Teaching Observation Form (online)
To achieve high quality and continuous improvement in our teaching, we dig-in and commit to collective participation and teamwork in evaluating and improving each other.
Program Goals
- Inspire greater conversation about teaching in the college
- Provide an opportunity for faculty to work together to address challenges and solve problems in the classroom
- Develop relationships among our faculty grounded in our common goals
- Provide feedback and guidance to faculty, particularly junior faculty, to develop and grow as outstanding educators
- Provide evidence of growth in teaching for promotion and/or tenure
Participation
Faculty at the assistant rank will be observed annually; associate faculty will be observed at least once every three years, and full faculty will be observed at least once every five years. All faculty can volunteer to be observed more frequently.
Senior faculty, those at the rank of associate or full, are expected to participate in TOP as observers as part of their service to the college.
Faculty who merit a "needs improvement" in teaching in their annual evaluation will not be eligible to be observers and will instead be observed and evaluated annually on their teaching until their rating improves.
Faculty who merit a "does not meet expectations" in teaching in their annual evaluation will not be eligible to be observers and will instead be observed and evaluated each semester on their teaching until their rating improves.
The Process
TOP is an annual program in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications that ensures peer observation of faculty teaching regularly. Our process is:
Pairing: Each fall, the college's administration will determine who will be observed during the fall and spring semesters and will pair faculty to be observed with senior faculty observers.
Pre-observation Meeting: Faculty pairs will work together to arrange and participate in a pre-observation meeting. The meeting's purpose is to discuss and determine the class(es) to be observed, review the course syllabus to discuss course expectations and learning outcomes, and discuss any concerns or specific challenges the observee is seeking to address.
Observation: The observer will attend and observe the agreed-upon course on the arranged date, complete the Teaching Observation Form, and note items that are working well and areas for improvement.
Post-observation Meeting: The faculty pair will work together to arrange a post-observation meeting to review the completed Teaching Evaluation Form and engage in a discussion about the observations.
Recommended: It is recommended that observers also invite their observee into their classroom to increase our faculty's exposure to a diversity of teaching styles and provide an opportunity for inspiration about teaching.
Submission: Following the post-observation meeting, the observer will finalize their teaching observation form and any additional comments and submit their assessment through the online submission form or by submitting the pdf to the associate dean for inclusion in the college files.
Deadline & Documents
All teaching observations should be completed and submitted by the Friday of Dead Week in the assigned semester.
Completed teaching observation forms provide evidence of teaching for tenure and/or promotion and will be included in each candidate's materials by the college administration.