Formative Peer Review of Teaching - Introduction

Peer review of teaching is increasingly being used in Australia and overseas as an effective tool for teaching development. It is a well established component of many formal tertiary teaching qualifications, and there is considerable literature about its effectiveness as a tool for promoting a culture of reflection on teaching and learning. 

Essentially peer review is about establishing a scholarship of teaching and learning which involves asking questions about student learning and teaching activities designed to promote learning, answering those questions by analysing evidence of student learning and sharing that analysis publicly in order to invite review and to contribute to the body of knowledge on student learning in a variety of contexts.

There are many models of peer review, which range from formal processes conducted by external experts for the purposes of grading teaching practice to informal conversations between colleagues for the purpose of sharing knowledge and practice. Evidence suggests that the outcomes of these models of peer review may vary, but all have the capacity to impact positively on learning and teaching.

For more information on peer review of teaching and how it is being in Universities:

• David Gosling & Vaneeta D’Andrea, Peer Observation of Teaching a select, annotated guide to publications  & websites, 2002,  Higher Education Academy Resources UK, (can be  downloaded at www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&section=generic&id=183)
• Maureen Bell, Peer Observation of Teaching in Australia, Higher Education Academy resources, UK,  2002  ( can be downloaded at www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&section=generic&id=28)
• David Gosling, Models of peer observation of teaching, Higher Education Academy resources, UK ( can be downloaded from www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&section=generic&id=200)