The TLT Group

 
 Peer Review of Teaching for Online, Hybrid/Blended,  and Even Traditional Courses!
Dangerous Discussions Initiative, Clothing the Emperor Series

Steve Gilbert talks with Ethelynda Harding, California State University-Fresno
February 2 – 3-4 pm EST

Framework for a Civil, Constructive Conversations

I.  Anti-inflammatory Description  II.  Polarizing Views or Questions  III.  Worthwhile Results
IV.  Evidence and Priorities  V.  What do YOU care about most? 

I.  Anti-inflammatory Description
Describe the issues in the least inflammatory language.  Identify important pre-requisites, conditions, stakeholders. 
Why bother - under what conditions?  Who cares?

Peer review of instruction can be a useful tool in improving faculty teaching skills and is often mandated in personnel policies. Because online instruction is new to many faculty members, its peer review can present special challenges.

Whether courses are face-to-face or online, peer review can require a substantial investment of faculty time and has the potential to cause contention. It makes sense to get the most value possible from such an expensive process.

What are the risks and benefits?  How can we take advantage of the latter and avoid the former?

What are the educational conditions under which peer review of teaching can be most useful?   Under which it should be avoided?

Why bother? 
Why is it important to deal with this issue?

Under what conditions is it important to deal with this issue? 

Under what conditions should this issue be avoided? 

Under what conditions are the benefits associated with this issue likely to result?  Are there any important pre-requisites that must be in place?

Under what conditions are the risks associated with this issue too likely to occur - so that this issue should not be pursued or implemented?

Who cares?   (Who should be involved in considering this issue? 
Because they will be influenced by it? 
Because they are able to influence how it proceeds?  Other?)

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II.  Polarizing Views or Questions 
Restate extreme positions and provocative questions in ways most likely to enable stakeholders who are initially committed to apparently opposing views to engage in civil, constructive discussion.

1. Unless faculty teach online courses, they are not qualified to review them.

2. Online courses are so different from lecture courses that they require more careful monitoring by colleagues.

3. Peer review of instruction is a waste of time because nobody pays any attention to the results.

4. Peer review is the single most valuable component of the evaluation of teaching.

GAINS:   Potential gains from an effective peer review process included improved teaching and learning, increased collegiality, a more coherent curriculum, and wiser, better-informed personnel decisions.

RISKS:   Peer review can drive wedges between faculty members. Ineffective peer review can waste faculty time and lead many to discount faculty evaluation processes.

GUIDELINES:   Reach consensus on the function of the peer review (teaching improvement, personnel decisions, or both). Even when doing peer review for personnel, focus on improvement whenever possible.

Provide training and resources for peer reviewers.

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 III.  Worthwhile Results
List desirable, feasible outcomes of participating in “Dangerous Discussions” activities for this issue. [At the very least, deflate the hype and defuse artificial disagreements – restate the issue and challenge in more realistic and less inflammatory ways.  And then accomplish something that is visibly and demonstrably useful!]

1.  A view of the teaching process that recognizes faculty as more than information portals.

2.  Reshaped peer review policies and practices that can be applied to many teaching methods.

3.  Increased focus on student learning as evidence of effective teaching.

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IV.  Evidence and Priorities
 Identify the kinds of evidence that can be made accessible and useful to participants.  What other factors matter?  E.g., what priorities might modify the influence of evidence on important decisions about this issue?

1.  Campus climate factors influencing acceptance of evidence include:

  • Level of suspicion
  • Acceptance of instructional technology and other "new" teaching tools
  • Position on the spectrum between teaching centered and learning centered
     

Generic Questions

1.  What evidence is already available and likely to help make relevant decisions?

2.  What kinds of additional evidence would be likely to help make relevant decisions?

3.  Why are people unlikely to be influenced by apparently relevant evidence?  What other factors are likely to influence relevant decisions?

4.  What priorities (institutional, personal, ...) might make some kinds of evidence irrelevant?  might influence the impact of evidence?

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V.  What do YOU care about most?  Personally, professionally, ...?[See also "Fundamental Questions"]

1. What do you most want to gain? [Regain?]
What do you care about?
For your students? colleagues? institution? yourself?
Whom do you care about?

2. What do you most cherish and want not to lose?

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February 2 – 3-4 pm EST    
Peer Review of Teaching for Online, Hybrid/Blended, and Even Traditional Courses!
Steve Gilbert talks with Ethelynda Harding, California State University-Fresno

   

References, Resources:

California State University, Fresno Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
CETL organizes workshops and conferences at California State University, Fresno; administers in-house funding programs to enhance faculty careers; provides special programs to support faculty in their various roles; and maintains a resource area with books and videotapes on teaching, learning, and other aspects of academe.

Research-Based Recommendations for Improving Peer Review from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater LEARN Center

"The View from the Back of the Classroom:  A Faculty-Based Peer Observation Program," Jamie Webb, Kathleen McEnerney [cannot find on Web]. ...

From Teaching to Learning - A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education  By Robert B. Barr and John Tagg;  originally in Change magazine, November/December 1995.
"'The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.' -Albert Einstein
"A paradigm shift is taking hold in American higher education. In its briefest form, the paradigm that has governed our colleges is this: A college is an institution that exists to provide instruction. Subtly but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm: A college is an institution that exists to produce learning. This shift changes everything. It is both needed and wanted. ..."
 

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E.g.... The juicy new cases;  Cases that break traditional boundaries         

E.g.... Hypothesis:  Civility is a balance (dynamic?  changing?)  between

A.  Authenticity, personalization, unedited publication, free speech, …
and
B.  Depersonalization, anonymity, censorship….


 E.g.... Emerging, Uncontrollable Applications of Information Technology:  What are the Challenges?  What are the Policy (“Appropriate Use”) Options?  How can we cope when the ground rules are changing so fast?     

E.g.... The most important challenge for higher education in the next few years will be preventing students from using new handheld digital devices inappropriately in their college courses.     

The most important challenges and opportunities facing higher education in the next few years are the disappearance of barriers to communications between campuses and the rest of the world - between members of a college or university and anyone/everyone else - anytime!  And the lack of widely accepted  ground rules, laws, terminology, ... for behaving in this new and very rapidly changing environment.    

We can't even figure out how to establish and implement policies about faculty and student use of blogs that have some connection with a college or university.. and now we have wikis, FaceBook, eBay, Google groups, etc. coming at us faster than ever…

 E.g....
Generational divide  - went to session about “Net Generation “  - digital natives (students) vs. digital immigrants (faculty)… professors slower than students to adopt/adapt new tech?

Students – Newest Professors – Current/Old Professors

 E.g....  How have things changed?  What seems important to you?


Need to learn how to communicate well with honesty, sensitivity, across differences …
 

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 What are the relevant issues, and questions…

 E.g.... Asymmetry:   one individual or group willing to listen and speak;  other group only willing to speak;  related to some recent problems at



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Your Questions, Suggestions, Comments

If you have any questions or comments about this workshop, please contact Lisa Star at online@tltgroup.org

Please send your questions or suggestions for improving our online workshops - including topics or leader/presenters that you would like us to include.

Send to Steve Gilbert at: 
GILBERT@TLTGROUP.ORG

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Joys and Sorrows
  • Good news, bad news from/about leader presenters.
  • Good news, bad news from/about registrants.
  • Good news, bad news from/about TLT Group staff, friends, et al...
  • Photos welcome!  Tasteful!

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