Communication Studies Classroom Observation Form
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION
Evaluator:
___________________________________
Date/Time:
___________________________________
Instructor:
___________________________________
Course Number/Title:
___________________________________
UG/Grad/Cross-Listed:
___________________________________
EVALUATIVE QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
1.
What are the specific goals, objectives, and outcomes for this class?
(Information may be copied/pasted from a syllabus or appended by way of
an attached syllabus.)
2.
Provide evidence of the instructor meeting specific class goals, objectives,
and outcomes based on the content under discussion for the review day.
3.
What are your observations about the instructor’s course management –
from attendance, setting up the class discussion, and introducing the session
topic to pacing the material, delivering the class material, and engaging in
interactions with students.
4.
Describe the demeanor of the instructor.
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5.
Describe the class atmosphere (i.e., the discernible comfort of students, the
instructor’s encouragement of participation and student inclusion, the
formality/informality of the environment, etc.).
6.
What are the instructor’s strengths based on the classroom observation?
7.
What areas of improvement would you suggest for the instructor?
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FORM
Peer observation of teaching is encouraged by the University of Alabama Faculty
Handbook and is a requirement for tenure and promotion cases.
Communication Studies untenured faculty and instructors will have their teaching
observed yearly during the month of their annual review. These teaching
observations become a part of both their annual dossier and their review
committee’s report on their progress and standing for that given year. Optimally,
a different review committee member will observe untenured faculty and
instructors each year.
Faculty whose teaching is to be observed will be contacted at the beginning of their
review month by a member of their review committee. The faculty member under
observation and the review committee representative will agree upon a number of
preferred dates (no fewer than three) for the observation.
Once a day for observation is agreed upon, the faculty whose teaching is to be
observed will provide to her/his review committee representative a current
electronic syllabus for the class. This will be done no later than one week out from
the observation. It is expected that the review committee representative will have
read and understood the course, its expectations and its organizational flow,
assignments, reading schedules, etc. prior to performing the review. The observed
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faculty member and the review committee representative may agree, in advance,
to a delivery of course notes, assignments, course readings, and/or access to the
observed faculty’s Blackboard site, as suggested or desired by the observed
faculty, the review committee member, or the department chair.
Observers should adopt a warm, supportive, and professional manner throughout
the process of scheduling, observing, and recording comments. Observers’ written
comments should relate to the question/comment prompts noted above. The
observer should be present for an entire class; no partial observation may form the
basis for the classroom observation of teaching.
Observers will submit their Teaching Observation Forms to the review committee
chair, along with their typical comments on the observed faculty’s annual dossier.
This data will then be synthesized by the review committee chair into her/his
report, which is ultimately signed by all review committee members. The raw
Teaching Observation Forms will also be appended to the review committee
chair’s final letter to the department chair.
If requested or desired by the faculty under observation, the review committee
member, or the department chair, the two former individuals may meet within
seven days of the classroom observation to discuss the written feedback of the
observation. This discussion should take place in a private, comfortable location.
When delivering the report and issuing feedback, the observer should describe
what she/he saw in relation to established goals and objectives for the class under
observation. Statements should be specific, concrete, and accompanied by
examples. Both positive and negative comments have their place in peer
observation. The discussion of both types of comments should be strongly
considered by the observer.
Revised 20 January 2015, Jason Edward Black
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