Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Peer Observation of Teaching
Dr Clara Davies, SDDU
Annual Pro-Deans and Directors of Student Education Event
7th October 2011
Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Outline:
• Consideration of University policy
• Reflection on School practices
• What do we want now?
• Peer Review Working Group
Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Current University policy on Peer Review of Teaching is:
"... each School/Faculty should be required to have in place a
procedure for the assurance and enhancement of the quality of all
teaching including that delivered by postgraduate students, technical
staff, clinical staff and external lecturers who have a substantial role
in the teaching of either undergraduate or taught postgraduate
students. The procedure must involve the direct observation of
teaching for staff with a substantial teaching load but may also rely
upon indirect evidence of teaching quality such as that obtained
through student feedback and other mechanisms Schools identify as
appropriate."
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/qmeu/documents/policy/ltb/Peer%20Observation%20%20of%20Teaching.pdf
LTB Approved 02/11/04
Implementation from start of 05/06
Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Current University policy on Peer Review of Teaching is:
"... each School/Faculty should be required to have in place a
procedure for the assurance and enhancement of the quality of all
teaching including that delivered by postgraduate students, technical
staff, clinical staff and external lecturers who have a substantial role
in the teaching of either undergraduate or taught postgraduate
students. The procedure must involve the direct observation of
teaching for staff with a substantial teaching load but may also rely
upon indirect evidence of teaching quality such as that obtained
through student feedback and other mechanisms Schools identify as
appropriate."
Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Current University policy on Peer Review of Teaching is:
"... each School/Faculty should be required to have in place a procedure
for the assurance and enhancement of the quality of all teaching including
that delivered by postgraduate students, technical staff, clinical staff and
external lecturers who have a substantial role in the teaching of either
undergraduate or taught postgraduate students. The procedure must
involve the direct observation of teaching1 for staff with a substantial
teaching load but may also rely upon indirect evidence of teaching quality
such as that obtained through student feedback and other mechanisms
Schools identify as appropriate."
1. The definition of teaching in this context is broad: it includes all types of class
(lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes, clinical etc.) and encompasses the
teacher’s performance in and management of the session. The amount of teaching
will be defined by the School and considered during the Periodic Review process.
Staff and Department
Development Unit
And how? - Examples of school-based peer review schemes
Inclusion
Reporting
Frequency
Selection
Feedback
• PGRs/TAs only
• All with > 10
hours contact
time
• Needs-based
• Report to DLT
• Confidential
• Record that
occurred
• Encouraged to
identify / share
good practice
• Within first 2- 4
weeks
• Annually
• Every 2 years
• Every 3 years
• Free to choose
• Allocated
• Only observed
by qualified /
experienced
staff
• One person
observes all
• Grade
• Specific
aspects /
criteria
• Broad checklist
• Strengths /
development
areas only
• Observee’s
agenda
~ 20% of schools have no active peer review scheme: High SSRs, workload …
Staff and Departmental
Development Unit
Current thinking in the HE Sector:
•
QE rather than QA
•
Mutual benefits, reflective and developmental
•
A process rather than an event
•
Community of practice
•
Shift in focus to student learning
•
Cross-subject groupings
•
Sustainability –
• themes or changes in focus
• linked to strategic initiatives / requirements
• protected time to discuss teaching - workload model?
Staff and Department
Development Unit
What do we want now?
• What do we want peer review for and to achieve?
• Audit trail for quality management?
• Development of individuals/teams/schools for quality enhancement?
• Focus on enhancing the student learning experience?
• One University - is there scope for University-wide scheme?
• If so what could it look like?
• QA vs QE?
• How practicable is it? How sustainable?
• Cycle of strategic themes e.g. VLE, Assessment, R-T links?
Staff and Department
Development Unit
Peer Review Working Group
Terms of Reference
• To receive and consider information on a range of good practice examples for
peer review from across the University and external HEIs
• To develop a set of principles and values to underpin a revised University
of Leeds peer review scheme
• To propose an institutional framework for peer review of teaching and to
draft policy documentation
• To make recommendation to TSEB
• To propose ways to support schools in the development of their peer review
schemes
• To propose an institutional process for monitoring the operation of peer review
processes, their effectiveness and impact on teaching quality
Staff and Department
Development Unit
Peer Review Working Group
Sept / Oct
TSEB
Working Group set up
16/11/2011
TSEB
Progress Reports as appropriate
18/01/2012
or 29/02/2012
March
Recommendation for Institutional Framework for Peer
Review
FLTCs Review of Institutional Framework for Peer Review
Development of Institutional Framework for Peer
25/04/2012
TSEB
Review
May / June
FLTCs Faculty implementation plans
Final approval of Institutional Framework for Peer
13/06/2012
TSEB
Review
Start of 2012/13 session Target date for implementation across the University
TSEB
DSE or HoS Representation from each of the 9 Faculties