Feedback from Peers
The scope and forms of using peers to evaluate teaching, both formatively and summatively
Overview
Many evaluations of teaching go on informally among peers, through second-hand students reports, hearsay, etc. A goal of a professional teaching community should be to ensure that such evaluations are more systematic and accurate. Peer review has other, formative roles.
Evidence from peers may come from (but is certainly not limited to):
- classroom observation, especially as profiling teaching styleand one important dimension of the learning environment. A co-teacher is especially valuable as someone whose perspective is guided by long-term exposure to the classroom setting ("large sample size").
- syllabus review, or other analysis focused on individual courses, their organization, assessment procedures, etc. This may be especially valuable for synopsizing and assessing a course portfolio.
- any form of analysis summarized in a letter, possibly by an external reviewer
- teaching circles
- teaching awards, based on faculty selection (a profile of the selection process or criteria is important to present as context)
- (especially for senior faculty) requests to mentor other faculty
- statements from colleagues who teach a course for which yours is a prerequisite
For perspective, consider what peer review means in the more familiar context of research.
Scope of Peer Review of Teaching
Teachers may review peers, formatively and summatively, in ways that vary considerably in scope and focus:
- class trouble-shooting
- feedback on idea for lab, course project or activity
- syllabus review
- classroom observation
- student interviews
- dialogues on teaching methods or goals
- curriculum development: course revisions and innovation
- teaching portfolio review
- teaching support teams
- professional teaching community
See Also...
More Information...
- How to evaluate course and other teaching material (Cornell)
Bibliography
Hutchings, Pat. 1996. "The Peer Collaboration and Review of Teaching," in "The Professional Evaluation of Teaching." Washington, DC: American Council of Learned Societies, Occasional Paper No. 33.
Stephen D. Brookfield. 1995. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
---See chapters 7-8 on seeing our teaching through the lens of our colleagues' perceptions.
Cohen, Peter A. and Wilbert J. McKeachie. "The Role of Colleagues in the Evaluation of College Teaching." Improving College and University Teaching 28(4): 147-54.
----includes a summary of criteria that colleagues are best qualified to evaluate.
Shore, Bruce, et al. 1991. The Teaching Dossier: Its Preparation and Use. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Association of University Teachers.
---- See Part 4 (pp.13-23) for descriptions, rationales and examples.
Way, David (ed.). 1993. Teaching Evaluation Handbook, 2d ed. Ithaca NY: Cornell University Office of Instructional Support, pp. 36-37, 43-48.
O'Neil. Carol and Alan Wright. 1997. "Information from Colleagues." Pp. 63-65 in Recording Teaching Accomplishment: A Dalhousie Guide to the Teaching Dossier, 5th ed. Halifax, NS: Dalhousie University Office of Instructional Development and Technology.
Mali, David. 1996. "External Peer Review of teaching: A New Effort in the Chemistry Departmet at IUPUI." Pp. 95-96 in Pat Hutchings (ed.), Making Teaching Community Property, AAHE.