Peer Review of Teaching: Considering the intellectual work behind the performance Dan Bernstein, 25 October 2002 NLII Chicago

Premise: Teaching can include serious intellectual work Identifying what knowledge, ideas, and skills are worth learning Designing instructional plan and activities Developing opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding Evaluating the effectiveness of the course in achieving goals Engaged with varying degrees of investment

Building a community of intellectual work Course portfolio is learning-centered Bill Cerbin made a prototype, evolved by Pat Hutchings and others Represents intentional efforts to produce understanding and proficiency Scholarly reflection on the relation among goals, practices, and results Fellowship program guides the development of this work in steps Straightforward peer interaction w/ inherent value to faculty

Exchange of three brief memos Decisions about intellectual content and goals Overall plan for learning in and out of class Give examples of actual student performance Local peer reads and responds to intellectual content Combine them into a coherent, reflective account of the course The depth and breadth of student understanding

Generative Impact of Writing Refine through comment from private audience Conducted in a private web working space for participating faculty (UNL Blackboard) Reasonable to allow an academic year Act of writing produces insights Experience of Marcela Raffaelli Experience of Rick Bevins and Dan Bernstein

Represent the work to the community Create hypertext/pdf versions online Scholarly work is publicly accessible Others can build their own practice from it Peer reviewed for quality by arm’s length observers Experience of three external reviews Cal Garbin and Rick Bevins and Dan Bernstein

Congruent with Scholarship Assessed Initial portfolio is a benchmark of understanding Later versions inquire into promoting achievement Clear goals, methods, results, and reflection Inquiry version addresses high-end SoTL vision Much intentional work is often lost Small marginal effort yields intellectual record

What does it mean to have a problem in teaching? Needed to achieve deeper understanding Also wanted to keep high percentage of students achieving at the top level Consider analysis by Randy Bass Unpacks the term “problem” Reframe it as an intellectual question Inquiry situated in the act of teaching

Challenges encountered Need plan to provide occasions for writing Fellowships and reduction of service are important and show institutional commitment Need to find an electronic voice for authors Reviews are asymmetrically positive Need to follow Bass’ analysis of “problem” Process must provide useful interactions for teachers to sustain their interest

Relates to Institutional Concerns Discussion of measuring learning outcomes –Portfolio is intellectual work focused on evidence of student understanding –Clear ownership of process by teachers Unit performance emerges from courses –Sum of understanding evident in coursework Available for external review –Electronic forms make easy communication

Will writing course portfolios become a self-sustaining activity? Already know it generates insights and progress in teaching for writers and readers Writing course portfolios can generate satisfying interactions within a community Need to maintain a regular audience of readers who respond intelligently to portfolios Online presence of e-portfolios may promote audience and interactions needed to support a community of discourse on quality teaching

For Information on Peer Review: Project website: Detailed rationale for external review of the intellectual work in teaching Examples of guidelines that have been useful in beginning these conversations A few examples of varied portfolios Contact us: or (402)