By reflecting on their teaching and discussing it with someone else, good teachers gain insight not only into what can be improved, but also into what strengths they already have and can build upon for even more effectiveness in helping their students learn.
The Center for Teaching and Learning offers several “teaching feedback” services through the Faculty Development Office. A specific type of feedback may be more appropriate to your needs; on the other hand, you may wish to engage in comprehensive self-analysis and thus make use of all the services listed below.
Class visit
One of our experienced CTL staff members will visit your class and chat with you afterwards, confidentially, in order for you to gain insight into how your teaching is perceived by an objective observer.
Class visits must be initiated by the course instructor. Confidentiality is assured with class visits. Observation notes are discussed with you in a post-visit consultation, and then all original notes are released to the faculty member; nothing is kept on file in the office. Materials will only be released to the initiating instructor of the course.
We ask that you come to a pre-visit consultation with clear goals in mind; also, please bring all course materials that are relevant to those faculty development goals (syllabus, previous student evaluations, assignment sheets, PowerPoint slides, etc.). The actual class visit will be scheduled at this time. No materials provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning can be used in applying for or support of teaching awards.
Peer review and observation of Graduate Assistants (GAs) in teaching roles are essential for fostering professional growth and developing effective instructional practices. As emerging educators, GAs often have limited formal training in pedagogy. Therefore, peer observation serves a dual purpose: mentoring and assessment. The process typically involves observation by experienced faculty members or teaching mentors who assess areas such as clarity of instruction, engagement strategies, pacing, content knowledge, and responsiveness to student needs.
Before the observation, GAs meet with the reviewer to discuss the course context, lesson objectives, and any particular areas where feedback is desired. During the observation, the focus is formative rather than evaluative, providing constructive feedback that helps the GA develop confidence and competence in the classroom. Post-observation, a debriefing session allows the GA to reflect on their teaching, ask questions, and collaboratively develop goals for improvement.
Documentation may include a written report highlighting strengths and suggestions for growth. All report materials and notes will be given to the GA. The emphasis is developmental, aligning with the broader goal of preparing GAs for future academic roles.
Peer review and observation for pre-tenure faculty play a critical role in both professional development and formal evaluation for tenure and promotion. The process is more structured and evaluative than for graduate assistants, with an emphasis on teaching effectiveness, curriculum alignment, student engagement, and evidence-based instructional strategies.
A formal observation typically includes a pre-observation meeting where the instructor provides syllabi, lesson plans, and contextual information. The peer observer—usually a senior colleague or department-assigned reviewer—attends a full class session, taking notes on classroom dynamics, pedagogical techniques, and student interaction.
After the observation, a debriefing session fosters reflective practice and provides targeted feedback. The resulting report and notes, often highlighting pedagogical strengths, areas for growth, and alignment with departmental expectations, will be given to the faculty member.
This review process balances support with accountability, helping early-career faculty refine their teaching and demonstrate instructional excellence.
Peer review for post-tenure faculty emphasizes sustained instructional quality, curricular innovation, and mentorship of junior colleagues. While not typically part of a tenure evaluation, post-tenure reviews support continued professional growth and institutional excellence.
Observations may occur as part of periodic review cycles or self-initiated peer feedback. These observations are often more collaborative, with a focus on advanced teaching strategies, integration of scholarship into teaching, and responsiveness to evolving student needs.
The process begins with a mutual agreement on goals, followed by observation and a reflective dialogue. Post-tenure faculty may use this feedback to update course content, explore new pedagogical methods, or mentor less-experienced instructors. Reports are usually developmental and not evaluative, and will be given to the faculty member.
This process affirms teaching as a dynamic, lifelong endeavor and promotes leadership in pedagogy within the academic community.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are looking for volunteers to conduct course evaluations or to make themselves available to mentor other faculty. If you are interested, please register here: COMING SOON.
For term faculty—non-tenure-track instructors whose positions are often renewed based on performance—peer review and observation are crucial components of instructional assessment. The process serves developmental purposes, ensuring high teaching standards while supporting professional growth.
Observers conduct formal classroom visits with a focus on student engagement, course organization, content accuracy, and teaching efficacy. A pre-observation meeting sets the context, while a post-observation discussion allows the instructor to reflect on strengths and areas for development.
Written evaluation reports and notes are submitted to the faculty member. For term faculty, who often carry heavy teaching loads, peer observation offers valuable recognition and feedback. It reinforces quality assurance in teaching while acknowledging the central role term faculty play in undergraduate and graduate instruction.
Class Digital Recording
Class digital recording is a much more direct and complete record of your class than can be provided by a human observer, no matter how experienced. Particularly, teacher-student and student-student exchanges are very important moments to reflect on that can only be captured in a recording.
Confidentiality is assured with class digital recording: the Faculty Development Office will not release any recordings to anyone but the faculty member requesting the service. Moreover, you decide how you want the recording to be stored, leaving you with the only available digital record depending on the method of recording that you choose.
The value of this service is inestimable. You will be able to review very specific parts of the class (tricky explanations, involved exchanges with students, board work) multiple times and at your leisure. You may wish to pair a class visit with a class digital recording so that you and a CTL consultant may view and discuss the video together. Many probationary faculty also incorporate a strong, short clip of their teaching video in their tenure & promotion portfolios. Our class digital recording service will give you a video library from which to draw.
Midterm Assessment Process (MAP)
The Midterm Assessment Process is an opportunity for you to get student feedback on a selected course while the course is in progress.. Unlike the usual course evaluations that we ask students to fill out at the end of the semester, MAPs are done earlier (just before midterm) to allow the instructor to make meaningful changes during the course. Many instructors use the assessment as a way to begin a dialogue with students about course content and successful learning strategies and as a tool for examining their own assumptions about teaching and learning. MAPs are confidential and voluntary. MAP feedback goes directly to, and only to, the instructor.
The MAP provides a unique opportunity to tap into the perspectives of students early in the course, and to compare your ideas about the course and its learning objectives with those held by the students. It allows you to gauge how and what students are learning and to identify what helps them learn. Student responses to activities and other course materials will also help you to make informed choices about overall course design, both now and in the future.
A MAP requires modest effort, is easy to carry out, and uses little class time. Usually, an instructor requests a MAP early in the semester. A consultant from the Faculty Development Office then meets with the instructor approximately one week prior to the MAP. In this brief meeting, they discuss the instructor’s expectations for and early impressions of the course, determine which questions will elicit the kinds of feedback desired, and set a date and time for collecting feedback. Typically, the Office conducts MAPs between weeks four and eight of the semester, and the process requires the first 20-30 minutes of a regularly scheduled class. The consultant will help the class reach consensus by organizing brief small group discussions followed by a full-class debrief. The consultant transcribes and analyzes the results and prepares recommendations for a follow-up consultation with the instructor, usually within a week of the MAP.
REGISTRATION COMING SOON
To arrange any of these experiences, please contact April Fugett (fugett5@marshall.edu).