The View from the Back of the Classroom: A Faculty-Based Peer Observation Program
Abstract
Faculty at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), have developed a peer observation program called TOPS (Teacher Observation/Peer Support). The structure of the TOPS program and adaptations are described. Outcomes are summarized, and recommendations are made for formative peer observation programs. The purpose of the TOPS program is expressed in the following comment from a participant: "We frequently tell our students not to study in isolation yet we continue to teach in isolation. TOPS (peer observation) program helps decrease that isolation by providing an informal structure for discussion of teaching and promotion of collegiality."
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