every subsection of the portfolio. * It presents 18 portfolio models from 16 different academic disciplines. Designed for faculty members, department chairs, deans, and members of promotion and tenure committees, all of whom are essential partners in developing successful academic portfolio programs, the book will also be useful to graduate students, especially those planning careers as faculty members.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Contributors

Chapter One - The Academic Portfolio Concept

What Is an Academic Portfolio?

Using the Portfolio

Personnel Decisions

Improve Performance

Other Purposes

Chapter Two - Choosing Items for the Academic Portfolio

Preface

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendix

Electronic Portfolio

Chapter Three - Preparing the Portfolio

The Value of Self-Reflection

The Importance of Collaboration

Self-Mentoring

Discussing Expectations

Gaining Acceptance of the Concept

Chapter Four - Suggestions for Improving the Portfolio

House the Portfolio in a Binder with Tabs for Appendixes

Include the Date of the Portfolio

Include a Detailed Table of Contents

Add a List of Appendix Items

Include Specific Information, Not Generalities

Explain the Evidence in the Portfolio

Enhance the Narrative Section

Cross-Reference the Narrative to the Appendix

Limit the Number of Student or Colleague Comments

Number the Pages in the Portfolio

Make Bulky Portfolio Items Available upon Request

Revise the Portfolio Each Year

Chapter Five - Evaluating the Portfolio for Personnel Decisions

Key Requirements

Establish Criteria

Checklist of Items for Evaluating Portfolios

Chapter Six - Answers to Common Questions

Is the Academic Portfolio Concept in Use Today?

Can an Impressive Portfolio Gloss Over Terrible Teaching, Research and ...

How Much Time Does It Take to Prepare a Portfolio?

How Long Is the Typical Academic Portfolio?

How Does the Academic Portfolio Differ from the Usual Faculty Report to ...

Why Do Portfolio Models and Mentors Need to Be Available to Professors as They ...

Can a Portfolio Be Prepared by a Professor Working Alone?

Must the Mentor Be from the Same Discipline as the Professor Who Is Preparing ...

Because the Role of the Mentor Is So Crucial, How Are Mentors Recruited?

Who Owns the Portfolio?

Should Administrators Develop the Portfolio Program and Then Tell Faculty to ...

The Portfolio Concept Is Undoubtedly Useful for Junior Faculty, But Why Would ...

Are the Time and Energy Required to Prepare a Portfolio Really Worth the Benefits?

What Guidelines Would You Suggest for Getting Started with Portfolios?

Chapter Seven - Sample Portfolios from Across Disciplines

Biomedical Engineering

Introduction to the Portfolio

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Administration and Service

Appendixes

Bioscience and Biotechnology

Abstract

Teaching Responsibilities and Teaching Philosophy

Academic Research Program

Research Funding History

Department/Institutional Committees

Mentoring Activities

Contribution from Teaching, Research, and Service to My Professional Growth and Development

Three Significant Professional Accomplishments

Three Professional Goals That I Want to Accomplish

Appendixes

Child and Family Studies

Introduction

Teaching

Research

Service

Integration

Reflections

Appendixes

Education

Purpose

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendixes

Education

Introduction

Teaching

Research

Service

Integration of Professional Activities

Appendixes

English

Portfolio Preface and Rationale

Reflections on Responsibilities

Philosophy of Professional Engagement: Integrating Teaching, Scholarship, Service

Integration: Teaching, Scholarship, Service, and Leadership as Professional Nexus

Professional Accomplishments

Professional Goals

Appendixes

Environmental Engineering

Teaching Responsibilities

Teaching Philosophy and Methodologies

Research

External Funding

Department/Institution Committee Service

Administrative/Managerial Responsibilities

Mentoring Activities

Contribution of Teaching, Research, and Service

Contribution of Administrative, Managerial, and Mentoring Activities

Selected Professional Accomplishments

Professional Goals

List of Documents in Appendixes

Foreign Languages and Literature

Integrative Prologue

Teaching

Research/Scholarship

Service

Integrative Epilogue

Appendixes

Geology and Environmental Science

Purpose

Teaching

Research

Service

Integration of Professional Work

Appendixes

Jazz and Contemporary Music

Purpose

Teaching

Research/Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work/Goals

Professional Accomplishments

Appendixes

Mathematical Sciences

Purpose

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendixes

Nutritional Sciences

Purpose

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendixes

Pastoral Counseling

Purpose of Academic Professional Portfolio

Teaching Responsibilities

Teaching Philosophy, Objectives, and Methodologies

Curricular Revisions

Course Syllabi

Teaching Improvement Activities

Student Course Evaluations

Colleague Statements

Nature of Research

Books and Publications

Conference Presentations

Service: Administrative Activities and Committees

Teaching, Research, and Service Contributions to Professional Growth and Development

Three Professional Accomplishments

Professional Goals

Appendixes

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Purpose

Teaching

Research/Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendixes

Political Science

Purpose

I. Teaching

II. Research/Scholarship

III. Service

IV. Professional Growth/Development

Appendix

Political Science

Introduction

Teaching Statement

Statement of Teaching Methods and Strategies

Research Statement

Integration of Professional Activities

The Future

Appendixes

Product Design

Executive Summary

Teaching

Scholarship

University Service

Integration of Professional Work and Goals

Appendixes

Psychology

Preface

Directorship of the Student Counseling Center

Teaching

Research and Scholarship

Service

Integration of Professional Work/Goals

Appendixes

References

Index

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Seldin, Peter.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-25699-2 (pbk.)

1. Portfolios in education. I. Miller, J. Elizabeth, 1958- II. Title.

LB1029.P67S44 2008

378.1’224—dc22

2008027383

The Jossey-Bass

Higher and Adult Education Series

Preface

An important change is taking place in higher education: faculty are being held accountable—as never before—for how well they do their jobs. Current interest in appraising faculty performance grows out of the demand by government, the general public, and accrediting agencies for more accountability.

Reflective and deep information on teaching, research and scholarship, and service—and how those three legs of academic work fit together—has been skimpy at best. The result has been that the general and routine approach to evaluating faculty performance has often relied on student ratings, a testimonial letter or two, and lists of publications, presentations, and college or university committees on which the faculty member served.

The focus has been on the “what,” not the “why” or the “how.” Thoughtful reflection and context were not built into the evaluation system. And neither was an explanation of the significance of the professor’s work, an especially important omission when promotion and tenure committee members are not in the same discipline as the professor and have difficulty understanding the nature of the professor’s research and scholarship and its value.

Unless the faculty member developed a teaching portfolio, little or no attention was paid to this person’s teaching philosophy and methodology. But even if he or she did develop a teaching portfolio, it focused on only one leg of the three-legged stool of faculty work. Nothing was said about the nature of the professor’s research and scholarship, the significance of selected publications, the context of his or her work, his or her most noteworthy accomplishments, and role on institutional committees. And nothing was said about the integration of the three legs of faculty work or about how one leg informs the others.

The best way the writers know to get at the individuality and complexity of faculty work is the academic portfolio, a careful gathering of documents and material highlighting the professor’s performance and suggesting its scope and quality. Importantly, it is based on depthful reflection and provides the “why” and the “how,” not just the “what.” It can be used to present the hard evidence on teaching, research and scholarship, and service effectiveness. It is flexible enough to be used for personnel decisions and provide the stimulus and structure for self-reflection about areas of faculty performance in need of improvement.

The academic portfolio concept has gone well beyond the point of theoretical possibility. Today it is being adopted or pilot-tested in various forms by an increasing number of institutions. Among the current users or experimenters with portfolios are Jackson State (Mississippi), Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Drexel University (Pennsylvania), the New School (New York), and Loyola College in Maryland. Significantly, among the users or experimenters with portfolios today are institutions of every size, shape, and mission.

This book focuses squarely on academic portfolios, which may prove to be the most innovative and promising faculty evaluation and development technique in years. It identifies key issues, red-flag warnings, and benchmarks for success. It describes the what, why, and how to develop academic portfolios and includes an extensively tested, step-by-step approach to create a portfolio. It lists twenty-one possible portfolio items covering teaching, research and scholarship, and service from which faculty choose the ones personally most relevant.

The portfolio template included in this book is the result of extensive research. More than two hundred faculty members and department chairs from across disciplines and institutions (large and small, public and private) provided suggestions and recommendations as to its content. The result is a comprehensive portfolio template that can easily be adapted to individual faculty and department needs. The motto, “Adapt, rather than adopt,” applies here.

The thrust of this book is unique:

• It provides time-tested strategies and proven advice for getting started with portfolios.

• It outlines key issues, red-flag dangers, and benchmarks for success.

• It discusses the portfolio as a way of documenting faculty performance.

• It includes specific guiding questions to consider as prompts when preparing every section of the portfolio.

• It spells out important points to consider in evaluating portfolios.

• It offers eighteen model academic portfolios from across disciplines and institutions, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to research universities. For balance, the portfolio contributors are at different points in their career trajectories.

In short, The Academic Portfolio offers colleges and university administrators and faculty the kind of research-based, ready-to-use information required to foster the most effective use of portfolios.

It is written for faculty members, department chairs, deans, and members of promotion and tenure committees. They are the essential partners in developing successful academic portfolio programs. Graduate students, especially those planning careers as faculty members, will find the book useful. The language used is straightforward and nontechnical.

Chapter One discusses the academic portfolio concept; how it includes the scope, quality, context, and significance of a professor’s achievements; why the content depends on the purpose for which it is to be used; how it is based on structured reflection, thoughtfully selected information on teaching, research and scholarship, and service activities that portray an appropriate balance of professional activities; and that it provides solid evidence of their effectiveness.

Chapter Two describes the many possibilities from which the faculty member can select portfolio items relevant to his or her academic situation, discusses the factors to consider in choosing items, outlines the five main categories of the narrative (the preface, independent sections on teaching, research and scholarship, and service, and a section on integrating professional work and goals), provides suggestions as to the length of each category, presents a detailed table of contents, and includes nearly one hundred prompt questions to guide the preparation of each part of the portfolio.

Chapter Three examines in important detail the four cornerstones of successful academic portfolio programs: the value of self-reflection, the importance of collaboration, the vital need to discuss expectations, and how to gain acceptance of the concept.

It offers practical advice and takes a hard look at what works and what does not.

Chapter Four presents a list of specific helpful suggestions to faculty members who prepare their portfolios. Among others, the detailed recommendations include housing the portfolio in a binder with tabs; including specific information, not generalities; explaining the evidence; enhancing the narrative section; limiting the number of student and faculty colleague comments; and revising the portfolio every year.

Chapter Five spells out how to evaluate academic portfolios for personnel decisions, what should be evaluated, and how it should be done; discusses the key requirements of acceptability, practicality, and relevance; and outlines the crucial differences between strong and weak portfolios. It also provides practical advice: a nineteen-point suggested checklist of items for evaluating academic portfolios that emerged from discussions with more than 150 members of personnel committees at different colleges and universities.

Chapter Six offers pragmatic answers to many questions commonly raised about developing and using academic portfolios. Here are guidelines for getting started and a discussion on how portfolios differ from the usual faculty report to administrators. It also addresses how much time it takes to develop a portfolio, why portfolio models and mentors are so important, and why an elegant portfolio cannot disguise weak performance in teaching, research and scholarship, or service.

Chapter Seven contains the actual academic portfolios of eighteen professors from different disciplines and institutions.

PETER SELDIN Pleasantville, New York October 2008

J. ELIZABETH MILLER DeKalb, Illinois October 2008

Acknowledgments

We applaud the professors who contributed their portfolios to this book for their professionalism and good-humored acceptance of deadlines and rewrites. Working with them has truly been our pleasure.

About the Authors

Peter Seldin is Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. Formerly an academic dean, department chair, and professor of management, he is a specialist in the evaluation and development of faculty and administrative performance and has been a consultant on higher education issues to more than 350 colleges and universities throughout the United States and in forty-five countries around the world.

A well-known speaker at national and international conferences, Seldin has presented programs at more than thirty American Council on Education national workshops for division and department chairs and deans specifically designed to enhance departmental leadership.

His well-received books include:

Evaluating Faculty Performance, with associates (Anker, 2006)

The Teaching Portfolio, third edition (Anker, 2004)

The Administrative Portfolio, with Mary Lou Higgerson (Anker, 2002)

Changing Practices in Evaluating Teaching, with associates (Anker, 1999)

The Teaching Portfolio, second edition (Anker, 1997)

Improving College Teaching, with associates (Anker, 1995)

Successful Use of Teaching Portfolios, with associates (Anker, 1993)

The Teaching Portfolio (Anker, 1991)

How Administrators Can Improve Teaching, with associates (Jossey-Bass, 1990)

Evaluating and Developing Administrative Performance (Jossey-Bass, 1988)

Coping with Faculty Stress, with associates (Jossey-Bass, 1987)

Changing Practices in Faculty Evaluation (Jossey-Bass, 1984)

Successful Faculty Evaluation Programs (Coventry Press, 1980)

Teaching Professors to Teach (Blythe-Pennington, 1977)

How Colleges Evaluate Professors (Blythe-Pennington, 1975)

He has contributed numerous articles on the teaching profession, student ratings, educational practice, and academic culture to such publications as the New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Change magazine. Among recent honors, he was named by the World Bank as a visiting scholar to Indonesia. In addition, he was elected a fellow of the College of Preceptors in London, England. This special honor is given to a small number of faculty and administrators who are judged to have made an “outstanding contribution to higher education on the international level.” For his contributions to the scholarship of teaching, he has received honorary degrees from Keystone College (Pennsylvania) and Columbia College (South Carolina).

J. Elizabeth Miller is associate professor of family and child studies at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. She has taught graduate courses in research methods, family and child studies, and adolescent development and undergraduate courses in family theories, marriage and family, and life span human development. Three times she has been honored with excellence in teaching awards.

Previously she was the founding director of the Teaching Assistant and Training Development Office, which provided extensive training to more than eight hundred teaching assistants. Many of those who received such training are now faculty members at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in numerous other countries around the world. Miller is the outgoing chair of the Women’s Caucus of the American Association for Higher Education and has served on the board of the National Council of Family Relations. A presenter at numerous national and international conferences, her research interests focus on the interplay between feminist teaching and learner-centered instruction, as well as the improvement of college teaching. She has extensive experience mentoring faculty members and graduate students at her institution and others as they prepare their teaching portfolios.

She is the author of the well-received Exploring Family Theories (2003, with associates) and has published journal articles in family theory, work and family in higher education, religion and family, and mentoring graduate students.

About the Contributors

Shivanthi Anandan is associate professor of bioscience and biotechnology at Drexel University. She serves as chair of the undergraduate program committee in that department and is an in-house mentor to other Drexel University faculty in the preparation of their teaching portfolios. Her teaching and research interests are in biotechnology, microbiology, and genetics.

Carrie Liu Currier is assistant professor of political science and director of Asian studies at Texas Christian University. Her research focuses primarily on the effects of economic reform on women in China. In addition, she has conducted research on population policy in China, women and the sex industry in Southeast Asia, and China’s strategic relationship with Iran.

Pamela A. Geller is associate professor of psychology, Ob/Gyn, and public health and director of the student counseling center at Drexel University. She teaches courses in counseling at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research focuses largely on women’s health issues, including the mental health consequences of pregnancy loss.