Reflection and Self-Assessment Tool

This tool was designed for post-secondary educators who wish to critically reflect upon their approach to teaching. The questions have been developed to help you consider what dimensions are most relevant in your context, what actions you are currently taking with respect to each domain, and whether there are (or aren’t) other areas that you might like to delve into further. We encourage you to approach this tool with the idea that there is no “right” answer to the questions but rather only an honest self-reflection at this point in time. We also encourage you to use the tool more than once over time to track changes in your responses.

We hope using the tool will help faculty develop a narrative to articulate their journey as an educator, and to identify personal goals that have been met and personal goals for the future. We believe this process may be helpful for personal reflections that go into a teaching dossier for formative purposes. Some instructors teach in both large undergraduate classes and in smaller graduate classes. You may want to consider first taking the tool with your large classes in mind and then take it again thinking of your smaller classes.

This website does not save your data by default as this is a tool for your use only. You may save your results by either downloading a PDF summary or by creating a sharable URL through this website.

If you would like to provide anonymous feedback on this tool, you can do so by contacting us.

Classroom Practices

This dimension includes but is not limited to learning outcomes, discussion strategies, appropriate challenge, and content knowledge development. Classroom practices can take place in a variety of classroom contexts and environments (labs, theatres, fieldwork, clinical, online etc.) and focus on supporting student learning, active strategies, evidence-based teaching and assessment, feedback, challenging and engaging content, and the development of robust and contemporary knowledge associated with the domain.

Teaching Strategies (TS)

I use evidence-informed teaching and assessment strategies in my classroom that are aligned with my classroom context.

Appropriate Challenge (AC)

I take steps to increase my awareness of my students’ abilities, content knowledge and learning context and am mindful to align my teaching approach to these criteria.

Content Knowledge Expertise (CKE)

I ensure I’m up to date in my content area and I find ways to translate this knowledge into my teaching practice. I think about how my content expertise translates into the classroom learning experience for my students, and I take steps to be aware of threshold concepts and misconceptions that are integral/common to my area.

Assessment of Learning

This dimension includes but is not limited to the implementation of varied assessment approaches that are suitable for diverse representations of student learning. Assessment may involve scaffolding, effective timing of interventions and reviews, and alignment with learning outcomes and discipline-specific practices. Faculty who strive for effective assessment strategies are explicit in sharing criteria, grading methods, rationale for varied assessments, and ensure that students understand what the purpose of the assessment is and how the assessment will be used in arriving at a fair and justifiable summary of students’ learning. Assessment practices need to engender trust between instructors and students when it comes to grades for course work.

Modality (MO)

I use multiple assessment modalities in striving to best measure student learning, and I reflect on how accurately these modalities can gauge student progress.

Scaffolding (S)

I take steps to meet learners where they are at and ensure my teaching builds on previous knowledge through scaffolding course concepts. I align learning activities, formative assessment, summative assessment, and modes of feedback with course learning outcomes.

Trust (T)

I show compassion for student circumstances and communicate clear expectations to students about assessments, accommodations and areas of flexibility. When appropriate, I involve students in the process of co-creating assessments and rubrics.

Assessment of Teaching

This dimension includes but is not limited to the externally and internally motivated evaluation of one’s teaching practices. Student perspectives of learning and peer observations/commentary may factor into how educators explore effective methods of teaching and learning. As educators understand the inherent biases that can surface in student evaluations, this dimension speaks to the importance of critical self-reflection, formative and informal assessment techniques, and collaboration with other educators to refine teaching.

Student Experience of Learning (SE)

In addition to institutional student evaluations of teaching, I use other methods and metrics to gather feedback from students on their experiences of learning. I reflect on this student feedback to improve my teaching practice.

Peer Review of Teaching (PR)

I engage in processes of peer review of teaching and modify my teaching practice based on these reviews.

Critical Reflection Assessment Strategies (AS)

I am aware of the scholarly evidence on classroom assessment and use various approaches to assess the effectiveness of my teaching in my classroom. I use iterative critical reflection to regularly learn from past experiences, confront bias, examine causality, set goals, and articulate my teaching and learning goals.

Achievement and Well-being

This dimension includes but is not limited to instructors being aware of, and providing support for, student well-being. Instructors may seek to enact relationship-based teaching to foster a sense of care and compassion in their teaching approaches. Students are encouraged to develop agency and are taught reflective strategies to empower them for self-regulation and self-determination of their needs and aspirations. Achievement is seen to include growth in personal qualities, strengths, and self-knowledge as part of a successful academic experience. Instructors create opportunities to develop students’ identity and coping mechanisms.

Relational Teaching (RT)

I create a culture of respect and model vulnerability to cultivate a space where learners feel safe taking risks in the classroom, without fear of repercussions. I use pedagogies of care/compassion/kindness to emphasize the importance of community and relationships in the process of learning.

Self-Determination and Agency (SDA)

I encourage student agency through embedding student choice into classroom activities and assignments, creating a community of belonging, and giving students chances to take initiative.

Personal Growth (PG)

I embed student reflection into my assignments and/or course design to encourage personal growth and self-regulation. I take steps to ensure my teaching contributes to students’ preparedness for life after this class/post-secondary by emphasizing transferable skills and material relevant for my students’ personal contexts.

Decolonization and Indigenization

This dimension includes but is not limited to understanding Indigenous Knowledges and Ways of Knowing in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, UNDRIP, and post-secondary Indigenization efforts. Indigenous perspectives require educators to decolonize pedagogies by shifting western pedagogies to include story, interdisciplinarity, land-based learning, Elder knowledge, and local Indigenous community connections. When applicable, this dimension expects educators to reference Indigenous knowledge within disciplines, including the vast contributions of Indigenous Peoples that have been systemically hidden or excluded from the corpus of disciplinary content.

Calls to Action (CA)

I have incorporated the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) report into my teaching and course content. I have integrated Indigenous Knowledge, stories, and perspectives into my curriculum and teaching materials.

Decolonization (D)

I consider how my teaching may represent colonial perspectives and take steps to decolonize my teaching practice.

Anti-Oppressive Teaching (AT)

I consider my own biases and positionality as an educator. I advocate for opportunities for students to discuss, address, or confront power dynamics and systemic inequity in their field/discipline. I create an inclusive and equitable learning environment where all students feel valued and empowered. I learn about, and implement, trauma-informed teaching practices.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

This dimension includes but is not limited to practices that imbue justice, respect, and acknowledgement of the range of diversities (gender and sexual orientation, 2SLGBTTQIAA+, race, language, culture, religion, neurodivergence, etc.) in the classroom. It includes equity of access and accessibility for all learners and learning approaches, Universal Design for Learning, and welcoming and safe pedagogies where students have a voice in the learning experience. Inclusive Teaching recognizes individual students’ needs and incorporates students’ diverse perspectives through the use of inclusive language and equitable opportunities for all levels of learners to succeed. The difference between equity and equality are clearly understood and conveyed with a foundation of awareness of bias and social justice driving instructional decisions, arrangements, and content.

Equity and Justice (EJ)

I engage with culturally responsive teaching practices, use learning activities that emphasize student voices, and address systemic barriers in my teaching.

Diverse Lived Experiences (DLE)

I am aware that my students have diverse lived experiences which can impact their learning and classroom experience. I ensure my syllabus and reading materials are diverse and inclusive, and I strive for all students to feel a sense of belonging in my class. I address systemic barriers and prejudices that may impact students' learning.

Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (AUD)

I ensure all learners can access and engage with the class material, both physically and in the virtual environment. I use Universal Design for Learning principles in my teaching practice.

Educational Leadership

This dimension includes but is not limited to educators who demonstrate innovation in teaching practices, and support others in post-secondary through mentorship and collaboration. The focus is on creating a community of educators who seek to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment methods across disciplines and professional fields. This dimension speaks to the need for leadership in education beyond the limits of the classroom in local and global contexts through partnerships and community-based learning experiences and collaborations.

Innovation (I)

I am aware of innovations that others have used in teaching my subject area and I have experimented with innovative approaches to teaching. When using innovative approaches, I gather data to assess their impact on student learning and the student experience.

Mentorship (ME)

I have engaged in the process of mentorship, as both a mentee and a mentor. I actively mentor and support my teaching colleagues, both within and beyond my discipline, in developing their scholarly educational practice.

Leadership and Impact (LI)

I recognize that educational leadership can take many different forms. I engage in educational leadership both within and beyond my classroom, discipline and institution.

Global Context

Awareness of the realities and impacts of global events on societies and different cultural groups, and inclusion of pedagogical mechanisms to signal care, empathy, and commitment to short and long-term planetary health. Educators understand the imperative of the climate crisis and geopolitical contexts and make explicit connections between real world topics and discipline-specific curriculum to expand learners’ sense of awareness, agency, and global citizenship. As future generations confront ecological grief and climate anxiety in the context of geopolitical tensions, educators must equip them with the knowledge, competencies, and mindsets to understand and address the global context of learning.

Global Citizenship/Stewardship (GCS)

I embed global context examples in my teaching and cultivate global literacy and cross-cultural communication skills with my students. I am aware of how my field is different in different geographies and different cultures, and I acknowledge the impact of global contexts on my students and myself.

Geopolitical Awareness (GA)

I acknowledge that world events have an impact on the lives of our learners, and I strive to support my learners during times of global change and uncertainty, including geopolitical tensions, through using a trauma-informed approach to acknowledge these tensions and incorporate them into class when appropriate. By emphasizing intercultural communication skills and highlighting the importance of engaging in constructive dialogue, I try to model appreciating diverse perspectives and fostering collaboration in a globalized world.

Planetary Health (PH)

I recognize that climate change affects the physical and mental health of myself and my students, and some of us may be significantly affected by ecological grief. I use a trauma-informed approach to acknowledge the climate crisis in my class and, if appropriate to my subject field, I support students in understanding the complexities of climate change, both from a scientific perspective and in the context of social, cultural, economic, and political systems.