Roles and Responsibilities Adopted in Teaching
A fresh perspective on roles and reponsibilities in teaching -- and how they are experessed in a teaching portfolio
A listing of one's roles and responsibilities is a familiar requirement in many annual or biannual performance reviews. Under most convention frameworks of labor (in our culture), such roles are specified at the outset by someone else. But in the context of teaching as a scholarly activity, such an accounting becomes more than a mere catalog of duties. It becomes an active and concrete expression of one's personal teaching philosophy. One aim of professional reflection is to clarify the meaning of each role and responsibility, as well as one's place within an institution, given your goals.
In General
Where or how do you invest effort that is related to teaching in the broadest sense (possibly return to your statement of teaching philosophy for reference)? Make a long list and keep adding to it as you are reminded of various tasks that occupy your time. Organize the list under common themes or reasons for what you do.
Reflect on items that seem to have no place: Are they important? Should you modify your activities? Are they more expressions of professional service than of teaching?
Possible Items to Address under Roles and Responsibilities
- Teaching courses
- These are easy enough to just list. But why this list? How does the cross-section of courses show both your personal goals and fulfillment of the institution's needs? Specific factors to address might include: number of students; types of students (e.g., non-majors?, honors?); level of student preparedness; courseload; levels of courses (intro, upper-level, graduate); spectrum of topics; balance (compare to course offerings by others in the same department).
- Mentoring and advising students
- How do your interactions with students out of class--perhaps in research settings--reflect your aims in education? Consider profiling the scope, depth and breadth of your activities, including non-credit activities, such as field trips or academic clubs.
- Training or guiding teaching assistants (teaching through an intermediary)
- How do you realize your goals through teaching assistants as intermediaries or as extensions of your abilities? What do you do to enhance the quality of learning at this level?
- Managing instructional resources
- Do you oversee studios, labs, field sites, libraries, resources centers, or other sites where learning occurs? Are you contributing to their further growth or development? How do each of these serve as resources for learning? How do they fit with your long-term goals?
- Securing funds for education
- Do you seek extramural support for students (through fellowships or scholarships)? Do you seek grants for instructional eqiupment or for innovative programs?
- Mentoring other teachers
- To what degree do you promote good teaching through supporting peers?
As always, reflection might lead to better articulation of your role within the department or institution and a clearer sense of purpose.
Bibliography
O'Neil. Carol and Alan Wright. 1997. "Summary of Teaching Responsibilities." Pp. 28-32 in Recording Teaching Accomplishment: A Dalhousie Guide to the Teaching Dossier, 5th ed. Halifax, NS: Dalhousie University Office of Instructional Development and Technology.