Peer Review of Teaching in Australian Higher Education: A handbook to support institutions in developing and embedding effective policies and practices
Peer review of teaching has the potential to advance the quality of learning and teaching in higher education. Peer review capitalises on a currently underutilised resource for teaching evaluation and feedback — the educative expertise and judgement of university teachers in their fields. The potential benefits from the more widespread practice of peer review of teaching include strengthening the teaching culture of institutions, and the direct benefits to individuals in terms of new insights and feedback which is complementary to that provided by students.
Despite its potential, peer review of teaching is currently not commonplace in Australian universities. In part, this reflects the challenges inherent in introducing programs of teaching review or evaluation. That is, how to maximise the benefits of feedback while also supporting more formal evaluation of teaching — and strengthening both through the appropriate institutional policies and guidelines.
This project aimed to encourage and support greater participation in peer review of teaching through the creation of resources to assist institutions to effectively implement policies and programs of peer review of teaching. To this end the project investigated current practices nationally, engaged the higher education community in discussion of the issue, and developed resources appropriate to the Australian context. In particular, the project sought to accommodate the diversity of institutions, local environments, and purposes. The aim was not to prescribe a standard approach to peer review of teaching. Rather, the resources describe the decision points in program design, and the key considerations associated with each.
The project included:
- A national survey of peer review of teaching activities in Australian higher education, with detailed responses received from 26 institutions – see details of mapping study.
- Significant input into the development of a ‘framework’ for peer review from staff drawn from 11 Australian universities, forming the project’s reference group and invitational ‘expert workshop’. This group included experience and expertise in institutional leadership and the implementation of programs, including programs of peer review.
- The production and distribution of a comprehensive handbook on peer review of teaching, designed to support institutions in the development and embedding of programs of peer review.
- A full-day Colloquium (21 November 2008) involving 85 participants from 29 universities.
The project was a collaboration between the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (The University of Melbourne) and the Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources (University of Wollongong). The project team Kerri-Lee Harris (CSHE, University of Melbourne) as project director Kelly Farrell (CSHE, University of Melbourne) as project manager Maureen Bell (CEDIR, University of Wollongong) Marcia Devlin (Deakin University) Richard James (CSHE, University of Melbourne) CSHE, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, was the lead agency. The project ran from July 2007 to December 2008, and was funded under the 2007 round of Australian Learning and Teaching Council Grants Scheme - Priority Projects Programme.
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Mapping study
The first stage of the project involved a survey of peer review of teaching activities across Australian universities. This mapping study found that peer review of teaching was not a widespread professional activity in Australian universities, although there were several examples of successful ‘local’ programs (e.g. within departments, or as part of academic development programs). The context in which peer review of teaching was used most frequently was for new staff as part of foundations courses, and sessional staff in tutor training programs. Existing practices were not generally embedded within institutional policies, and successful programs were commonly attributed to the efforts of management-level ‘champions’ and coordinating staff members. The need for support in both policy development and practice emerged from the study.
Link to mapping study summary
Handbook
A key outcome from the project is the publication:
Harris, K-L., Farrell, K., Bell, M., Devlin, M. and James, R. (2008). Peer Review of Teaching in Australian Higher Education: A handbook to support institutions in developing an embedding effective policies and practices.
Available at www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au
ISBN 9780734040459
The handbook is principally designed for leaders of teaching and learning initiatives and provides a framework defining effective peer review of teaching in Australian universities. It presents a set of core principles defining peer review of teaching in the Australian context, while supporting diverse university contexts and approaches. The handbook highlights the key considerations associated with peer review of teaching and the role of policies in effectively embedding peer review into academic cultures. Illustrative case studies and practical guides to program design are provided.
The handbook draws extensively upon insights gained through the mapping study, and upon the contributions of staff from across the sector. In particular, members of the expert workshop and reference group played key roles in shaping the framework and determining the structure and scope of the document. Case studies were also prepared through the generous contributions of staff involved in a range of peer review programs from five universities.
Download handbook – PDF
For further information, contact: Kerri-Lee Harris, CSHE (k.harris@unimelb.edu.au)
Support for this project has been provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The views expressed in This work is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia Licence. Under this Licence you are free to copy, distribute, display and perform the work and to make Attribution: You must attribute the work to the original authors and include the following statement: Support for the original work was provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Noncommercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build on this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit Requests and inquiries concerning these rights should be addressed to the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, PO Box 2375, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 or through the website: http://www.altc.edu.au 2008 |