The Center for Teaching, Innovation, and Research offers an opportunity to receive formative feedback on your day-to-day teaching practice. The goal of teaching observations is to facilitate a conversation about your teaching to improve it. You will receive a letter addressed to you that overviews your goals for the class meeting, observations of teaching moves, and a discussion of our reflective conversation. 

Classroom observations are performed by the Director of the Center for Teaching, Innovation, and Research. Feedback will be actionable and focused on the core teaching moves with advice for different options in the future. It’s our belief there are multiple ways to be effective college teachers. 

What’s the process?

  1. Request an observation class and time. You can request up to one observation each semester. You will decide which class, class section, and time you’d like to be observed. 
  2. Complete the pre-observation survey. One week before your scheduled class observation, you will complete a brief Google Form that provides context to your class session, goals, and types of things you’d like your observer to look for. 
  3. Schedule an observation debrief. We will schedule a conversation a day or two after your class observation to discuss your observation, share ideas for future teaching, and connect with different resources. 
  4. Receive your observation letter. A week after your session you will receive a letter from the CTIR that captures your observation highlights and suggestions for the future. This letter is not shared with anyone else; however, you may share this letter as you’d like (e.g., for annual reviews, for your teaching portfolio, and/or for your tenure file) 

Online classes can also be observed. Instead of a single day, the observation will focus on the interaction within a module and be based on the principles of effective online teaching by Quality Matters.

What Will You Look For?

CTIR is not a content expert in your discipline, and, as such, we will not provide feedback on your content. Instead, we will look for the pedagogical moves you make in your class session. These might include:

Face to Face Distance 
  • Framing class, setting class goals, setting reminders for future homework and assessments 
  • Explaining and modeling content 
  • Building community and relationships with students 
  • Connecting materials beyond the classroom 
  • Leading a large group discussion
  • Conducting one on one or small group conferences and/or check-ins 
  • Using active learning strategies and activities  
  • Inviting reflection and metacognition 
  • Scaffolding complex ideas and projects through actionable segments 
  • Reviewing assignment instructions, analyzing models, and identifying patterns and/or errors 
  • Honoring students’ cultural, religious, and linguistic experiences as assets for instruction  
  • Practicing a skill needed for future academic and professional work 
  • Checking for student understanding and answering student questions 
  • Providing feedback to students
  • Composing a weekly announcement or video to frame the module or unit 
  • Course Syllabus and calendar are posted and easy to access 
  • Each module includes learning objectives and assignments and/or activities that help meet stated objectives
  • Assignments and activities include clearly defined task instructions and articulated assessment criteria 
  • The module and course scaffold learning activities and assignments to meet the stated objectives appropriately
  • There are multiple modes of assessment (e.g., discussion boards, videos, quizzes/tests, assignments)
  • The instructor provides interaction with students to build community and offer feedback on students’ learning
  • Student resources are listed, linked, and active (e.g., accessibility resources, basic needs resources, and other offices)
  • Images and videos in the course are made accessible through alt text, captions
  • Text in the course employs headers and headings to increase screen readability  
  • Course and/or module provides opportunities for reflection, connecting course material and activities to broader learning arcs 

How Do I Sign Up?

Complete this Google Form to request a classroom observation. Contact Nick Sanders with any questions at nsanders@adams.edu.  

Request an Observation