Learning Objectives

• What has been the result of Boyer?
• Why should faculty engage in Boyer's scholarship domains?
• How can faculty present their scholarship?

Boyer and the University

One of the purposes of Ernest Boyer’s book was to urge college administrators to evaluate faculty on all areas of scholarship, not just on research. Since his book, changes have swept the American university. Many administrators and faculty have mentioned the book as one of the most significant catalysts for institutional change (O’Meara, 2005). Only four years after the book released, 62% of chief academic officers at four-year higher institutions said the book had a role in the discussions they had of faculty roles and rewards. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning has especially made an impact worldwide on colleges, faculty, and faculty teaching, ushering in new teaching pedagogy, research, and student success (Beach, 2016).

Faculty duties include teaching, research, and service, and Boyer’s model incorporates all these roles through overlapping domains. For faculty to continually grow, they should engage in these areas as scholarly activities and scholarship. Engaging in such improves the classroom, aides in student success, leads to change in the community, and influences private and government sectors (Hyman et al., 2001). 

Faculty should keep track of these as to present them to their colleges or in job interviews/applications. There are several ways to present scholarly activities and scholarship. A faculty member can present them on their Curriculum Vitae (CV). Some colleges have faculty portals where a faculty member can keep electronic track of scholarship. Another way faculty can present their scholarship is through a portfolio.

The Teaching Portfolio

A teaching portfolio is way to document and present a faculty member’s scholarly activities and scholarship over an academic career. It also provides a way for faculty reflection. You can create a hard portfolio and/or an electronic portfolio. It is important throughout your academic career that you keep up with the portfolio. You’ll also want it to be organized and to include an explanation of content that may not be self-explanatory (i.e., a teaching assignment).

Following are some of the key contents you can include in your portfolio:

• A teaching philosophy or teaching statement
• A brief list or paragraph describing your future goals
• A CV
• Course syllabi
• Teaching assignments and assessments (handouts, visuals, and so forth)
• Links to videos of you teaching
• Lists of courses you’ve taught
• Student evaluations
• Letters from students, peer evaluators, department heads
• Professional development and conferences attended
• Professional organizations with memberships
• List of publications or textbook chapters
• Committee service
• Community service as it relates to your discipline
• Conference presentations or posters
• Curriculum development
• College or committee collaboration projects
• Research in progress
• Workshops or seminars you have led
• Awards or recognitions
• Scholarly activities as noted in these modules (discovery, integration, application, and teaching and learning)
• A reflection (Vanderbilt University, 2018).

An academic portfolio is an important way for a faculty member to keep track of his or her academic scholarly activities and scholarship, including teaching. It can help a faculty member visually see areas they may be lacking and could engage in during their future. It can also help during promotion times and job interviews. Portfolios can be electronic or in hard copy. Be detailed, thorough, and organized.

References and Suggested Readings

Beach, A. L. (2016). Boyer’s impact on faculty development. In M. Moser, T. C. Ream, & J. M. Braxton (Eds.), Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate Expanded Edition (pp. 13-18). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hutchings, P. (1998). The course portfolio: How faculty can examine their teaching to advance practice and improve student learning. Washington, D. C.: American Association for Higher Education. 

Hyman, D., Gurgevich, E., Alter, T., Ayers, J., Cash, E., Fahnline, D., … & Wright, H. (2001). Beyond Boyer: The UniSCOPE Model of Scholarship for the 21st century. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 7(1), 41–65.

O’Meara, K. A. (2005). Encouraging multiple forms of scholarship in faculty reward systems: Does it make a difference? Research in Higher Education, 46(5), 479–510. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-3362-6 

Reece, S. M., Pearce, C. W., Melillo, K. D., & Beaudry, M. (2001). The faculty portfolio: Documenting the scholarship of teaching. Journal of Professional Nursing, 17(4), 180-186.

Seldin, P., & Annis, L. (1991). The teaching portfolio. The Professional & Organizational Network in Higher Education, 3(2). Retrieved from http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V3-N2-Annis.pdf

Vanderbilt University. (2018). “Center for Teaching: Teaching Portfolios." Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-portfolios/