Duration: Runs across Semester I and Semester II, 2026/2027

Delivery: In your own teaching setting (in person or online), supported by CETL, with an orientation at the start and a reflective debrief at the close

Certification: Certificate of Participation on completion of the full cycle

Orientation required before start:

https://uwicetl.org/courses/peer-observation-orientation/

Overview
Peer observation is a reciprocal process in which colleagues consensually observe each other's teaching and offer feedback — orally and/or in writing, guided by a standard protocol — to raise awareness and enhance individual practice. This activity invites you to take part in the UWI St. Augustine Peer Observation and Feedback framework alongside a colleague over a full academic year. Rather than a one-off session, it is a sustained, trusting partnership: a collaborative cycle rooted in trust and mutual respect that encourages you to reflect on your practice, share strategies, and enrich the quality of instruction, whether you are observing or receiving feedback. Spreading the exchange across two semesters gives each partner time to observe, be observed, act on what emerges, and revisit their practice — turning peer observation from an occasional activity into a shared habit. It complements the Course Experience Review by adding a collegial, formative perspective that student surveys cannot provide.

Please note: this framework is not a measure or evaluation of teaching quality. Its purpose is the critical, reflective dialogue about practice and the exchange of ideas that follows from it.

How it works
Register on your own and CETL will pair you with a colleague. You are encouraged to complete the short online orientation before you begin. Each partnership then works through the Peer Observation Cycle — an agreed pre-observation conversation to set the focus, the observation itself, and a post-observation dialogue for feedback and shared reflection — using the CETL peer observation forms. The exchange is reciprocal: across Semester I and Semester II you will take both roles, observing your partner and being observed in turn, so that both colleagues give and receive. The full stages, tools and templates are available on the CETL Peer Observation Cycle page. You will do this at least two times per semester to gain certificate

Goals
Consistent with the framework, this activity aims to enhance teaching excellence through collaborative peer observation and feedback, and to promote critical and reflective dialogue about professional practice.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the two-semester cycle, you will be able to:
1. Conduct a peer observation of a colleague's teaching using the UWI STA Peer Observation and Feedback protocol.
2. Provide descriptive, non-evaluative feedback to your peer partner through the post-observation dialogue.
3. Reflect on your own teaching practice in the light of the peer observation exchange.
4. Revise one aspect of your teaching, including inclusive practice informed by Universal Design for Learning.

Who should take part
All academic staff — full-time, part-time and adjunct — together with tutors, demonstrators and programme teams. Participation is voluntary and consensual; no prior experience is needed.

Learn more: https://sta.uwi.edu/cetl/peer-observation/ ·

https://sta.uwi.edu/cetl/peer-observation/peer-observation-cycle/

Collaborative Peer Observation and Feedback 2026-2027