Perceived value of an institutional teaching portfolio: Applicant, assessor, mentors and supervisors’ perspectives

University teacher development programs are strongly tied to the provision of teaching and learning quality. These programs can take many forms, with a common modality being the teacher reflective portfolio. Although support for reflective portfolios is well documented, less well evidenced are the perspectives of other university stakeholders involved in the facilitation, review, and support for portfolio development. This paper reports on a study of an internally accredited teacher development program through a reflective portfolio, eliciting insights from applicants, assessors, mentors, and academic supervisors of applicants. Through an institutional survey of 101 staff, findings suggest that coupling development programs with probation or promotion can indicate teacher quality but also create tensions for all stakeholders. Applicants, assessors, and mentors report perceiving less value in internally recognised programs compared to externally accredited programs, while also highlighting workload challenges associated with their contributions. This paper offers implications for academic developers and senior leaders who advance portfolio-based, university teacher development programs.