Peer Observation of Teaching: A Practical Tool in Higher Education.

Abstract

There are limited viewpoints in the literature about peer observation of teaching in higher education and how it can be an effective tool to improve the quality of instruction in the classroom (Bell, 2001; Bell, 2005; Bell & Mladenovic, 2005; Brancato, 2003; Chism, 2007; Huston & Weaver, 2008; Shortland, 2004; Shortland, 2010; Smith, Jones, Gilbert, & Wieman, 2013). This article examines literature associated with peer observation of teaching in higher education and offers practical support and guidance from first-person accounts in a largersized STEM academic unit (N = 45 teaching faculty) at a public land-grant high intensive research institution enrolling over 36,000 students. Faculty teaching practices play a critical role in student learning and there is always room for continuous improvement and development.