Assessment of Teaching - Peer Observation of Teaching
Peer observation is typically conducted over a single class period, during which time you observe the teaching and learning behaviors that take place in the classroom. As the observer, you will want to take careful notes about what you observe. It is helpful to use a peer observation form to guide the note-taking process.
Below are resources that can inform academic units as they refresh their peer review guidelines.
- Course Observation Checklist (docx) - Asks faculty peer reviewers to note the presence of teaching activities/behaviors that have already been established as indicative of high-quality teaching. This form is intentionally designed to be shortened by the faculty in an academic unit so that it reflects the teaching values and priorities of the unit.
- Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) - is a customizable observation protocol that captures the dynamics among teachers, students, and technologies.
- Faculty Peer Review of Face-to-Face and Hybrid Courses - Based on the Elements of Effective Teaching, this guide offers specific examples of evidence of effective teaching.
The following are various types of tools for the observation of classroom teaching. Which approach one chooses depends on the preferences of the reviewer and the type of class to be reviewed. All of these may be edited to correspond to the needs of the course and reviewer.
- Field Notes Format - Focuses on specific tasks of the delivery and development of the class.
- Focused Observation Format - Is similar to the Field Notes but describes elements of the course more holistically.
- Narrative Format - Guides the user through a writing-centric review.
- Evaluating Lectures - Guides the reviewer through some of the elements of a good lecture.
There are certain types of courses, such as labs, tutorials, recitations, individual lessons, studios and others in which peer observation may be intrusive (e.g., individual lessons) or ineffective, such as studios or labs in which instruction may not be readily observable.
If you would like to discuss Peer Observation with a SITE faculty consultant, please reach out to any of the consultants or email SITE@psu.edu
