Summary of the CASNR Peer Evaluation of Teaching Procedures

Reka Howard, Leah Sandall & CASNR FAC (May 2018)

The goal of the CASNR Peer Evaluation of Teaching is to encourage the faculty member’s instructional improvement and provide guidelines and suggestions of possible improvement schemes. Within CASNR every faculty member with any teaching appointment is encouraged to implement a strategy to advance their teaching and mentoring. However, it is up to the unit to decide how the peer evaluation of teaching procedures are implemented and how these activities are counted as part of the promotion and tenure process.

Process and possible steps

1. Teaching Portfolio Development: The instructor develops a Teaching Portfolio of materials and documents in which the instructor identifies the steps that are implemented in the course to improve teaching and describes how these steps might influence the teaching outcome.
2. Mentoring committee: The faculty member identifies a mentor or mentors for instruction from the same department or from outside of the department who can guide the instructor’s teaching improvement efforts.
3. Timeframe:
   1. New (non-tenured) tenure-track faculty: Peer teaching assessments should be completed at least twice before the instructor’s mid-career progress assessment and once prior to the instructor submitting his/her tenure and promotion packet.
   2. Tenured faculty: A minimum of two peer teaching assessments should be completed within each seven year period after being tenured.
   3. Non-tenure-track faculty: For professor of practice and other non-tenure-track teaching faculty, a minimum of two peer teaching assessments should be completed within the period before or between promotions.
4. Timeline:
   1. Initial Meeting: The mentor(s) and mentee should have an initial meeting prior to the start of the semester when the course is being taught. The instructor should develop the part of the teaching portfolio where he/she describes the steps of teaching improvement.
   2. During the Semester: The mentor should visit the classroom or be engaged in the online course modules at least twice during the semester and give feedback to the instructor. The instructor should include the observations in the teaching portfolio.
   3. After the Course is Completed: The instructor completes the teaching portfolio that describes the steps, procedures, improvements, complications and future action plan.
5. Assessment Reporting:
   1. Verbal Debrief: The mentor provides her/his insights on what they observed and suggestions for improvements.
   2. Action Plan: With input from the mentor(s), the instructor creates an action plan to enhance and improve teaching performance.

*This peer evaluation structure was modeled after the peer evaluation documents from the University of Tennessee and University of Florida.