Observation & Feedback Protocol

The purpose of the observation is to provide informal feedback to the teaching fellow regarding pedagogical strategies and techniques. Teaching fellows will be given a formal artifact at the end of the process in order to include in their teaching portfolio.

The protocol is meant to:

• provide mentors and fellows with transparant guidelines
• produce specific artifacts which can be used in post program teaching portfolios
• create space for dialogue around instructional expectations

There are five steps in the observation process of this program.

1. Identification of lesson to be observed
2. Pre-observation meeting
3. Observation
4. Post-observation meeting
5. Written Feedback

As teaching is an individual and embodied act that is impacted by the identity, positionality, and experiences of the instructor, the goal of a teaching observation is not to reproduce a one-best-way style of teaching. Instead, teaching observations are intended to create opportunities for critical reflection and growth in one’s own personal pedagogy.

This observation process is heavily driven by the work of a faculty developer. This faculty developer works directly with the teaching fellows and mentors to ensure program goals are met. They also work as an instructional coach throughout the fellowship. At the end of the fellowship, the teaching fellow is awarded written documentation of their instructional accomplishments.