Peer Review of Teaching promotes a culture of ongoing reflection and communication amongst academics, leading to quality enhancement in learning and teaching (Sachs & Parsell, 2014). Awesome―but how do you find the time? Over the coming months, And Gladly will share a series of posts showcasing how Departments are integrating peer review of teaching in assessment moderation, professional development, program review and teaching evaluations.
In the meantime, here are some ideas to get you started.
Peer review of teaching in a semester:
Why: you want to engage in discussions about teaching with your colleagues
Who: members of a teaching team across a unit or program or department
What: teaching materials, online unit(s), learning outcomes, student feedback, assessment, or curriculum planning documents, accreditation requirements
How: in a series of meetings with the teaching team, decide on your focus and what you want to achieve. Where possible, align peer review with learning and teaching activities such as curriculum development, program review, assessment moderation or accreditation requirements. Collect data to guide your review – e.g. curriculum and assessment mapping, student enrolment and attrition etc. Consider collaborative evaluation strategies – e.g. review program learning outcomes as a team, or share examples of assessment moderation practices.
Peer review of teaching in half a day:
Why: you want feedback on your teaching
Who: two teachers in a trusted peer mentoring relationship
What: face to face class, livestreamed lecture, online module etc
How: with a chosen colleague, decide on the focus of your peer review. For example: Do you want to observe each other teaching face to face? Or do you want to talk about your student evaluations? Consider how you want to share feedback. There are checklist, free response and identified topic templates at https://peerreviewofteaching.net/process/forms/
Peer review of teaching in an hour:
Why: you want to share teaching ideas
Who: a group of four to five teachers with a common interest or goal
What: short excerpt from a recorded lecture, brief presentation of a key concept or teaching philosophy
How: In a group of approximately four teachers, share a 5 minute recorded excerpt of your teaching (or describe a concept as you would to students in 5 minutes). Tell the group what you are seeking feedback on, give them a few minutes to make notes, then share their insights into what worked well and offer ideas for improvement.
The Peer Review of Teaching working party gave this a practice run and found it a simple strategy. Here’s what they had to say about it. Rod Lane: “This is a time efficient way to get instant feedback on your teaching.” Alissa Beath: “Very accessible, supportive and genuinely beneficial.” Eva Marinus: “It worked well that we were from different departments and disciplines. I received feedback that I wouldn’t usually get from Cog Sci colleagues.”
Resources to help:
- Faculty of Human Sciences peer review of teaching plan
- Peer Review of Teaching videos, how tos and templates
- Spectrum Approach to Mentoring guide for mentors and mentees
- Peer Review of Teaching iLearn unit (under development)
Questions?
Contact your Peer Review of Teaching departmental representative:
- Alissa Beath (Psychology)
- John Knox (Linguistics)
- Rod Lane (Educational Studies)
- Eva Marinus (Cognitive Science).
- Or speak to Senior Teaching Fellow, Agnes Bosanquet agnes.bosanquet@mq.edu.au
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