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Peer Observation Resources:
Peer observation involves professionals observing each other’s practice, focusing on professionals’ individual needs and the opportunity to learn from others’ practice while providing constructive feedback to peers. Peer observation aims to support the sharing of practice and builds self-awareness about the impact of one’s teaching practice to affect change
Faculty Peer Observation and Feedback is from the Centre for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research at Northeastern University. That resource includes information on: purpose, signature pedagogies, recommended processes, suggestions for adapting the process to one’s context, as well as templates.
Peer Observation is from Australia’s Victoria State Government’s Education website. That resource offers: a concise overview of peer observation; advise on the adoption of a POS profession practise, feedback practical guides and documents for teachers; stage of peer observation templates; and, feedback guidelines.
Peer Observation of Teaching Handbook was published from Harvard Medical School and stresses the importance of enabling educators to “connect with their colleagues in collaborative working relationships”; to “reflect and gain insight on their instructional skills”, as well as “engage in public discourse about best teaching practises”. It provides a 10-step approach for realising those goals in the accompaniment of concisely written rationales. Also provided is an annotated bibliography as well as a set of references and resources with links.
The University of Texas at Austin Faculty Innovation Center offers a 2-step process with embedded videos on peer observations. Unique to this resource site are the ready-made: pre-observation protocol (example); pre-observation discussion questions; syllabus review rubric (example); and, the Peer Review of Teaching Learning Community White Paper.
Peer Observation of Teaching: A practical Tool in Higher Education. This article reviews the literature that relates to peer observation in higher education, offering “practical support and guidance from first-person accounts in large-sized” institutions. Argued within is that “faculty teaching practices play a critical role in student learning”; hence the need for “continuous improvement and development”.
Evaluating Our Peers: is peer observation a meaningful process? “The majority of the literature to date has focused on the mechanisms for implementing peer observation systems and its links to enhanced professional practice. However, little attention has been given to the complexities involved in delivering the peer observation process, and how it may be managed and integrated in order to maximize benefits for teaching and learning. This article reports on an evaluation of two systems of the peer observation within one ‘post 1992’ university. It utilizes data from semi‐structured interviews with lecturers, and identifies the need for a clear focus and goals. It also illustrates the necessity to see both the breadth and depth of the process.”
Formative Peer Review of Teaching – Centre for Teaching Learning and Technology – University of British Columbia A webpage that includes a video on the peer review of teaching