Presented at the EDUCAUSE Southwest Regional Conference in February 2009

1. Electronic Course Portfolios
as a Tool to Support the
Scholarship of Teaching
Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD
UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
February 24, 2009

2. Scholarship of Teaching
• Requires active and deliberate exploration
of the teaching process1,2,3
• Supports exploration of student learning
• Invites peer review
• Addresses standards of scholarship 1
– Clear goals
– Appropriate Methods
– Reflective Critique

3. Portfolios and
Scholarship of Teaching
• Means to demonstrate standards of
scholarship of teaching4,5
• Facilitates documentation of teaching
process
• Course materials and products are
presented
• Formats may vary

4. Benefits of an Electronic Format
• Dynamic and flexible approach
• Ability to include digital media
• Readily modified and updated
• Facilitates review and sharing

5. Possible Portfolio Contents
• Course development process
• Learning goals and activities
• Course materials such as syllabus,
handouts, and assignments
• Evidence of student learning
• Student reflection and feedback
• Course changes and improvements

6. Challenges from the
Faculty Member’s Perspective
• Development of the portfolio
– Deciding what to include or exclude
– Confidentiality of student information
– Time requirements
– Continuation
• Technical issues
– Format
– Hosting

7. Conclusions
• Electronic course portfolios support the
scholarship of teaching
• Development requires reflection of
teaching practices
• Electronic format is flexible and adaptable
• Facilitates sharing of teaching practices
• Faculty members will benefit from support
from IT professionals

8. References
1. Glassick, C., Huber, M., & Maeroff, G. (1997). Scholarship assessed:
Evaluation of the professorate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
2. Fincher, R., Simpson, D., Mennin, S., Rosenfeld, G., Rothman, A.,
McGrew, M., Hansen, P., Mazmanian, P., & Turnball, J. (2000).
Scholarship in teaching: An imperative for the 21st century. Academic
Medicine, 75(9), 887 – 894.
3. Hutchings, P. & Schulman, L. (1999). The Scholarship of teaching: New
elaborations and new developments. Change, 31(5), 11 – 15.
4. Seldin, P. (2004). The Teaching Portfolio. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass.
5. Seldin, P. & Miller, J. (2009). The academic portfolio: A practical guide to
documenting teaching, research, and service. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass.