This post corresponds with my presentation at the Canadian Library Assessment Workshop on Friday, October 27, 2017 in Victoria, British Columbia.
Scenario – Leave No Trace
You are the Assessment Librarian at a large university with a team of a dozen instruction librarians. Everyone is excited to embark on a new peer observation program–except Barbara. She’s had problems with the Dean in the past and is convinced that the Dean will use the observation process to terminate her. She agrees to participate in the observation program–as long as there is no record of her observation.
How do you proceed?
Scenario – No News for the Newbie
You are a new instruction librarian at a small college with an established peer observation program. The observation process just consists of a simple checklist that faculty fill out and file with the Library Director. Your observer is Terry, an instruction librarian who has been at the library for 30 years and will retire in the spring. He shows up to your class 10 minutes after it starts, and submits the observation checklist to your Director without letting you see it first.
How do you proceed?
References
Alabi, J. & Weare, W. H., Jr. (2014). Criticism is not a four-letter word: Best practices for constructive feedback in the peer review of teaching. LOEX Conference Proceedings 2012. 141-145.
Bandy, J. (2017). Peer review of teaching. Vanderbuilt University. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/peer-review-of-teaching/
Cosh, J. (1998). Peer observation in higher education: A reflective approach. Innovations in Education and Training International, 35(2), 171-176.
Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation. (2017). Peer observation of teaching: Effective practices. Toronto, ON: Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto. Retrieved from http://teaching.utoronto.ca/teaching-support/peer-observation-of-teaching/
Classroom/teaching observations. North Alberta Institute of Technology. Retrieved from http://www.nait.ca/docs/Resource_Module_for_Observations.pdf
Davis, K. D. (2007). The academic librarian as instructor: A study of teacher anxiety. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 14(2), 77-101.
Elmendorf, D. C., & Song, L. (2015). Developing indicators for a classroom observation tool on pedagogy and technology integration: A Delphi study. Computers in the Schools, 32(1), 1-19.
England, J., Hutchings, P., & McKeachie, W. J. (1996). The professional evaluation of teaching. American Council of Learned Societies. Occasional Paper No. 33. Retrieved from http://archives.acls.org/op/33_Professonal_Evaluation_of_Teaching.htm
Fielden, N. (2010). Follow the rubric road: Assessing the librarian instructor. LOEX Conference Proceedings. Retrieved from http://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=loexconf2010
Franchini, B. (2014). Maximizing the benefits of peer observation. Rochester Institute of Technology. Retrieved from http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/facultydevelopment/sites/rit.edu.academicaffairs.facultydevelopment/files//images/MaximizingBenefitsofPeerObservation.pdf
Goosney, J. L., Smith, B., & Gordon, S. (2014). Reflective peer mentoring: Evolution of a professional development program for academic librarians. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 9(1), 1-24.
Kilcullen, M. (1998). Teaching librarians to teach: Recommendations on what we need to know. Reference Services Review, 26(2), 7-18.
Qualities of an effective peer classroom observation. (2017). Center for Teaching Excellence of the University of Virginia. Retrieved from http://cte.virginia.edu/qualities-of-an-effective-peer-classroom-observation/
Samson, S., & McCrea, D. E. (2008). Using peer review to foster good teaching. Reference Services Review, 36(1), 61-70.
Saunders, L. (2015). Education for instruction: A review of LIS instruction syllabi. The Reference Librarian, 56(1), 1-21.
Snavely, L., & Dewald, N. (2011). Developing and implementing peer review of academic librarians’ teaching: an overview and case report. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 37(4), 343-351.
Sproles, C., Johnson, A. M., & Farison, L. (2008). What the teachers are teaching: How MLIS programs are preparing academic librarians for instructional roles. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 195-209.
Van Note Chism, N. (2007). Peer review of teaching: A sourcebook. San Francisco: Anker Publishing.
Walter, S. (2006). Instructional improvement: Building capacity for the professional development of librarians as teachers. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 45(3), 213-218.
Zoe Fisher 