Keeping a record of what you have done, along with notes about why you did what you did, is the best way to avoid what Lee Shulman has described as “pedagogic amnesia.” It’s easy to forget which assignments clearly showed whether or not students understood a key concept. Did grading essay exams take that much time? At the end of a semester, what gaps were evident in students’ learning, calling for a restructuring of part of a course?

To keep a record of a course, you may wish to compile the items listed in the box below. If you gather these kinds of materials for each course you teach, you’ll have a complete record of your teaching. From it, you’ll be able to illustrate the trajectory of your teaching accomplishments for your reviews.