Peer Review Of Learning And Teaching In Higher Education

Incorporating both theoretical and practical perspectives, this volume of papers explores varied aspects of peer review of teaching in higher education. The section on theory features contributions from academics based in Europe, North America and Australia. It provides a number of models demonstrating ways in which collegial peer commentary can enhance the quality of learning and teaching. The chapters examine in detail the importance of communication and leadership, and deploy evidence from one-on-one interviews that evince the value of considering collegiality, emotions, attitudes, and spaces in peer review. The analysis shows how these factors are central to the ways in which lecturers and teachers communicate with each other to create constructive opportunities for learning. The chapters on practical considerations detail the peer review process and include case studies from institutions in Africa, Europe, North America and Australia, which focus on different areas of the topic, including peer review as a quality assurance mechanism, peer review in distance education, peer review in foundation courses, and peer review embedded within a department and across a university. The book ends with an international perspective on the role of peer review in ensuring a holistic approach to quality enhancement in learning and teaching.

Teaching for Learning and Learning for Teaching focuses on the emerging global governmental and institutional agenda about higher education teaching quality and the role that peer review can play in supporting improvements in teaching and student outcomes. This agenda is a pervasive element of the further development of higher education internationally through activities of governments, global agencies, institutions of higher education, discrete disciplines, and individual teachers. Many universities have adopted student evaluations as a mechanism to appraise the quality of teaching. These evaluations can be understood as providing a “customer-centric” portrait of quality; and, when used as the sole arbiter of teaching performance they do not instil confidence in the system of evaluation by academic teaching staff. Providing peer perspectives as counterpoint, whether in a developmental or summative form, goes some way to alleviating this imbalance and is the impetus for the resurgence of interest in peer review and observation of teaching. This book seeks to recognise cases of peer review of teaching in Higher Education to affirm best practices and identify areas that require improvement in establishing local, national and international benchmarks of teaching quality.

Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education offers detailed guidance to scholars at all stages-experienced and new academics, graduate students, and undergraduates-regarding how to write about learning and teaching in higher education. It evokes established practices, recommends new ones, and challenges readers to expand notions of scholarship by describing reasons for publishing across a range of genres, from the traditional empirical research article to modes such as stories and social media that are newly recognized in scholarly arenas. The book provides practical guidance for scholars in writing each genre-and in getting them published. To illustrate how choices about writing play out in practice, we share throughout the book our own experiences as well as reflections from a range of scholars, including both highly experienced, widely published experts and newcomers to writing about learning and teaching in higher education. The diversity of voices we include is intended to complement the variety of genres we discuss, enacting as well as arguing for an embrace of multiplicity in writing about learning and teaching in higher education.

While peer learning is often used informally by students - and for many can form an essential part of their HE experience - this book discusses methods of developing more effective learning through the systematic implementation of peer learning approaches.

′This book provides teachers in higher education with what they need - a compelling framework for improving student learning. It combines a comprehensive synthesis of the latest research on learning and teaching with practical strategies for implementing it in their classrooms′ - Professor Ken Bain, Author of What the Best College Teachers Do, Vice Provost for Instruction, Montclair State University Praise for the First Edition: `For too long we have waited for a book that brings together the best contemporary thinking about learning and teaching and that connects with academics′ everyday teaching practice in an engaging way. At last, in this book, we have it′ - Ronald Barnett, Institute of Education, University of London Worldwide, higher and professional education services are challenged by increased student numbers and diversity, tougher demands for professional accountability, increasing calls for educational relevance and thinning resources. This new edition addresses key issues in the practice and theory of teaching and learning in the sector and includes fully updated discussions of: - the professional in academic practice - mentoring - teaching with technology - the relationship between learning objectives, outcomes and assessment - the novice teacher The authors draw on theory, practice and current research to provide a new way of thinking about the many aspects of learning and teaching in higher education, enabling readers to reflect critically on their teaching. They also propose a model for continuous professional development appropriate to the higher education academic community. Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: The Reflective Professional is for lecturers, researchers, staff developers and others involved in teaching in higher and professional education. Greg Light is Director of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence and an associate professor in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, Chicago. Roy Cox was a visiting academic at the University of London where he helped establish one of the first centres for learning and teaching in higher education in the world. Susanna Calkins is Associate Director for Faculty development at the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence.

The project sought to encourage and support greater participation in peer review of teaching through the creation of resources to assist institutions to effectively implement policies and programs of peer review of teaching. To this end the project aimed to identify current national practice, engage the higher education community in discussion of peer review of teaching, and ensure alignment between peer review of teaching and the criteria and guidelines for the ALTC Awards for Australian University Teaching.

Universities are increasingly being required to pay greater attention to improving teaching and enhancing student learning. This text will assist universities and colleges to achieve these goals by establishing an approach to institutional change which is well-founded on both research and practical experience.

This book shows how Learning Development enhances the student experience and promotes active engagement. Written by staff from the UK's largest collaborative Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), the book includes important insights for everyone interested in supporting student retention, progression and success.