Rutgers-SHRP
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
FACULTY PEER OBSERVATION FORM
DATE: 7/11/13
FACULTY:
ACTIVITY OBSERVED (CHECK BOX):
Tom Pyle
Traditional Class Lecture X
Web-Based Lecture
Presentation/Training
Small Group Activity
EVALUATING
FACULTY MEMBER:
Nora Barrett
PRESENTATION TITLE: Family Intervention Models
COURSE#:
PSRT4071 – The Role of Families in PsyR
ORGANIZATION
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Begins class on time in an orderly, organized fashion.
Previews lecture/discussion content.
Clearly states to goal or objective for the period.
Reviews prior class material to prepare students for the content to be covered.
Provides internal summaries and transitions.
Does not digress often from the main topic.
Summarizes and distills main points at the end of class.
Appears well prepared for class.
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Comments: The class began with a discussion of the latest developments with the Instructor’s personal struggles as a parent of a son diagnosed
with a serious mental illness. The discussion was productive and challenged the students to begin applying what they learned to a real life
situation. Later there was a brief overview of the class session objectives and then the lecture began. I think this approach was acceptable,
although it may have been a little smoother to first state the course objectives, then to begin the lecture on family services (which among other
things did a very good job of reminding students of key points covered in previous lectures/discussions) and then to bring up the current situation
with the son, maybe when presenting the IFSS model, since that was relevant to the real life scenario. If students had been better oriented to the
class topic & reminded of key concepts they may have been better prepared to problem solve.
PRESENTATION
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Incorporates various instructional supports as appropriate (films, diagrams, etc.).
Diagrams, handouts are easy to follow and contribute positively.
Responds to changes in student attentiveness.
Writes largely and legibly enough on chalkboard or overhead.
Speaks audibly and clearly.
Communicates a sense of enthusiasm and excitement about the content
Uses positive and appropriate humor.
Uses a presentation style that facilitates note-taking.
Speech is neither too formal nor too casual.
Establishes and maintains eye contact with students.
Varies the pace to keep students alert.
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Comments:
The PowerPoint was excellent. I liked that there were not too many words on each slide and the graphics/pictures
were well related to key points – which helps visual learners to recall important content. I also liked that the slides used citations.
The video clips were also a great learning tool. The instructor was very well prepared, spoke clearly and presented at a comfortable
pace. He stayed on topic and used humor effectively. His style and ongoing efforts to engage the students by asking questions
throughout and the use of interesting graphics and video clips kept the students alert and involved in the learning process.
RAPPORT
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Solicits student feedback.
Requires student participation.
Treats class members equitably.
Tailors the course to reach many kinds of students.
Recognizes when students do not understand.
Responds to distractions effectively and constructively.
Responds confidently to student inquiries for additional information.
Uses authority in classroom to create a conducive learning environment.
Is able to admit error and/or insufficient knowledge.
Accepts constructive criticism.
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Comments:
I liked that students were frequently encouraged to participate and seemed comfortable doing so. Instructor’s use of self-disclosure seemed to help
develop this rapport and to foster learning about the family perspective. It seemed clear that the instructor did this on a regular basis, keeping
students apprised about the ongoing challenges of supporting a close family member with a disability.
This seemed to be working well, although I can imagine that it can be a challenge to decide how much share personal information to share with
students. Also asking them to see the instructor in various roles: professor/authority figure, family member, and even service recipient (when
asking them how they would help) could be hard for students at time. What I observed went fairly well, but I think it is probably an ongoing
challenge to pull this off each week.
I would be very interested in hearing how the students responded to this aspect of the learning experience.
Note that the “acceptable rating” was chosen because I didn’t feel that I had enough information to provide a higher or lower rating.
CONTENT
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Selects examples relevant to student experiences and course content.
Relates current course content to what’s gone before and what will follow.
Presents views other than own when appropriate.
Seeks to apply theory to problem-solving.
Explains difficult terms, concepts, or problems in more than one way.
Presents up-to-date developments in the field.
Relates assignments to course content.
Clearly organizes assignments.
Comments:
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Instructor appeared to be very knowledgeable. The content was right on target and was presented at the right level for
undergraduate students (i.e. some focus on the EBP’s/research, but not so too technical). The similarities and differences of the family
intervention models were made clear. Instructor did a very good job of relating concepts presented to prior learning material. I really
liked the emphasis on and repetition of key points, Pat Nemec calls these “the big ideas”. It is important to know that many students
will not retain many of the details; but if well-presented they will recall the “the big ideas”.
INTERACTION
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Encourages student questions, involvement and debate.
Answers student questions clearly and directly.
Gives students enough time to respond to questions.
Refrains from answering own question.
Responds to wrong answers constructively.
Encourages students to answer difficult questions by providing clues and encouragement.
Allows relevant student discussion to proceed uninterrupted.
Presents challenging questions to stimulate discussion.
Permits diverse points of view to be voiced.
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Comments:
As stated previously there was much effort to involve the students throughout. Instructor seemed to expect them to think critically
and challenge themselves to tackle the difficult problems that exist for consumers and family members in the real world. I would
guess that some students are more ready to do this than others. I recommend use of small group activities to address this
challenge.
NOT OBSERVED
ACTIVE LEARNING
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Clearly explains directions/procedures.
Has all necessary materials and equipment readily available.
Gives prompt attention to individual problems.
Provides individual constructive verbal feedback.
Addresses safety requirements for students with special needs.
Configures environment to best meet student learning needs.
Provides enough demonstrations.
Uses demonstrations that are clearly visible to all students.
Provides opportunities for dialogue about the activity with peers and/or the instructor.
Outstanding
O
Acceptable
O
Needs Improvement
O
Comments: I didn’t have the chance to observe active/ experiential exercises. Per previous section, when doing that small student
groups that require them to work cooperatively is a good strategy – instructor may have done this in other classes.
OVERALL EVALUATION:
Overall I really enjoyed observing the class session and was impressed with the presentation, content and rapport. I recommended being
thoughtful about the order of learning activities and the most effective use of self-disclosure. When asking students to evaluate the
course, consider directing them to comment on their reactions to your use of self-disclosure. Please note that I am not at all suggesting
that you don’t use your own experiences to prepare the student to work with families, but I think that student feedback could help you
refine this aspect of your teaching.
Also continue to challenge the students to think critically and begin to apply learning, perhaps using
small group activities, particularly to help those that are not quite at the application level.