Objective(s) of the presentation: Participants will learn about the issues and challenges associated with the peer review of online teaching. A newly-developed Peer Review Guide will be shared to elicit a discussion of how this instrument, and the corresponding peer review process, might be adapted for use at other institutions. Description: The peer review of teaching-like the peer review of research-is a widely accepted mechanism for promoting and assuring quality academic work, and is often required for the purpose of promotion and tenure. The peer review process in resident instruction typically involves a faculty reviewer observing a peer's classroom. The reviewer then summarizes her observations in a document that is to be included in the reviewee's dossier. Little guidance is usually given to reviewers regarding the criteria upon which to conduct the peer review, which leads to a disparity in quality and usefulness. In the online realm, peer review is typically neglected altogether. To address the need for online course peer review in our College, the Dutton e-Education Institute in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State has designed, implemented, and assessed a peer review process for online teaching. The Peer Review Guide we have developed is based on the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education," a summary of 50 years of higher education research that addressed good teaching and learning practices. While instruments such as end-of-course surveys provide a measure of student satisfaction with a course, the Seven Principles provide a useful framework to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching. Each adapted principle is described in detail in the Guide, including examples of evidence of how a principle may be met in an online course. Resources for additional information are also included. This presentation will describe the development of the Peer Review Guide, the pilot testing of the instrument, its implementation in the College, and the impact it has had on the University to date. The Guide will be shared with participants to elicit a discussion of how this instrument, and the peer review process, might be adapted for use at other institutions. About the presenters: Ann Taylor is the assistant director of the Dutton e-Education Institute at The Pennsylvania State University. She has been an instructional designer in the field of distance education since 1991. Taylor works with faculty members and Institute staff to design, create, maintain, and evaluate online certificate and degree programs. David DiBiase is the director of the Dutton e-Education Institute at Penn State. His research interests include geographic information science education, e-learning quality, competency modeling, and professional ethics.
