INSTRUCTIONAL OBSERVATION
The instructional observation process consists of a pre-conference, the observation for a minimum of 50 minutes and a post-conference. Instructional observation items may vary depending upon the type of teaching setting (classroom, clinical, laboratory, studio, or ESL). The instructional observation forms, suggested guidelines and an example are found in Appendix D.
Responsibilities and Approaches
Prior to the pre-conference, the evaluator and faculty member will agree on a date and time for the instructional observation, and the faculty member will submit a current course syllabus or outline for the class to be observed. The course syllabus or outline will contain the focus of the course instructional objectives, and expected outcomes.
During the pre-conference, the faculty member and evaluator will discuss:
- in general, the overall process of the evaluation, the teaching approaches used in other courses compared to the course to be observed,
- in particular, the instructional objective(s) for the instructional session to be observed, and the strategies used to accomplish the objective(s), and
- decide on the best block of instructional time to observe where the four categories of standards can be addressed.
- A faculty member need only be observed on one setting, e.g., class or laboratory.
During the observation, the evaluator will take notes to use as the basis for answering the questions listed on the appropriate form (classroom, clinical, laboratory, studio or ESL). The evaluator is expected to spend at least 50 minutes observing.
The evaluator will hold a post-conference with the faculty member. For this conference, the evaluator will use the summary narrative to discuss areas of strength and to provide suggestions for improvement.