Teaching Partners Program

Participating in classroom observation, both as an observer and as the one being observed, can be a helpful practice for instructors at all stages of career. 

Teaching Partners is a voluntary, confidential opportunity for instructors who want to enhance their teaching through peer observation and feedback. Trained faculty mentors and instructional designers meet with interested instructors in a pre-observation meeting, observation of a class session, and post-observation follow-up meeting. Individualized feedback is provided in a collegial atmosphere based on questions or conerns identified by the instructor being observed. The program is built on principles of respect, collegiality, and mutual sharing that benefits both parties. 

Not ready to participate in Teaching Partners? Consider observing the class of a colleague. Reach out to any of these people to observe their class: Faculty who can be observed. 

"This program is a promising opportunity for faculty development. Whether instructors want to improve their interaction with students, their use of technology, or their communication style, faculty members should consider the Teaching Partners program." -- Larry Gragg, Curators' Teaching Professor, history and political science

See below for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

The program is for any full-time, part-time, tenure-track, non-tenure track or tenured instructor at Missouri S&T who wants to enhance their teaching expertise through classroom observation and feedback. At this time in the program's development, we are not able to accept GTAs into the program.

An instructor who applies to the program will be contacted by a faculty teaching partner to set up a time to meet. The pre-observation meeting is designed to help instructors articulate what they are doing well and what issues they would like to see addressed. The observation is then scheduled during a regular class time, as well as a post-observation meeting, where mentors share from their perspective and offer helpful resources, if needed.

Yes, this service is completely optional, voluntary and confidential. The process must be initiated by the instructor, and results of the observation will only be shared with the instructor. If desired, results of the observations can be put in a more formalized report and used in a portfolio or dossier, but that is up to the instructor’s discretion.

The number of observations is up to the participants and their schedules. It is recommended to have at least two observations, although that can be stretched over a year rather than squeezed into a semester, if necessary.

There is an option of observing the classrooms of S&T faculty who have been recognized for their outstanding teaching. Here is a list of faculty and who welcome your observations in their classrooms: Faculty who can be observed.

Yes! According to Teaching Partners mentor Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian, "Through mentorship and experience sharing in the Teaching Partners Program, you will see measurable progress in a limited amount of time. All parties will benefit in multiple ways: strengthen communications skills and confidence in a classroom; become a team member in the instructional model for student learning; receive peer support for educational efforts. It is a truly win-win scenario!"

Go to Teaching Partners Literature Review about the value of faculty peer mentoring in higher education.

Go here to fill out a Teaching Partners application form and you will be contacted with more information.

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