Welcome to the ‘Transforming Teaching Through Peer Observation’ course, which was developed with Lauren Barbeau from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, and Claudia Cornejo Happel from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, USA.
Click here to view the video transcript
Hi, I’m Claudia Cornejo Happel, and I’m the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida in the United States. My work centers on building strong relationships and supportive teaching cultures, and one of the most meaningful ways in which I’ve been able to do that is through the critical teaching behaviors framework that Lauren and I developed. I see it as more than a framework. It’s a way to connect with campus leadership, with our colleagues, and most importantly, with our students. I care about helping instructors grow in ways that feel meaningful and connected. One area I’ve been exploring recently is how midterm feedback can serve as a bridge between instructors and students, opening up conversations, building trust, and deepening our understanding of how students experience our teaching. In a similar way, peer observation gives us a powerful opportunity to connect with each other as colleagues. It invites us to slow down, share what we are doing in the classroom, and grow alongside one another.
Hello and welcome to the short course on Peer Observation of Teaching. I’m Lauren Barbeau, Assistant Director of Learning & Technology Initiatives at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US. I’ve served in educational development role since 2013. My passion for teaching drew me to this field, but teaching can feel isolating. As instructors in higher ed, we rarely receive support to teach well before we’re thrown into the deep end teaching our own courses. Through our work on critical teaching behaviors, Claudia and I hope to change the way we talk about teaching in higher ed, starting with the fact that we talk about teaching in higher ed, and that we start from a shared understanding of what good teaching is.
Conduct peer observations that foster professional growth. In this short course, you’ll discover how structured, transparent peer observations can foster reflective, innovative, and collegial teaching cultures. We offer practical strategies to help you enhance your observation skills and support your colleagues in their teaching journeys. Embrace the opportunity to develop confidence, inspire innovation, and strengthen your institution’s teaching culture of teaching excellence through the power of peer observation.
“Well-constructed peer observation programs can help us reflect productively on our teaching.“
“While poorly conducted peer observations can lead to anxiety, distrust, tension, and confusion, well-conducted peer observations benefit faculty and institutions by developing teaching reflection, innovation, confidence, and community.“
Get Involved And Share Your Learning
- Share your perspective. Throughout this course, you will see discussion prompts at the end of each lesson inviting you to share your thoughts and experience. We encourage you to respond to these discussion questions and read those of other educators to benefit from theirs. When you see a comment you agree with or find helpful, hit the ‘Like’ button to help other educators find it. You can also reply to any comments from other members that you find interesting.
- Ask a question. You can ask questions of experts and other educators in the discussion threads in courses.
- Pick up your course badges. To earn your Course Completion Badges make sure you mark all lessons as ‘Mark Complete’ once you have completed a lesson. At the end of the course, click ‘Mark Complete’ and you will be asked a few multiple-choice questions to earn a Course Completion badge. Once you’ve had a chance to apply your learning, come back to complete an Impact Badges by applying what you have learned in the courses and answering a short survey.
If you have any questions or issues, please email us at [email protected].
Discussions
What are you hoping to gain from this course?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.