Centre for Teaching and Learning
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

Teaching portfolios

​​Teaching portfolios are relevant in Higher Education. Teaching and learning is core business for an academic. It is therefore important to track your professional learning in this area as well as your research and innovation of classroom practice, post-graduate student performances and develop your teaching philosophy over time.

One-on-one consultations, workshops and SoTL presentations are available to academics wishing to create their teaching portfolios.
 

Description of Portfolios

Commendable Portfolio

The portfolio makes a convincing case for excellence in that the academic has reflected on multiple aspects of their context, including their students, institution, discipline/programme, and the effects of COVID-19. The portfolio clearly describes the teaching and learning practice and explains why the applicant adopts that particular approach (in the teaching philosophy statement). The applicant's teaching practice is underpinned by extensive evidence of the scholarship of teaching and learning. Teaching methods used are contextually nuanced and aligned to the teaching philosophy statement. Robust and diverse evidence is provided for the claims in the narrative. The academic is constantly looking for ways of improving and can reflect on their growth over time and in response to changing contexts or new understandings. The academic has had a positive institutional, national or international impact on teaching and learning in higher education. The portfolio demonstrates excellence in teaching that can serve as inspiration or can deepen understandings of this crucial aspect of higher education.

 

Evolving Portfolio

The portfolio makes a case for excellence in that the academic has reflected on aspects of their context, including their students, institution, discipline/programme, and the effects of COVID-19. The portfolio describes the teaching and learning practice and explains why the applicant adopts that particular approach (in the teaching philosophy statement). The applicant's teaching is underpinned by some evidence of the scholarship of teaching and learning. Teaching methods used are adapted to context and aligned to the teaching philosophy statement. Evidence is provided for the claims in the narrative. The academic looks for ways of improving and can reflect on their own growth over time. The academic has had a positive impact on teaching and learning in higher education beyond their classroom. The portfolio demonstrates excellence in teaching that can promote better practice and encourage others.


Promising Portfolio

​The portfolio begins to construct a case for excellence in that the academic has reflected on aspects of their context. The portfolio describes the teaching and learning practice and provides an explanation of why the applicant adopts that particular approach (in the teaching philosophy statement). There are one or two references to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Teaching methods used are adapted to context but perhaps not well aligned to the teaching philosophy statement (or vice versa). While evidence is provided for some of the claims in the narrative, other claims are not substantiated. The academic looks for ways of improving. The academic has had a positive impact on teaching and learning. The portfolio demonstrates the development of excellence in teaching.

 

Promising portfolios are not yet ready for nomination and should not be submitted. If the institutional selection panel should relegate a portfolio from 'evolving' or 'commendable' to 'promising', the application may be referred back to the relevant faculty for further development of the portfolio.​ ​​