On the afternoon of Dec.2nd, the 20th Shanghai University International Forum of Experts Themed on “The Teaching Portfolio and Faculty Development” and the Book Launch Ceremony of The Teaching Portfolio (Chinese Version) was held on Baoshan Campus, Shanghai University. The forum was hosted by International Office and Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai University, organized by SHU-UT SILC Business School, and co-organized by Academic Quality Inspection and Assessments Office and Human Resources Office. Prof. Gong Siyi, Vice President of Shanghai University, and Prof. Ye Zhiming, former Vice president attended the forum and give their speeches. About 50 teachers and students from different schools of Shanghai University, together with heads of several offices attended the forum. Prof. Hu Xiaohan, Associate Dean of SILC, presides over the forum.
During the book launch, Prof. Gong introduced Prof. Peter Seldin, the guest speaker of the forum, who is an honorary professor of Pace University-New York and the author of The Teaching Portfolio. Prof. Gong indicated that higher education in China gradually transfer its focus from “putting scientific research before teaching” to “the quality of education”, and The Teaching Portfolio (Chinese Version) can be a useful guidance for faculty to improve, present, and evaluate their teaching performances. She appreciated the support and encouragement of Prof. Peter Seldin in the process of the book’s translation and publishing, and also spoke highly of the high quality and high efficiency of the translation team. At last, she expressed the hope that The Teaching Portfolio (Chinese Version) can help improve our teaching quality, and she wished the launch a great success.
Prof. Ye Zhiming attended the launch and delivered a speech. He recounted his first meeting with Prof. Peter Seldin two years ago, and highly appreciated the role of The Teaching Portfolio in improving the teaching quality.
After the launch, Prof. Peter Seldin delivered a report themed on “The Teaching Portfolio and Faculty Development”, and he explained the nature and importance of the teaching portfolio. From his perspective, many teachers attach great importance to what they have done, but neglect why and how they do it. With the teaching portfolio, teachers can think about these issues, and they can be a better teacher when they promote their teaching performances by emphasizing on theory and practice, especially the latter one. Later, in the group discussion and Q&A, he explained well the theory and application of the teaching portfolio. In a warm atmosphere, the attendees actively asked questions.
Prof. Peter Seldin is the honorary professor and the former director of management at Pace University-New York. He is a scientist, educator and writer on behavior researching, and an expert on evaluating and developing the abilities of teachers and administrative staffs. He acts as an advisor in higher education at more than 350 colleges and universities of America and other 45 countries. He has published more than 16 monographs, of which the latest books are The Teaching Portfolio, Evaluating Faculty Performance and others. The Teaching Portfolio has been published and applied in many countries with five different languages including Spanish and Japanese. (By International Office of SILC)
