Lesson 3: Situate your teaching context

Now that you’ve determined the purpose of your dossier and the intended audience, and drafted your teaching philosophy statement, it's time to situate your teaching context –  the subjects and courses, where you teach (institution and location), and how you teach (strategies and approaches).

In this component, introduce your teaching roles, experience, and what and where you have taught. Help the reader quickly grasp what you want them to know – especially if they aren’t familiar with you or your work. 

For example, give an overview that you have been teaching in higher education in the faculty of X at Institution X for five years (or whatever timeframe you select). Then tell the reader your specific roles and responsibilities (e.g. title, description and responsibilities related to teaching and learning; an overview of courses taught including course code, title, enrolment, graduate/undergraduate course, required/elective.)

This may also include undergraduate/graduate supervision, practicums, clinical teaching and educational leadership roles. Briefly reflect on your primary roles and responsibilities related to teaching and learning. For detailed descriptions refer to the Teaching Philosophies and Teaching Dossier Guide, p. 26.

Now that you have identified your teaching roles, expand on your teaching responsibilities, and include your teaching strategies and approaches – how you teach. Include a summary of sample course materials (e.g. assignment descriptions for essays, lab workbooks and reports, fieldwork, projects, creative work, textbooks, learning objects, course websites, learning technologies, assessment and feedback strategies).

This section should make explicit how your course or project design, strategies and supporting materials reflect your philosophy.

You’ve made a good start and have some tools to continue to develop your dossier. Lessons 4 and 5 focus on adding additional context in the dossier components and how to identify, select and exhibit evidence of teaching effectiveness.

Canadian Association of University Teachers (2018). Teaching dossier. ON: Ottawa https://www.caut.ca/docs/default-source/professional-advice/teaching-dossier.pdf

Kenny, N., Berenson, C., Jeffs, C., Nowell, L., & Grant, K. (2018). Teaching philosophies and teaching dossiers guide. Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/Teaching%20Philosophies%20and%20Teaching%20Dossiers%20Guide.pdf

• Situate your teaching context
• Summarize your teaching experience, identify your teaching roles, courses you have taught and in what discipline, and how you teach