A Guide to Peer

Observation of Learning
and Teaching

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A Guide to Peer Observation of Learning and Teaching

Introduction
It is the Universitys expectation that
all academic staff who are involved
with teaching and facilitating student
learning will engage annually with Peer
Observation of Learning and Teaching
(POLT). The UK Professional Standards
Framework (UKPSF appendix 1) underpins
a sector wide approach to ensuring the
quality of teaching and learning. It states
that Higher Education Teaching staff
are expected to have a commitment to

continuing professional development and

evaluation of their pedagogic practice.
A key objective of the YSJ Learning,
Teaching and Assessment strategy is to
provide high quality, research-informed
teaching. Both of these objectives can
be achieved in part by a commitment to
engage in regular review of pedagogic
practices through POLT.

What is POLT?
At York St John University POLT is viewed
as a collaborative non-judgemental
process involving two or more peers who
mutually benefit from the dialogue that
takes place. Teaching is used in its
broadest sense to encompass the design of
curricula and the planning of assessment
as well as all activities that happen in the
classroom. It also includes pedagogic
activities that make use of the virtual
learning environment. The variety of our
pedagogic practice requires a flexible
approach to its observation and review,
as much learning (both staff and student)
happens in different spaces other than the
traditional classroom setting.
It is anticipated that staff will work
reciprocally in pairs when engaging
in POLT. A reciprocal approach means

that each person takes his or her turn in

observing and subsequently facilitating
a dialogue about the area of pedagogic
practice identified for observation and
review. The intention is that within this
dialogue questions are asked to stimulate
reflection and discussion, and where
appropriate, to provide each other with
feedback. It is important to remember
it is not just a one way process, often
those who are observing learn just as
much as the staff member who is being
observed. Our process does not exclude
the role of a developmental model of
peer supported review, particularly for
staff new to teaching. In a developmental
model peers work together, but one is
more experienced than the other and
the intention is to develop the lesser
experienced individuals teaching practice.

How does it relate to issues of

poor performance?
The remit of POLT does not include
observations or reviews that are
triggered by poor performance. In such
circumstances separate processes would
be initiated through in the Universitys
capability procedure.

What does the evidence

suggest is the value of POLT?
Peer observation of teaching as a quality
enhancement and review process was
first adopted by HEIs in the 1990s and was
driven by the Teaching Quality Assessment
methodology (QAA subject review 1997).
In more recent times the QAA (2005)
has been seen to continue to encourage
the development of peer observation
schemes. The Browne review (2010) and
the Higher Education White Paper (2011)
have highlighted a renewed emphasis on
the quality of the student experience and
peer observation is one way that we can
demonstrate that we are reflecting on
the quality of our teaching, learning and
assessment practices.
A review of the literature suggests there
are numerous benefits to peer observation
of teaching including: increased
teacher confidence, greater collegiality,
encourages debate and dissemination
of best practice: and improves teacher
interactions with students (Marshall 2004,
Bell and Mladenovic 2008). In their own
study, Bell and Mladenovic (2008) found
that tutors responses were in the majority,
positive, with most intending to change
their practice as a result of engaging in

peer observation. In our own institution,

evidence from the Faculty of Arts Senior
Teaching Fellow Project, has shown that
staff have engaged with this refreshed
approach in a positive manner, and are
increasingly seeking partners outside
of their own subject area prompting
interesting reflections on practice. A
distinct advantage of connecting
individuals across discipline boundaries
is that it provides opportunities to focus
more on the student experience, teaching
and delivery than the appropriateness of
content of the session (Marshall 2004).
It is recognised, however, that the ability
to attribute student success to the quality
of one individuals teaching practice
is fraught with difficulty due to the
complexity of interactions our students
have within a university (McMahon et al
2007). Therefore our POLT scheme is part
of our overall staff development strategy
which aims to ensure that individuals are
engaging in, and learning from, a range of
professional development activities.
The intention of this document is to set
out key principles and provide a flexible
guide that can be interpreted by staff for
their particular context and needs.
Staff with professional student support
roles are also encouraged to consider how
engaging in POLT will help them to review
their own practice, as it relates to their
engagement in student activities.
This refreshed process promotes POLT
as a quality enhancement activity and
reflects the drive of York St John University
to achieve exceptional teaching and
learning.

Our POLT process is underpinned by guiding principles drawn from work across the
sector to develop schemes designed to increase staff engagement in the process
(Gosling and Mason OConnor 2009).

Professional autonomy

The control of the observation process belongs to the

individual staff member being observed

Self -evaluative and

reflective

The object of the observation is to stimulate a more

reflective and scholarly approach to teaching

Developmental

It is a developmental process designed to support peer

learning amongst colleagues

Collaborative

The process requires colleagues to work together

collaboratively on the basis of mutual trust and support

Constructive

POLT should improve professional practice and enhance

student learning

Dialogic

Talking about teaching promotes reflection on ones

practice

Scholarly

Uses available pedagogic evidence

Consistent with good

professional practice

It reflects how professionals learn

Manageable in terms of
time

In order to make it part of regular on-going practice the

process has to be manageable and not add to the staff
burden. It should therefore be factored into the
non-teaching aspect of work load planing.

What is expected of staff in

relation to the POLT Process?
It is expected that you will participate
in a minimum of one POLT round per
academic year. Each round will require
two to three meetings as described
below. The meeting structure is
anticipated to be flexible and the number
may depend on the context and focus of
the peer observation and review.

How exactly does POLT work?

You choose your own observer.
Its a good idea to choose different
people to observe you, each time you
engage in POLT, so that you can benefit
from the wide ranging discussions that
you might have with different colleagues.
Remember it can be valuable to select
a colleague who is outside of your own
subject area. Many of the Teaching
Fellows are willing to participate in peer
observation across Faculty.

Can more than two of us

engage in a POLT round
together?
Yes, if it is appropriate for the context
of the pedagogic practice you wish
to observe and review, more than 2
members of staff can participate in a
POLT round together, as long as you
ensure that you follow the same format
as described below and that a reflective
dialogue takes place.

You decide what the focus of

the observation will be.
It should be remembered that the
observation and the dialogue that
follows are personal, and can be focused
on a variety of teaching, learning or
assessment practices. Here are just a few
examples

 Observing an innovative teaching

strategy you are trying out in the
classroom
Reflecting on and discussing
your assessment strategies for
a module or programme. This
may include reviewing how you have
constructively aligned assessment to
content and learning outcomes; how
well your formative assessment
processes worked; how your students
have engaged with feedback processes;
the use and effectiveness of innovative
assessment or feedback methods
Resolving a problem. This might include
how best to deliver a topic online with
the most appropriate tools or how to
manage a particular assessment
challenge
Reviewing the content and aims of
a Moodle module. This may include
discussing your rationale for the
design used and exploring

underpinning e pedagogy; considering

how students are or are not engaging
with the module online; reviewing how
successful online discussions have
been; or how the use of video and audio
and other technology enhanced
teaching tools are incorporated
Reviewing PDP activities for your
students across a programme of study,
how this links to work based learning
activities and future employability
Reflecting on plans for a new
programme of study and ideas for
a learning, teaching and assessment
strategy; how this links to the
universities new learning teaching and
assessment strategy and how this might
translate into your module activities.

What happens in the

meetings?
Meeting 1: Your first meeting may
either be face to face or electronic and
its purpose is to discuss what the focus
of your observation and post observation
dialogue will be. Evidence from the
Faculty of Arts Senior Teaching Fellow
project, suggests it is important that
context is established, and that your
observer understands how the event
being observed relates to other learning
opportunities within the module. It may
be helpful to share with your observer
what the particular learning outcomes
for the session are. You will also need to
agree the practical arrangements for the
observation, when, where and how long
it will take. This is your opportunity to
discuss with your colleague what aspects
you would like them to concentrate
on in the observation and what sort
of feedback you would like. You may
want to agree the use of a prompt form,
examples can be found in appendix
2. These can be adapted for other
pedagogic practices, as you feel are
appropriate, or you may want to develop
your own. Remember this document is
for your own personal use and it is not
necessary to share this, other than with
each other. You should also use meeting
one to plan your post observation review
meeting and dialogue.
Meeting 2: The second meeting is
the observation. Where this is not a
classroom observation, the second
meeting may take the form of a
demonstration, to your colleague, of your

Moodle module; a presentation about

the rationale for a particular curriculum
design for a programme, or your reasons
for particular programmes assessment
strategies etc.

Meeting 3: This may take place

immediately following the observed
session. This is the opportunity for both
parties to reflect on the observation and
discuss what took place. It is important
to consider possible underpinning
theoretical and subject or pedagogic
research influences and identify if further
scholarly investigation might add to the
discussions. You may jointly agree on
a number of aspects from this dialogue
that you have learnt about together
that could be reported in the POLT form
(appendix 3). This can usefully highlight
areas of good pedagogic practice that
might be shared more widely. If there
are any developmental needs arising
from the process you must agree, if and
how those needs will be fed back to your
Head of Subject. After the dialogue the
form in appendix 3, should be completed
and sent to your Faculty identified POLT
co-ordinator (this may be your Head of
Subject).

What are the reporting

mechanisms?
Essentially POLT is a confidential
process that occurs between you and
your observer and therefore the only
expectation is that you confirm that you
have engaged in it, using the form in
appendix 3.

The minimum information you must

provide for the POLT co-ordinator is the
date, location and nature of observation
session and the name of the observer,
thereby recording that the observation
took place.
Each Faculty or Subject group will have
a POLT co-ordinator who will maintain a
record of the members of staff who have
participated. You are encouraged to
discuss your POLT experience within your
PDR interview and use this as evidence
of your good pedagogic practice or to
agree a personal development need. The
minimum requirement at your PDR is that
you confirm you have engaged in the
process.

What will the co-ordinators

do?
The co-ordinators will report to the
Deputy Dean how many members of
staff have completed a POLT round in an
academic year. They will also share an
anonymous summary of areas of good
practice and development needs from the
peer observations they oversee.

What will Deputy Deans do?

References
Bell, A. and Mladenovic, R. (2008) The
benefits of peer observation of teaching
for tutor development. Higher Education,
55, 735752
Browne, J. (2010). Securing a Sustainable
Future for Higher Education
www.independent.gov.uk/browne-report
Gosling, D. and Mason OConnor, K.
(2009) Beyond the Peer Observation of
Teaching, SEDA Paper 124
Marshall, B. (2004) Learning from the
Academy: From Peer Observation of
Teaching to Peer Enhancement of
Learning and Teaching. Journal of Adult
Theological Education, 1, (2), 185-204
McMahon, T. Barrett, T. and ONeill, G.
(2007) Using observation of teaching to
improve quality: finding your way through
the muddle of competing conceptions,
confusion of practice and mutually
exclusive intentions. Teaching in Higher
Education, 12, (4), 499-511
Quality Assurance Agency (2005)
Outcomes from Institutional Audit Staff
Support and Development Arrangements
Quality Assurance Agency (1997) Subject
Review Handbook October 1998 to
September 2000. Gloucester

Deputy Deans will ensure that an annual

report on Faculty engagement with POLT
is fed into the appropriate University
annual evaluative processes.

Appendix 1
What is the UKPSF?
The UK Professional Standards Framework
provides a general description of the
main dimensions of the roles of teaching
and supporting learning within the HE
environment. It has two components:
1. The descriptors:
These are a set of statements outlining
the key characteristics of someone
performing four broad categories of
typical learning and teaching support
roles within higher education.
2. The dimensions of practice:
These are a set of statements outlining
the:
Areas of Activity undertaken by teachers
and supporters of learning within HE
Design and plan learning activities
and/or programmes of study
Teach and/or support learning
Assess and give feedback to learners
Develop effective learning
environments and approaches to
student support and guidance
Engage in continuing professional
development in subjects/disciplines
and their pedagogy, incorporating
research, scholarship and the
evaluation of professional practices
Core Knowledge that is needed to carry
out those activities at the appropriate
level
The subject material
Appropriate methods for teaching and
learning in the subject area and at the
level of the academic programme

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How students learn, both generally

and within their subject/ disciplinary
area(s)
The use and value of appropriate
learning technologies
Methods for evaluating the
effectiveness of teaching
The implications of quality assurance
and quality enhancement for
academic and professional practice
with a particular focus on teaching

Professional Values that someone

performing these activities should
embrace and exemplify
Respect individual learners and diverse
learning communities
Promote participation in higher
education and equality of opportunity
for learners
Use evidence-informed approaches
and the outcomes from research,
scholarship and continuing
professional development
Acknowledge the wider context
in which higher education operates
recognising the implications for
professional practice
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/
documents/ukpsf/framework-guidance-1.
pdf
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/
ukpsf#whatisframework

Appendix 2
Prompts Form for use in a classroom peer observation session (please adapt to
suit individual needs)

To be completed by the observer at the session

Prompts

Aspects you would like to discuss post observation

Planning and organisation

of the session
Methods and approach
Delivery and Pace
Student participation and
engagement in learning
Use of environment

Form for use in the observation of a module within Moodle

To be completed by the observer at the session

Prompts

Aspects you would like to discuss post observation

Organisation and layout of

the Moodle module
Rationale for the approach
(e-pedagogy)
Use of specific technology
tools
Student participation
online and engagement in
learning
e-submission and
e-marking processes

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Form for use in the observation of an assessment strategy

To be completed by the observer at the session

Prompts
Rationale for use of
assessment approach
Constructive alignment
with learning outcomes
and content
Use of formative
assessment to enhance
student learning
Student participation in
understanding criteria etc
feedback quality and
timeliness

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Aspects you would like to discuss post observation

Appendix 3
Peer Supported Review of Teaching and Learning or Talking about Teaching
Names

Context 1

Context 2

Shared Reflections/
Outcomes/ staff
Development needs

Signatures

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