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Excellence in Teaching and Learning Through The Fox School's Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Fox professors innovate, experiment and refine their teaching approaches to effectively shape the minds of future business leaders. We invite you to visit www.fox.temple.edu/foxteach to learn more about our initiatives. foxteach@temple.edu • www.fox.temple.edu/foxteach ing themselves and watching that tape with a mentor. Most people can pick up on their own idiosyncrasies as they watch themselves on video. However, some traits are so ingrained that they feel normal and natural, and it takes an outsider to point out where the individual has gone wrong. For instance, most people don't realize if they talk too fast, even if they hear themselves on tape. But teachers who talk too fast can lose their students, particularly students who are learning in a language that is not their mother tongue. Another tool teachers can use to help improve their per- formance is the teaching portfolio. Peter Seldin has compiled a list of items that can provide inputs for a comprehensive teaching portfolio. One important element is the teacher's philosophy. This reveals whether a professor is content-ori- ented or process-oriented, generates critical thinking or relies on rote memorization, hands out knowledge on a silver plat- ter or encourages discovery learning, incorporates innova- tions or relies on yellowed notes. Evidence of the professor's teaching style can be found in syllabi, course examinations, peer evaluations, and classroom videotapes. While I believe teachers should develop their portfolios Conclusion Business schools may be behind the curve in implementing new theories of teaching and learning. But we're at a point in time where a lot of people are questioning the value of a business degree. We must keep up with effective teaching practices to maintain relevant and regenerative student learning. Business schools will inevitably undergo some changes because university provosts often come from back- grounds other than business. These provosts are more in tune with the educational philosophies gaining popularity around the nation. I believe the movements that will have the most pro- primarily to help them improve their own performance, I do think the information gathered in the portfolios can help administrators evaluate a teacher's success in the class- room. In fact, I am confident that good teaching portfolios eventually will be among the key tools used for evaluating teaching effectiveness. found impact on business schools will originate in associa- tions such as the American Association of Higher Education, the Carnegie Foundation, other education-ori- ented organizations, and accrediting bodies such as AACSB International. In fact, some of the new accrediting standards proposed by AACSB specifically focus on student learning. They call for schools to demonstrate their learning goals by defining the goals, providing appropriate learning experi- ences, and assessing learning accomplishment. All of these educational associations have strong follow- ings by senior administrators, and they have tremendous potential for influencing education trends. I do believe busi- ness schools are beginning to value teaching as a skill—but we have a long way to go before we can ensure that every teacher is an effective teacher. ■ z BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 27