A Step-by-Step Guide to Being Observed

Submit a Request:

  1. Instructor fills out a Teaching Committee peer observation request.
  2. You will asked what type of observation form you prefer, either UVU’s Teaching Excellence Model Advancement of Teaching Peer Observation Form or the Classic CHSS Teaching Committee Form(Synchronous Example and Asynchronous Example)
  3. You will need to indicate several dates for observation options.

Pre-Observation:

  1. Initial Contact. Once the instructor has been assigned to a member of the CHSS Teaching Committee, a peer will contact you. That contact will include:
    1. Confirming the date, time, location, and course name.
    2. Emailing the peer observer materials necessary for the in-person observation: syllabus, reading assigned for that class period (if possible), powerpoints, handouts, and any special class information (class type such as a lab, live stream, service learning project group, large-section class, team-based learning).
  2. Pre-observation meeting. Your peer observer should also contact you to talk about what pedagogy or area of teaching excellence you would like the observer to focus on. What would help you improve as a teacher? What have you working on that you’d like some feedback about?

Classroom or Livestream Observation:

  1. The peer observer will attend your class and sit quietly without disturbance. Find an appropriate chair for them to sit in the back that has a good view of the class. When class begins, we encourage you to introduce the class to the observer so everyone is put at ease. It is also a good idea to promote the teaching excellence and peer support at UVU by saying something such as, “I have requested this observation to help me get feedback to continue learning just like you and developing my teaching skills. I appreciate the feedback you will give me through SRIs at the end of the course and this mid-course feedback from a peer will also support my best efforts.”

Post-Observation:

  1. You'll meet with your observer again soon after the observation to discuss their initial feedback and your own feelings on the observation.
  2. Afterwards, the peer observer should complete the formal observation by sending you a summary of observations and feedback:
    1. a letter form directly from the observer (CHSS Teaching Committee Form)or
    2. the completed observation emailed via OTL (if you chose the Teaching Excellence Model) or
    3. other feedback mechanisms you've agreed upon.
  3. Please thank the peer observer for their service and time, and then complete the Satisfaction Survey you'll be sent! Your feedback helps the committee improve!
 
 
 

Use peer feedback to your advantage!

As part of the observation process, you'll receive a formal document you may use to include in your tenure file. Remember that areas of improvement outlined are a formative opportunity to reflect in your teaching narrative. If you chose an area to focus on, you can demonstrate later how you made pedagogical changes and created stronger learning outcomes. Teaching is not about perfection, but improvement!

 
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Questions? Ask Wilson