You need examples of student work for your teaching file. The strongest paper is an obvious candidate. It's polished, thoughtful, and pleasant to read. But before you attach it, ask a harder question: what will this example actually help the reviewer understand?
The book's sample annual package includes student work alongside syllabi, comments, and evaluation reports. That's a useful reminder that a teaching record can include more than descriptions of what you planned. Still, a sample needs a purpose, context, and appropriate handling. It shouldn't be an attractive attachment floating on its own.
Start with the claim you want to support.
Are you showing how an assignment asks students to apply a concept? How feedback supports revision? How a student demonstrated a particular learning outcome? Those are different claims, and they call for different evidence.
For a hypothetical claim about revision, a final paper alone may not show what changed. An appropriate earlier draft, feedback, and revised passage might make the process clearer, if including them is permitted. For a claim about assignment design, the prompt and assessment criteria may matter as much as the completed work.
Choose the evidence because it answers the question, not because it's the easiest file to find.
Give the reviewer enough context.
Identify the course level, relevant task, learning goal, and assessment criteria. Explain what part of the example deserves attention. A reviewer outside your specialty may not recognize a sophisticated application without a little guidance.
You don't need to write a second essay about every sample. A brief note can tell the reader what the assignment required, where the relevant feature appears, and how it relates to the teaching claim. Keep the explanation accurate and avoid implying the example demonstrates more than it does.
Be honest about selection.
One excellent submission shows what one student produced. It doesn't establish that the whole class achieved the same outcome. If you describe a sample as typical, you need a defensible basis for that description. Otherwise, call it an illustration and explain why you selected it.
When the purpose is to show a pattern across students, consider whether the required format calls for a broader summary or another kind of evidence. Follow the institution's expectations rather than trying to make a single attachment stand in for the entire course.
This is also why a high grade isn't enough context. The reader needs to know which feature of the work relates to the claim you're making.
Handle student material appropriately.
Check institutional rules for permission, privacy, storage, and sharing before including student work. Remove identifying information where required, and remember that names aren't the only details that can identify someone. Personal reflections, placement information, or distinctive project details may need attention too.
Use the approved submission process and access controls. Don't make a student file publicly available just because a public link is convenient. If you aren't sure what you may share, ask the appropriate institutional contact before adding the attachment.
Start with one teaching claim in your draft. Write down the kind of work that could support it, then see whether you have an appropriate example and the necessary context. If you don't, revise the claim or plan better documentation for the next offering. You don't need a folder full of impressive papers. You need evidence that helps a reader understand your teaching accurately.
Adapted from The New Faculty Handbook by Zafer Unal, chapter 15, pp. 247–249.
