TEF: Self-assessment

This self-assessment quiz is intended to help instructors to determine areas of development to prioritize to support their professional growth. Questions are drawn from the Teaching Excellence Framework dimensions, which are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for effective teaching at Lethbridge College.

After completing the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) self-assessment, you will be able to save your results and use them to reference the feedback below.

Note that this assessment is currently optimized for PC. Development of a mobile version is underway!

How to Use Your Results

The feedback below is based on your answers within each of the six TEF Dimensions, which are organized into three levels: Involved, Engaged, and Leading. Levels are not dependent on the length of time you have been teaching; Lethbridge College instructors begin their teaching careers with varied professional and academic backgrounds. Instead, as instructors move from Involved to Engaged to Leading levels, the complexity of demonstrated skills and tasks increases.

If you find yourself at the Involved level in any given dimension, these might be areas to consider exploring further in your PD planning.
If you’re at the Engaged or Leading levels, you may wish to leverage your experiences or strengths in a different way or as a leader or mentor at the college.

Reflection Questions

The TEF framework and self-assessment are tools to help you develop a robust and reflective teaching practice. As you go through the feedback, please consider the following reflection questions:

Was there anything that surprised you about your results on this self-assessment tool? Why?
In what ways have you developed this year as an instructor? What are some learning takeaways from your year?
To continue growing as an educator, how can you leverage the strengths you have identified in this self-assessment?
Based on your results, which TEF Dimension(s) are you most interested in developing further and why?
When you think of your current teaching approach and practice, how do you envision your growth in 5 years? What key actions could you take in order to get there?

You can use these reflections to determine what areas you’d like to develop for your Annual or 5-year PD planning. You may wish to contact an educational developer or have a conversation with your associate dean.

Specific Feedback

Learning Environment

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level focus on creating a supportive and collaborative environment for all learners and begin identifying potential barriers to learning and issues of inequity within their learning space(s).

Learning Environment Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level ensure an inclusive environment for all learners by mitigating barriers to learning and instances of inequity in their learning space(s).

Learning Environment Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level mentor colleagues in creating inclusive environments for all learners and look for opportunities to promote decolonization, anti-racism, and other attitudes necessary to creating and maintaining equitable learning spaces.

Learning Environment Resources

Sketch of a person sitting on floor, typing on a laptop, with books beside them.

Instructional Skills

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level use a variety of teaching and learning strategies to plan lessons that address learning outcomes and engage all learners.

Instructional Skills Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level develop, reflect upon, and revise their teaching approaches to meet diverse learner needs and adopt new tools and technologies to create innovative, meaningful learning opportunities that align course components.

Instructional Skills Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level share evidence-based teaching strategies, lesson plans, and course materials with colleagues in order to provide innovative, meaningful learning opportunities for all learners in their courses, programs, and in the larger college community.

Instructional Skills Resources

Sketch of people sitting around a table learning together.

Course and Curriculum Design

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level keep courses current; ensure materials, resources, assessments, and outcomes are aligned; and identify areas of course design that do not meet the diverse needs of learners.

Course and Curriculum Design Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level revise course materials, resources, assessments, and outcomes to increase alignment to program and industry needs and to reflect the diverse needs of learners. Instructors begin to contribute to curriculum development, review, and/or quality assurance processes.

Course and Curriculum Design Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level mentor colleagues in designing and/or revising course(s) to ensure alignment and consideration of diverse learner needs and potential barriers to learning. Instructors lead curriculum development, review, and quality assurance processes at the program, centre, or college levels.

Course and Curriculum Design Resources

Assessment

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level consider college policies, curriculum alignment frameworks (CAFs), and the need to provide learners with timely and constructive feedback gathered during the process of assessment and evaluation.

Assessment Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level ensure their assessments and methods of evaluation are aligned to course and program outcomes. Assessments and methods of evaluation are communicated and implemented in a timely, equitable manner; are valid, reliable, and fair; and show ongoing consideration for diverse learner needs.

Assessment Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level integrate a broad range of high-quality assessment techniques and methods of evaluation into their teaching practice and actively share their experience with colleagues. Assessments and methods of evaluation are valid, reliable, and fair and show ongoing consideration for diverse learner needs.

Assessment Resources

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Subject-Matter Expertise

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level stay up to date with the expectations and competencies of their fields, professions, or industries, while contributing to the college community.

Subject-Matter Expertise Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level integrate new innovations and/or techniques from their fields, professions, or industries to improve their teaching practice, engage in applied research, and improve the college community.

Subject-Matter Expertise Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level share ideas and lead colleagues in using professional currency to improve teaching practice, engage in applied research, and improve college and external communities.

Subject-Matter Expertise Resources

Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship

Involved

Instructors at the Involved level begin to engage in reflective teaching practice, identify their teaching beliefs, and identify areas of future research in the field of teaching and learning.

Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship Resources

Engaged

Instructors at the Engaged level regularly engage in reflective teaching practice and actively seek out resources, expertise, and research opportunities to help inform their teaching techniques and teaching philosophies.

Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship Resources

Leading

Instructors at the Leading level draw on their teaching experience, philosophies, varied sources of scholarship, and findings from their own teaching and learning research to inform their teaching practice and that of their colleagues.

Scholarly Teaching and Scholarship Resources

Share Your Thoughts

We are always working to improve our initiatives, and your feedback is essential! Let us know what you thought of the TEF Self-Assessment.

Sketch of person instructing a class with a chart beside them.