Tab #1 - Cover Letter

Further instructions and examples are housed in the Faculty Evaluation Repository Blackboard Site.

The contents of the cover letter are as follows:

Teaching philosophy - A teaching philosophy is a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning. It should also discuss how you put your beliefs into practice by including concrete examples of what you do or anticipate doing in the classroom.

Professional philosophy - A professional philosophy, or mission statement, sums up what you value in your profession and what your beliefs are about your work and goals. This section of the cover letter explains “the way we, as professionals, view our jobs, coworkers, and relationships,” our “educational/professional aspirations” and “incorporating our values into daily performance” (Bruner).

Explain inconsistencies – (this section is optional) this space is provided for the faculty member to describe any inconsistencies in formal evaluations or student evaluations. Take this opportunity to explain any irregularities or inconsistencies. For instance, explain why you may not have two classes of student evaluations in a given semester or how you experimented one semester with a new online tool that created a major drop in your student responses. Perhaps after receiving your summative evaluation, there is something you need to explain to the committee.

*The ideal length of this section will be 3 pages single spaced.