5 How Should Faculty Use this Guide?

For faculty members at McMaster, all candidates for reappointment, tenure, permanence and/or promotion are required to show evidence of effective teaching including both student and peer evaluations as outlined in McMaster’s SPS B1 policy.

According to the Procedures for the Assessment of Teaching (SPS B1), departmental evaluations of teaching should be characterized by “multiple people, on multiple occasions and in multiple contexts” (Section III, 9). Further, the Departmental Teaching Evaluation Report (DTER) submitted formally as part of one’s teaching portfolio should include “observations from peers’ visits to lectures or other teaching situations and evidence that the observations have been discussed with a colleague” (SPS B1, Section IV, 14 b). Evidence of participation in pedagogical discussions with students and colleagues in relation to teaching (SPS B1, Section IV, 14 e), and evidence of formative evaluations with an overview of changes made in relation to feedback obtained from students and peer (SPS B1, Section IV, f), are also required components of the SPS B1 policy.

When considering the inclusion of a formative observation of teaching in a summative evaluation, it is strongly recommended that faculty:

• *Important* Check in with their Chair or Director first to review its inclusion alongside departmental standards, forms, and norms
• Incorporate post-observation reflections
• For the instructor: Post-observation reflections might detail the specific feedback used after a peer observation of teaching, along with the changes made in response to the feedback received.
• For the observer: Post-observation reflections might consider how the peer observation experience influenced their development as an educator and/or approach to supporting and mentoring colleagues.

Faculty may also choose to use this guide to:

• Connect with colleagues to initiate or support peer observations of teaching within or beyond their program, department, or Faculty
• Share this guide with teaching assistants, sessional faculty, or instructional staff to encourage, support, and evidence their professional development in teaching
• Conduct a teaching observation for a colleague, teaching assistant, sessional faculty, or instructional staff using the resources in this guide