Teaching Philosophy Statement Assessment Criteria

Teaching statements concisely describe the beliefs about and goals you have for student learning, the teaching practices you use to help students meet those goals, and your personal experiences in the classroom. Your statement should be between 1 and 2 pages and will be evaluated on the following criteria. 

  1. In your statement, you offer at least one clear goal for student learning in courses you've taught at UO.  Student learning goals can be formulated by considering questions such as: “what do you most want students to be able to do, know, or experience after your course” or “what knowledge, skills, and attitudes are important for students in your discipline?” 
  2. In your statement, you clearly connect student learning goals to specific methods, activities, or assignments you use that support students in achieving your learning goal(s).  
  3. In your statement, you give a sense of your personal perspective, experiences, or positionality with well-chosen, specific examples from your teaching experiences at UO. 
  4. In your statement, you describe your use of inclusive teaching practices. Inclusive teaching engages and values every student and attends to the social and emotional climate of the class. You can learn more about inclusive teaching on the Inclusive Teaching page of TEP’s website. 
  5. In your statement, you demonstrate your use of evidence-based teaching methods. Evidence-based teaching draws on what we know about how students learn to engage, challenge, and support them. You can learn more about evidence-based teaching on the Research-Informed teaching page of TEP’s website. 
  6. In your statement, you reflect on your teaching experiences and show a commitment to improvement. Improvement over time can be demonstrated by considering questions such as: “what trends have you noticed in your students’ performance or in their feedback and how have acted on them?" Or “how have you engaged with teaching topics that are specific to our campus, relate to your discipline, or may impact student learning nation-wide?” 

More information about inclusive, evidence-based teaching, and reflection/improvement (called engaged teaching) can be found on the Teaching Excellence page of TEP’s website.