Feedback that matters.
Current UArizona promotion and tenure guidelines for tenure- and career-track instructors include a teaching evaluation. Guidelines for selection of reviewers and the observation tools for the summative review process can be found on the Faculty Affairs Promotion page.
Overview for Formative Review of Teaching
The peer review of teaching protocol can be used for formative (informal) evaluations only. The formative review provides feedback for an instructor’s professional growth and development and promotes self-motivated change.
Classroom Observation Tool Suite
An online tool to create and manage templates for the formative evaluation of teaching.
For the evaluation of synchronous instruction, peer reviewers can create and manage templates for a single class session or for multiple observations in a unit using the Classroom Observation Tool Suite (COTS).
Before you begin, be sure to read the following documents to familiarize yourself with the tools and process:
*Downloading the Classroom Observation Tool Items Word document will take you to WebAuth and start the download. Depending on your browser settings, the requested file may open or you may be prompted for a download destination.
Guidelines for Evaluation of Teaching by Modality
Guidelines for reviewers and instructors, observation items, and downloadable forms and templates for the review of face-to-face (F2F), online, and clinical teaching are provided.
The protocol components for in-person classes include:
- Guidelines for Reviewee F2F
- Guidelines for Reviewers F2F
- Classroom-observation template F2F
For a review of online courses, all items on the Online Course Review Tool are completed.
For a review of online courses, multiple reviewers of the course site or reviews at different points during the semester can provide a more reliable view of the candidate.
The protocol components for online courses include:
- Guidelines for Reviewee Online
- Guidelines for Reviewers Online
- Online Course Review Tool
The Online Course Review tool is a document that is used to evaluate the asynchronous aspects of an instructor’s course in four major areas: course design, course implementation, interactions, and assessment.
For a review of clinical teaching, all items on the selected Clinical Teaching form are completed.
The protocol components for clinical teaching include:
- Peer Review of Clinical Teaching
- Resident and Clinical Teaching Observation
- Clinical Teaching Observation
The Classroom Observation Tool Suite can be used to evaluate synchronous teaching components, and the Online Course Review Tool can be used to evaluate the asynchronous components of an instructor's course.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the COTS is intended to be used only for the face-to-face portion of a course. For online courses or parts of a course, use the Online Course Review Tool document.
For instructions on creating and editing templates, please consult the Template Manager Guide available in the Help tab of the Classroom Observation Tool Suite.
Department faculty members agree on which Classroom Observation Tool items will be used for all teaching evaluations in that department. No more than ten items is recommended; we recommend creating a departmental template.
For instructions on using a template to schedule an observation, please consult the User Guide available in the Help tab of the Classroom Observation Tool Suite. Note that once an observation template is created, the candidate needs to schedule the observation, as the Tool will access a list of current courses for that instructor.
Reviewers consciously strive to set aside any biases, such as those related to gender, ethnicity, and teaching style. Resources on unconscious bias and how faculty gender and race impact students’ experiences of teaching effectiveness can guide reviewers.
Need Help?
If you have questions about the use of the Peer Review of Teaching Protocol or would like to provide feedback, feel free to contact us.