More Than a Sum of its Parts: Five Fundamentals for Formative Peer Observation of Classroom Teaching in Higher Education

This dissertation comprises two manuscripts formatted for publication, preceded by a brief introduction to the dissertation project. The first manuscript addresses the recent history and development of peer observation in the United States and synthesizes the body available peer observation scholarship. Five fundamental elements of peer observation (design, community, control, training, reflection) are put forth as a nexus at which meaningful and formative peer observation can be undertaken. A selection of empirically based methods for conducting peer observation is also presented. The second manuscript is a mixed-methods descriptive study of the five fundamentals of peer observation. Three academic departments at a large land-grant university were identified, via questionnaire, as having programs of peer observation that aligned with attributes of the five fundamentals. These academic departments participated in individual case studies designed to bring-about a description of the five fundamentals as they were and were not manifest in authentic university/college contexts.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Curriculum and Instruction

Department dc:contributor.department

Teaching and Learning

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• McCloud, Jonathan David

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Doolittle, Peter E.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McConnell, Kathryne D.
• Hicks, David
• Parkes, Kelly A.

• peer observation
• peer review
• classroom observation
• observation of teaching
• faculty development

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:6488

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/77875