/Office of the Provost
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Peer Class Visits & Teaching Feedback

Peer observations are an important tool to help develop more effective teaching practices. Benefits are derived both from receiving feedback from peers as well as watching peers teach (Fletcher, 2018). CELT supports peer visits by providing formative feedback on course design and instruction using informal checklists and validated review tools for both in-person and online courses.

CELT supports peer observations in two ways: we can train your department faculty to conduct effective visits, or our CELT staff can conduct classroom observations for you directly.

If you would like more information on Peer Class Visits or you are interested in scheduling one, please contact us!

Steps in the Peer Class Visit Process

Observers class should have sufficient experience with classroom teaching, self-assessment, and/or mentoring others in teaching. Though content knowledge is not necessary, it can help give additional perspective on your specific teaching context. The visitor will need sufficient time to meet initially, conduct the class visit(s), and provide written feedback. 

  • Reflect & Self-Assess (Instructor)
    • Identify specific areas of your teaching you want to improve or receive feedback on.
    • Complete the Teaching Practices Inventory to guide your self-reflection (recommended for both formal and informal observations).
  • Hold the Pre-Visit Meeting
    • Review the course syllabus and goals for the target session together.
      Clarify expectations and feedback goals (e.g., general teaching style, student engagement, inclusive practices).
    • Contextualize the course structure and teaching approach for the observer.
  • Schedule the Observation
    • Agree on the date(s) for the visit.
    • Plan for multiple visits if focusing on specific goals or different teaching formats (e.g., lecture vs. group work).
  • Notify Students
    • Inform your class in advance that an observer will be joining the session.

 

The instructor and the observer should familiarize themselves with the Class Visit Checklists or the validated tool of their choice prior to the class visit. This will make recording notes during the class observation easier.

The observer should compose a written report based on the checklist items or the validated tool utilized. The report should include the results of the observation, including comments where appropriate. The observer may also choose to add a summarizing paragraph of overall impressions and recommendations for improvement.

After the report is sent, the instructor and the observer should schedule a meeting to debrief. The instructor should review the report and compile any questions they have prior to meeting. This meeting also allows for the observer to elaborate on some recommendations and the instructor to brainstorm new ideas with the observer.

The Peer Observation is a tool to develop effective teaching practices, it is important to close the loop by using the report and subsequent debrief discussion to make adjustments to your course and/or teaching approach. This could include modifying lesson materials, making adjustments to the course schedule, building in more formative assessments to gauge student learning, incorporating more active learning strategies to promote student engagement, or even polishing your public speaking skills. You might also choose to integrate feedback from a peer observation with student feedback from Course Evaluations when considering what adjustments to make. 

Class Visit Checklists

 

Class Observation Tools

  • TDOP: The Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) is a customizable observation protocol that has been extensively field tested as a means to describe what happens in the classroom.
  • COPUS: Adapted from TDOP, the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM or COPUS allows observers to reliably characterize how faculty and students are spending their time in the classroom.