Engagement with peer observation of teaching by a dental school faculty in the United Kingdom

The development of a reporting form for peer observation of online learning courses: An e-Delphi consensus study of educators working in health professions education

INTRODUCTION

Peer observation of online teaching has been suggested to maintain and monitor online learning standards. However, this practice and the designed peer observation forms have been almost exclusively restricted to face-to-face or stand-alone synchronous/asynchronous sessions. This study, therefore, aimed to identify criteria for the successful design and delivery of online courses and develop a rigorous form specifically designed for peer observation of teaching in online learning environments applicable to the Health Professions Education context.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A three-round e-Delphi technique was used to gather consensus on categories/items and process/structure of the peer observation form. A total of 21 international, experienced online educators working in Health Professions Education were recruited. A 75% consensus was considered as the minimum agreement level.

RESULTS

Response rates were 100% (n = 21), 81% (n = 17) and 90% (n = 19) respectively. The intensity of consensus was 38%-93%, while the agreement/disagreement consensus was 57%-100%. In Round 1, the 13 topics proposed as major categories for design and delivery reached agreement consensus. One option reached agreement on how to approach and structure the peer-observation process. All items within major categories reached agreement in Rounds 2 and 3. The resulting form presents 13 major categories with 81 items.

CONCLUSION

The identified criteria and developed form address relevant educational principles such as constructive alignment, online instructional design, retrieval practice and spaced learning, cognitive load, and constructive feedback and authentic assessment, all of which have been suggested as critical aspects to ensure a high-quality learning experience. This adds to the literature and to educational practice as clear, evidence-based guidance for the design and delivery of online courses, which differ distinctly from traditional face-to-face teaching. The developed form expands the options for peer observation, from face-to-face and stand-alone synchronous/asynchronous sessions to fully online courses.

Teaching Observation as a Faculty Development Tool in Medical Education: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

Health professions education often includes teaching observation to inform faculty development (FD) and indirectly improve student performance. Although these FD approaches are well received by faculty, they remain underused and/or underreported, with limited opportunities to receive feedback in workplace contexts. The goal of our study was to map the depth and breadth of education literature on the use of observation of teaching as a tool of professional development in medical education.

METHODS

Following the methodology by Arksey and O'Malley, we conducted a scoping review and searched four databases for articles published in English (final searches in April 2022).

RESULTS

Of 2080 articles identified, 45 met the inclusion criteria. All observation activities were associated with one of the following FD approaches: peer observation of teaching (23 articles, 51%), peer coaching (12, 27%), peer review (9, 20%), and the critical friends approach (1, 2%). Thirty-three articles (73%) concerned formative versions of the observation model that took place in clinical settings (21, 47%), and they tended to be a voluntary (27, 60%), one-off (18, 40%), in-person intervention (29, 65%), characterized by limited institutional support (13, 29%). Both barriers and challenges of teaching observation were identified.

DISCUSSION

This review identified several challenges and shortcomings associated with teaching observation, such as inadequate methodological quality of research articles, inconsistent terminology, and limited understanding of the factors that promote long-term sustainability within FD programs. Practical strategies to consider when designing an FD program that incorporates teaching observation are outlined.

Development and implementation of a formative instructional coaching program using the Teaching Practices Inventory within a health professions program

BACKGROUND

A growing body of literature describes teaching practices that are positively associated with student achievement. Observing, characterizing, and providing feedback on these teaching practices is a necessary, yet significant challenge to improving teaching quality. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an instructional coaching program created to provide formative feedback to instructors based on their use of evidence-based teaching practices.

METHODS

The program was designed for formative purposes utilizing an instrument adapted from the Teaching Practices Inventory. All faculty were invited to participate in the program on a voluntary basis when the program launched in Fall 2019. Program coaches included any School personnel who completed required training. Two rounds of instrument development were conducted with multiple observers and assessed using Krippendorff's Alpha. The program was evaluated using an anonymous post-session survey.

RESULTS

Interrater reliability of the form improved over two rounds of piloting and no differences were found in scoring between trainees and education professionals. Seventeen observations were completed by nine coaches. Instructors indicated that feedback was practical, timely, specific, and collegial, suggesting that including student perspectives (e.g., focus groups, student course evaluations) in the coaching program might be helpful.

CONCLUSIONS

Creating programs that emphasize and foster the use of evidence-based teaching are critical for health professions education. Additional research is needed to further develop coaching programs that ensure teaching practices in the health professions are optimizing student learning.

Inter-Institutional Collaboration for the Development of a Local Peer Observation Process to Enhance Teaching

Local peer observation of teaching is considered an important mechanism for instructors to improve the quality and effectiveness of their teaching, but there is an absence of uniformity to establish a best practice for this process in veterinary curricula. The Regional Teaching Academy (RTA) of the Consortium of Western Colleges of Veterinary Medicine is comprised of educational advocates from five western veterinary colleges with a common goal of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of education in veterinary medical curricula. Members of the RTA recognized this deficit in best practices for local peer observation (LPO) and formed a working group called "Local Peer Observation of Teaching." The goal was to meet a critical need for the enhancement of individual teaching skills by using a scholarly approach to develop robust methods for peer observation of teaching. Two rubric-based instruments were developed: one for large-group/didactic settings, and the second for small-group/clinical settings. Each is accompanied by pre- and post-observation worksheets which are considered instrumental to success. Results of a qualitative survey of instrument users' experiences are shared. Both observers and observees view the experiential learning from faculty peer colleagues very positively and the meaningful feedback is appreciated and incorporated by observees. Suggestions for implementation of the peer observation process are discussed, considering strengths and challenges. The purpose of this article is to describe in depth, the development process and output of the efforts of the Local Peer Observation of Teaching working group as a potential best practice guideline for peer observation.

Human disease/clinical medical sciences in dentistry: Current state and future development of undergraduate assessments in the UK and Ireland

INTRODUCTION

The United Kingdom and Ireland teachers of Human Disease/Clinical Medical Science for Dentistry (HD/CMSD) group continue to work together and most recently collaborated to review current and future assessments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The first part of the review of assessments in HD/CMSD took place at a face-to-face meeting with presentations from delegates on assessments in their home institutions. The second and larger part comprised an online survey where all eighteen schools in the UK and Ireland participated.

RESULTS

All schools had some element of formative assessment, and the majority had a stand-alone summative assessment at the end of the HD/CMSD teaching block. Most schools had a written paper and practical elements to their assessments, most commonly a combination of a multiple-choice type question combined with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). There was a trend towards the use of single best answer (SBA) questions and a willingness amongst participants to share a question bank. All schools incorporated elements of HD/CMSD in their final examinations.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

This collaboration promoted the sharing of developments in assessment for HD/CMSD and demonstrated a willingness to cooperate between institutions. Assessment in HD/CMSD in the UK and Ireland continues to be refined by those responsible for its content and delivery, and assessment methods are progressing following evidence-based best practice.