Peer Feedback on Teaching

Of the many lenses that are available to educators in higher education, it is the lens of my peers that I have come to value in my reflective practice. This appreciation for Peer Feedback has arisen primarily because of the positive experience that I had with the process in the 2022/2023 academic year in the CUTL program. All of the peers that I interacted with in the CUTL program were experts in different disciplines across the St. Augustine Campus. Yet, these individuals were able to critically review various aspects of my teaching and provide invaluable constructive feedback that I utilized to improve the quality of my work. Our CUTL course coordinators introduced us to various models to use when providing feedback. For example, the RISE (Reflect, Inquire, Suggest, Elevate) Model which promotes a structure for providing meaningful feedback was one that resonated with me. Peer Feedback in the CUTL program was a two-way transaction in that in addition to receiving feedback on one’s teaching, one also provided feedback to one’s peers. The process of reviewing my colleagues’ work was immensely beneficial in that I was able to witness colleagues from different disciplines successfully implementing various approaches. Here, I present a few examples of peer feedback on my teaching.

Micro-Teaching Plan and Demonstration

In Semester 1 of the 2022/2023 academic year, I was tasked with utilizing the BOPPPS Model to plan a lesson and then subsequently deliver that lesson. At that time, I was in the midst of teaching a Level 3 undergraduate course (BIOL 3063) and on the agenda was a field trip to Manzanilla Beach on the east coast of Trinidad. I therefore utilized the BOPPPS Model to generate a lesson plan and subsequently recorded a Screencast for students to view in advance of the planned field trip. Two of my peers (Dr. Saleem Varachhia and Dr. Yomica Powder-George) provided feedback on my teaching. Peer feedback from this exercise emphasized the benefits of the (i) BOPPPS model in lesson planning and, (ii) Flipped Classroom approach. See Screencast and Peer Feedback here.

Authentic Assessment and Rubric

During Semester 1 of the 2022/2023 academic year, I was formally introduced to Authentic Assessments, the Transparent Assessment Design (TAD) model and Analytic Rubrics. In that semester, I was tasked with utilizing these 3 concepts to design an authentic assessment. At that time, I was in the midst of teaching a Level 1 undergraduate course (ESST 1004) that was based on 100% coursework. I therefore focused on improving the quality of one of the planned in course assessments for that course. Two of my peers in the CUTL Program (Dr. Saleem Varachhia & another colleague) reviewed my draft assessment. Peer feedback prompted me to revisit and improve aspects of the analytic rubric. Overall, the quality of my final authentic assessment and rubric improved as a result of the peer feedback I received. See Peer Feedback here.

Micro-Teaching Presentation

In Semester 2 of the 2022/2023 academic year, I was tasked with creating a Screencast. At that time, I was in the midst of teaching a Level 3 undergraduate course (BIOL 3466) and one of the topics that I covered in that course was wetlands and ecosystem services. Since I had already taught that topic in class, the BOPPPS Lesson Plan that I designed as well as my existing slide deck were used to produce a script for the Screencast as well as the draft Screencast. Peer feedback on my draft submission prompted me to (i) redesign some of my slides, (ii) include a follow-up activity for my students, (iii) emphasize the location of my references in my final slide. Overall, the quality of my final Screencast improved as a result of the peer feedback that I received. See Screencast and Peer Feedback here.

Peer Observation

During Semester 2 of the 2022/2023 academic year, I was in the midst of teaching a Level 2 undergraduate course (ESST 2005). I was not the primary lecturer for this course but was asked to cover 4 weeks of teaching and focus on two topics (Air Pollution and Water Pollution). This coincided with a Peer Observation exercise in the CUTL Program. The lecture that I submitted for Peer Observation was planned using the BOPPPS Model. Although the session was scheduled to be delivered face-to-face, a last-minute request by the Class Representative was approved the day before the lecture for online delivery. For this specific Peer Observation exercise, my peers were experts that hailed from diverse disciplines; Computer Science, Organic Chemistry and Emergency Medicine. As an Observee, I was quite happy to receive feedback from my peers on my teaching practice. Positive feedback from my Peer Observers on various aspects of my teaching practice was certainly appreciated. However, what I welcomed even more was feedback on areas that I could improve upon.  For example, my Peer Observers pointed out that my online session could have been even more effective had I incorporated various technology tools to boost student engagement. As a Peer Observer, it was refreshing to have an opportunity to observe how fellow colleagues at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus went about planning, executing and reflecting on their lectures. By engaging in the exercise of peer observation, I was able to bear witness to how my peers' teaching strategies were underpinned by different learning theories, the predominant one in our group being Constructivism (Bates 2019). I was also able to observe how my peers enhanced student engagement, utilized various technology tools as well as added that layer of authenticity to their teaching. Specifically, Dr. Saleem Varachhia was able to utilize 3 case studies in a class that was focused on emergency medicine. Within that session, Dr. Varachhia simultaneously engaged students and created an effective learning environment by utilizing strategies such as ‘Phone a Friend’ and ‘Family Feud’. Ms. Shareeda Mohammed, a lecturer in Computer Science, designed an excellent ‘Bridge In’ session to her lecture on Intellectual Property. She utilized popular beverages, pop music and even recent movies to capture the attention of her students and link it to the session’s content. By observing, I was able to identify several areas of good practice that I’d like to incorporate into my teaching. In providing feedback, I tried to ensure that it would ‘feedforward’ and allow the observee to build on existing strengths and simultaneously embrace strategies that could be used to improve their practice. Within our Peer Observation group, there was a spirit of collegiality and this fostered an atmosphere of psychological safety within the group. Therefore, strengths in teaching approaches were celebrated and areas for improvement were welcomed. What I appreciated about this particular peer observation exercise was that we followed a systematic approach. I think that one of the main reasons that I gravitated towards the template put forward by the University of Liverpool was that it was systematic and user-friendly when compared to other existing templates. Finally, this group exercise made me realize that peer observation must be an intentional, well-planned exercise. If we are to improve our teaching practice within our various departments, this is an important lens through which we must reflect on our practice. See Recorded Lecture and Peer Feedback here.

References

Bates, B. (2019). Learning Theories Simplified. London: Sage Publishing.

Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher: Jossey-Bass.

Rolfe, G. (2014). Reach touch and teach: Terry Borton. Nurse Education Today, 34(4), 488-489. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2013.11.003