The narrative self-assessment is the document used at Iowa to record teaching goals, progress and accomplishments for teaching reviews such as tenure, promotion, and contract renewal.

The narrative self-assessment is a place to communicate about significant aspects of your work as an instructor and reflect on and self-assess your progress toward your teaching goals during the review period. 

Unlike other teaching philosophy documents with which you may be familiar, the narrative self-assessment is not meant to be a general statement about your teaching values that applies to your entire career, but rather a summary of your efforts and growth during a specific review period closely aligned with the other sources of evidence about your teaching that you will submit in your review materials. This document is your opportunity to present your assessment of your teaching, based on your analysis of the materials you are submitting for review. However, many of the characteristics of a successful narrative self-assessment align with other kinds of teaching statements – you may find that teaching statements you have already written will help you create your narrative self-assessment.  More information about the possible types of evidence you may submit are on the Assessment of Teaching website.  

How to approach writing a narrative self-assessment

  1. Review

    Review requirements from your college or department. There may be specific guidance about length, content, or required components.  

  2. Reflect

    Reflect on the evidence you will submit to document your teaching work during the period under review. Identify themes or patterns, successes, areas for growth, or how you met your most recent goals. The Center for Teaching can support instructors in reflecting on their teaching and identifying actionable goals for the future.

  3. Document

    Document your process of reflection and goal-setting for your reader. Provide enough detail for your reader to fully understand your prior review goals, your accomplishments and challenges during the appropriate timeframe, and your goals for the future. 


Remember that this is a narrative – it should enable your reader to understand the evidence you are presenting and how it fits into your overall teaching work.  

Effective narrative self-assessments

Time-bound: Focus on teaching practices and development during a specific review period such as pre-tenure or 5-year contract. 

Goal-oriented: Address progress toward past goals and identify goals for the next review period.  

Concrete and evidence-oriented: Prioritize documenting and contextualizing specific practices, artifacts, and feedback from students and peers over general teaching philosophy. 

Length and evidence expectations vary based on the review period and departmental or collegiate requirements.

Part I

A brief introductory overview of your teaching work during the review period. This section might include:

  • Information about the type of teaching work you did during the review period (e.g., courses taught, new preps, redesigned courses, teaching work beyond the classroom, management of graduate teaching assistants, etc.)
  • The teaching goals towards which you have been working  
  • A few sentences summarizing the major themes of your self-assessment.  

Below are some examples of ways to introduce and summarize your teaching work to help you get started. 

During this review period, two areas of focus for me in my teaching were…

  • Addressing a repeated theme in my peer feedback
  • Incorporating a new evidence-based teaching framework for assessment design
  • Revising a particular aspect of a course I teach every semester

I chose these areas of focus because…

  • They were my goals for the previous review period
  • I went to a teaching professional development event and wanted to try the topic out myself  
  • My department really needed this course to be developed  
  • I got student feedback that prompted me to consider this area of focus 

Part II

A section outlining the primary areas of focus and growth in your instructional work during the review period and showing how these are supported by the evidence in your dossier. This section may vary in length depending on the type of review you are completing. Consult with departmental and collegiate leadership on specific requirements for length and content.

This section may include:

  • How your submitted evidence relates to a larger picture of your work as a teacher during the period under review.
  • Why you chose the evidence you are submitting for review.
  • How you have worked toward and possibly met the teaching goals you set for yourself during the prior review period.
  • How your approaches or practices changed during the review period.

Whatever areas you choose should be aligned with the evidence you submit in the rest of your review materials. For example, if you submit a summary of midterm student feedback as one source of evidence, part of your narrative self-assessment should be dedicated to briefly discussing what you learned from your students’ feedback, what actions you took or will take, how your response demonstrates your achievement or growth as an instructor, and/or how it has helped you identify new goals for the future.  

There are many possible ways to write about your successes, challenges, or growth in your teaching role. Try one or two of the following prompts to help you get started. What completes these sentences will be very specific to your teaching practice and submitted evidence. 

My big ideas and priorities about [Area 1] are...

In the past, I've approached [Area 1] by..

For this review period, I progressed/changed/maintained my views and actions in [Area 1] by...

I present [Artifact X] as an example of...

The goal I was pursuing with [Artifact X] was….

A practice/artifact I am particularly excited about is…

Something I refined about [Artifact X] during this period was… 

Part III

A summary of the goals you are developing for your next review period. These goals might be a continuation of work you have described earlier in your narrative, or they might be entirely new. Goals should be specific and actionable enough that you can reasonably track progress. Your goals will be specific to you based on your previous work, your teaching context, and the challenges and successes you have experienced as an instructor. Some possible types of teaching goals include: 

  • Fine-tuning and iterating: Refining teaching practices or materials based on feedback and reflection.
  • Development of new materials: New courses, new assessments, etc., and the rationale for their creation.
  • Professional development around teaching: Attendance at workshops or conferences related to a particular topic of interest and what you have changed or are developing as a result.
  • Maintenance of successes: A plan for extending things that are currently going well into the future.
  • Innovation: Trying a new, evidence-based teaching practice.
  • Addressing challenges: Intentional growth in an area that poses difficulty for you as an instructor or for your students. 

Below are some possible ways to begin identifying and writing about your teaching goals.

Based on [submitted evidence], I still have further changes I wish to make to [Area 1]. A goal I have for the future in [Area 1] is….  

For my next review period, I will maintain the success of [Area 1] and additionally explore [New Area] that...  

  • I learned about in a workshop,
  • I discussed with a colleague
  • came up in my student feedback
  • is a priority for our department 

Hands-on Support

The Center for Teaching can consult with faculty about gathering teaching evidence, reflecting on teaching, and articulating teaching goals.

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