Peer Observation Fellowship
Become a peer observation fellow to learn observation skills and evidence-based teaching practices.
Peer observation fellows work with a peer partner to conduct mutual observations to spark reflection and teaching improvement. Fellows will also meet together with the entire group of observation fellows to connect with colleagues, and discuss how to make observations productive and how to improve teaching.
Fellows meet as a group, in person, on River Campus four times during the semester. In addition, peer partners will visit each other’s classes once during the semester, with structured and confidential pre- and post-conversations built in as part of the process.
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to instructors who are teaching a spring 2025 class that primarily enrolls students in the School of Arts & Sciences or the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences.
Stipend
The fellowship carries a $500 non-salary stipend for instructors to cover expenses related to their teaching and research.
In addition to attending all meetings and completing the peer observation cycles, participants must identify an administrator in their academic department or academic program who will receive and manage the stipend funds.
Potential applicants who lack access to a department or program administrator should consult with the Teaching Center before applying to determine whether the Teaching Center possesses the needed administrative resources to directly administer their funding. Funding directly administered by the Teaching Center cannot include any hiring processes (e.g., honoraria, student employees, adjunct hires, etc.), as hiring processes are resource-intensive to administer.
How to Apply
To apply for the fellowship, please complete the online application form. You will be asked:
- Basic course information about the course you will be teaching in spring 2025 that your peer partner will observe (course name, location, day and time)
- A brief description (no more than 250 words) about what you would like to get out of participating in this fellowship
Fellowships are awarded on a rolling basis, but we recommend that applicants interested in joining the spring 2025 cohort apply by January 15, 2025.
Additional Logistics
Each instructor will be partnered with a colleague outside of their own department/program, with considerations as to schedule match, etc., to ensure the ability to attend each other’s course once during the semester.
Teaching Center staff maintain confidentiality for their programs and services. Communities of practice such as this establish community expectations at the outset that members will not share information outside of the program participants.
Observations done in the context of this program may not be used in formal evaluations of teaching such as tenure and promotion without the consent of both the observer and the observed. With consent, participants may use feedback provided by their peer partner for evidence of commitment to improving instructional practices.
Time Commitment
The time commitment for this cohort is 12 hours over the course of the semester, and will follow the approximate meeting schedule outlined here.
Spring 2025 Schedule
Sessions One and Two
You will meet with all participants twice for 90 minutes each prior to completing peer observations. During these sessions, you will learn evidence-based instructional practices, review a three-pronged approach to a learner-focused classroom, and practice skills for non-evaluative observations, including giving and receiving feedback through a coaching and strengths-based framework.
The first session will likely taking place during the week of January 27, 2025, and the second will likely taking place during the week of February 3, 2025.
Peer Observation Cycle One
Fellows should complete one cycle of peer observation (pre-meeting, observation, and post-meeting) with their partner by March 7, 2025. In this round, partner one will be observed, and partner two will be the observer. The observer will need to set aside additional time to prepare for the post-observation meeting.
Session Three
During session three, all peer observation fellows will meet to reflect and share about their experiences during the cycle one peer observation.
This session will be approximately 90 minutes, and will likely take place during the week of March 17, 2025.
Peer Observation Cycle Two
Fellows should complete second cycle of peer observation (pre-meeting, observation, and post-meeting) by April 18, 2025. In this round, partner two will be observed, and partner one will be the observer. The observer will need to set aside additional time to prepare for the post-observation meeting.
Session Four
During session four, all peer observation fellows will meet to reflect and share about their experiences during the cycle two peer observation.
This session will be approximately 90 minutes, and will likely take place during the week of April 21, 2025.