People Strategy, Equity, and Culture

Excellence In Teaching (Best Instructor Available) Portfolio

Foundational Standards for Excellence in Teaching

  • Content knowledge,
  • Digital fluency,
  • Commitment to equitable student success,
  • Skill in supporting students with diverse learning styles and abilities,
  • Effective classroom management skills,
  • Commitment to continuous improvement through reflection and feedback from classroom observations, student feedback, and ongoing professional development, and
  • Performs professional duties in accordance with Article 5 of the FFAP Agreement.

Background

Creating and maintaining a Best Instructor Available Portfolio provides an opportunity for instructors to demonstrate their excellence in teaching. Driving the effort to complete employee assessments and Portfolios using these new criteria is our continued enrollment decline leaving fewer classes to assign to part time faculty. Our goal is to have consistent expectations about inclusive practices across our entire organization. We are also working toward the goal of having a reliable data-informed annual schedule that students and faculty can count on. Part time instructors who do not have an up-to-date assessment have the option of developing and submitting a Portfolio. This remains optional at this time. On August 30, 2019 the Federation and Management agreed that best Instructor available Article 4.211 criteria include:

Additional Resources

Please visit the CTLE website for more resources and educational programs that promote best practices, facilitate innovation, present technology updates, and enhance a variety of teaching and learning styles and techniques.

  • Classroom observation and assessment documentation
  • Positive student evaluations that demonstrate effective teaching
  • Special training related to the course or discipline
  • Able to contribute to updating or broadening the curriculum
  • Increase the diversity of the program
  • Demonstrated cultural/diversity competence and inclusive classroom practice
  • Ongoing professional development in both content and pedagogy

Portfolio Content

The Portfolio will consist of a current syllabus and 500-1000 word self-reflection. The self reflection should address how the syllabus illustrates the instructor’s:

  • Approach to teaching in their discipline
  • Commitment to equitable student success
  • Contribution to broadening the curriculum
  • Professional development applied to teaching
  • Commitment to continuous improvement by applying feedback from classroom observations, student feedback, and ongoing professional development.

Uploading Your Portfolio Using AODocs

Visit the Best Instructor Available AODocs library to upload your portfolio (syllabus and self-reflection.)

Review the process guides below for additional instructions:

PDFs
Videos

Evaluating the Portfolio

The Dean, FDC, or designee will provide narrative feedback on the syllabus and self-reflection based on the criteria below. Here is the link to the Best Instructor Available Portfolio Feedback form; this rubric will be uploaded to the portfolio and forwarded to Human Resources.

  • No Evidence: There is no evidence that the instructor draws from diverse resources or engages in continuous improvement by applying feedback from students or classroom observations.
  • Does Not Meet Standard: Some of the materials and instructional practices draw from diverse resources and the instructor shows some evidence of engaging in continuous improvement by applying feedback from students or classroom observations.
  • Meets Standards: Many of the materials and instructional practices draw from diverse resources and the instructor shows evidence of engaging in continuous improvement by applying feedback from students or classroom observations.
  • Exceeds Standards: All of the materials and instructional practices draw from diverse resources and the instructor shows strong evidence of engaging in continuous improvement by applying feedback from students and classroom observations.

Training