Grant program: Amundsen Fellowship Program

Grant recipient: Tara Holland, Lecturer; Teaching Fellow, Geography/Environmental Science, Faculty of Environment

Project team: TBD

Timeframe: May 2022 to December 2023

Funding: $5000

Description: This project idea initially came out of conversations in the Faculty of Environment (FENV) about teaching reviews based on peer observations being used as an artefact to include in teaching dossiers when going up for promotion or salary review. However, faculty members expressed mixed feelings about the process, with concerns centred on two main issues:

• Workload associated with performing peer observations; and
• Discomfort over the disconnect between peer observations being formative/collaborative, with the results being used by Tenure and Promotion Committees for a summative/evaluative purpose.

Among colleagues, I have been promoting the philosophy that the main purpose of peer observation of teaching should be to facilitate self-improvement and good teaching practice, with the aim of enhancing student learning. Models for peer reviews of teaching can be described as evaluative, developmental, or collaborative (Gosling, 2002), depending on their specific purpose and outcomes. The collaborative peer review model is considered the most effective if the aim is to improve teaching quality and encourage self-development. Collaborative peer review has a collegial intent and clear purpose (improve teaching through dialogue and reflection, and stimulate improvement) and outcomes (analysis, reflection, improvement of teaching/learning, shared knowledge) (Rogers, n.d.). To this end, I have proposed and been greenlit by the Dean to develop a Teaching Squares program for the Faculty of Environment.

Teaching Squares programs are designed to enhance teaching and learning and to build community through a process of reciprocal peer observation, self-reflection, and group discussion (Berenson, 2017). Teaching Squares approaches involve reflecting on what can be learned about one’s own teaching by observing colleagues. Rather than evaluating others, the Teaching Squares emphasis is on self-evaluation and reflection. In the FENV context, four faculty members would make up a square, ideally one from each of the four FENV units. The members would agree to observe each other’s classes throughout the course of a semester, then meet to discuss what they have learned from their observations. Each member would then write a reflection and action plan that will:

a) help them to develop/improve their own teaching practice, and then
b) be used as evidence of teaching development/effectiveness in the teaching dossier presented to the TPC.

While I believe that the Teaching Squares program will be able to achieve both of the above goals while easing concerns about the summative nature of traditional peer observation teaching reviews, I anticipate running up against the first concern, which is the issue of workload/time.

The study design is modelled after the integration of implementation research and impact evaluation as described by Rutenberg et al. (2018).

References:

Berenson, C. (2017). Teaching Squares: Observe and Reflect On Teaching and Learning (Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Guide Series). University of Calgary.

CWSEI, UBC (2018). Teaching Practices Inventory for Natural and Social Sciences: https://cwsei.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/cwsei/resources/tools/CWSEI_TeachingPracticesInventory.pdf

Gosling, D. (2002). Models of Peer Observation of Teaching. Generic Center Learning and Teaching Support Network.

Rogers, T. (n.d.). Peer review of teaching in higher education: A literature review. University of Otago, NZ.

Rutenberg, N., & Heard, A.C. (2018). Integrating impact evaluation and implementation research to accelerate evidence-informed action, 3ie Working Paper 32. New Delhi: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). Available at https://doi.org/10.23846/WP0032.

Knowledge sharing plans:

• Informal conversations with colleagues and in the Geography DBER Learning Circle
• Highlighting results on the FENV Teaching website and in my Teaching Fellow newsletter
•  Check-ins in December 2022 department meetings to highlight program progress for units
• Teaching Matters Seminar (one scheduled already for Fall 2022 to talk about the development of the program)
• Presentation at SFU Symposium on Teaching and Learning (Spring 2023)
•  Faculty of Environment White Paper with recommendations for other units/faculties (Fall 2023)
• Likely a manuscript (journal TBA) and conference presentation (TBA, but probably STLHE), Fall 2023