Faculty Online Peer Review
Inver Hills is committed to improving the quality of online courses offered. The mission of the Voluntary Online Faculty Peer Review Program is to empower faculty through sharing rubrics and reviewing online faculty developed courses using best practices for online teaching. The program is designed to provide faculty, through a voluntary online per review, the opportunity to successfully implement online teaching strategies designed to enhance student learning and promote quality online teaching. The rubric was last revised by the Peer review team on August 15, 2007.
Voluntary Online Peer Review coordinators:
- Mary Stephens
- Cheryl Redinger
Associated Documents:
- Peer Review Rubric (Microsoft Word document)
- Peer Review RubricA PDF docume
- Application for Peer Review of an Online CourseA PDF document
Online Course Peer Review Process
Team Members:
Each peer review team will consist of three IHCC online faculty members. One will be designated as the lead.
Selection of Courses to be Reviewed:
Faculty wishing their course to be review will submit a short application for to Anne Johnson. Anne will contact peer reviewers and instructors who have requested course reviews to schedule the start of the process. Instructors will be notified before peer reviewers enter their courses.
Confidentiality Form:
Before a reviewer is given access to his/her first course, a confidentiality form must be completed and turned in to the lead reviewer.
Instructor Worksheet and Course Outline:
The instructor will submit the instructor worksheet, the course outline (copy of the course content page) and the peer review application. The lead reviewer will distribute copies to team members.
Access to the Course Being Reviewed:
The faculty wishing a review and the lead reviewer will contact Jim Deacon request student access to the course for the review team. The lead reviewer will also request that access be removed upon completion of a review.
Reviewing a Course:
The lead reviewer will set a timeline for completion of the peer review and will work to keep team members on task. From start to finish, the review process should last no longer than four weeks. Once team members have each reviewed the course and completed a rubric, the team will meet (either in person or virtually) and the lead reviewer will direct discussion about the individual review results. Following this meeting, the lead reviewer will compile rubric results and write a final review of the course. Once the final review is complete, the lead reviewer will send a copy to each of the team members for approval. Upon approval, the lead reviewer will share the results with the instructor of the course being reviewed.
Follow-up Meeting:
Once an instructor has received the written review of his/her course, the lead reviewer should arrange to meet with the instructor to discuss the results. This process can occur in person or virtually, at the discretion of those involved. This step in the process has proven extremely valuable and may result in the sharing of ideas and materials.
Finally...
A copy of the final review will be maintained solely by the faculty requesting the course review. The confidentiality form, the instructor worksheet, and a brief summary form will be turned in to the peer review coordinator upon completion of the review.
When a Course Does Not Meet Minimum Standards:
If, upon completion of a review, a course does not meet minimum standards guidance will be offered. Lead reviewers will strongly encourage instructors to seek appropriate help and make necessary changes before the course is offered again. Methods of instructional support will be offered to the instructor.
Frequently asked questions regarding Peer Review
How did all of this start?
The University of Maryland received a FIPSI grant to create a rubric to be used for an online peer review process. A FIPSI grant mandates that the information be shared and used by other interested institutions. The process was introduced by Lake Superior College in 2005 at the “I Teach” conference. This was followed by a 2 day conference on the process in Duluth in 2006.
If I want to have my course reviewed, how do I begin the process?
Contact Anne Johnson. Plans are in place to review several courses each semester. It will probably be done on a first come basis. The academic online committee will be discussing this issue this fall. The committee is always looking for more members. If interested, contact Anne Johnson.
Are online faculty mandated to go through this peer evaluation process?
No. In fact, it may take many semesters to fulfill all the current requests for peer evaluation. If you are uncomfortable with this process, you should not be making a request for review.
Please feel free to ask more questions from the Peer Review teams. We consider this process to be a friendly and supportive dialogue with peers.
Is there any cost associated with this voluntary peer review process?
No. There is no cost to faculty. This process has been initiated in an effort to support faculty who are teaching online courses and wish to reach towards excellence in online teaching. The ultimate goal is to increase student success in online courses.
Who will review my course?
Currently, several teams of three faculty are being oriented as to the peer review process.
Two teams are trained and in place as of August, 2007. If anyone is interested in being part of these teams, contact Anne Johnson. There is a small stipend available to compensate peer reviewers. It is anticipated that the process takes 3 – 4 hours per course. This includes a meeting before the review and a meeting to provide feedback after the review.
What happens if I “fail” the peer review?
It is not anticipated that this will happen. The instructor is given the rubric ahead of time and has a chance to use the rubric to make changes to the course before the review occurs. If in a rare instance, a faculty receives a low score, that faculty can ask for additional faculty support and a second review at a later date. There is no consequence for receiving a low score. The entire process is confidential. Peer reviewers sign a confidentiality statement. No report is given to anyone except the faculty receiving the review. No copy of the peer evaluation is maintained by anyone other than the faculty for the course.
Will administration see my course review? Will it go into my personal file?
No. This is a process whereby faculty review faculty in a confidential manner.
How can a faculty in one discipline review a course in an unfamiliar discipline?
The peer review does not evaluate the class content. It looks at the online course structure. Please see the rubric for exact information regarding what is reviewed during this process.
What is the time frame for a peer evaluation?
It is anticipated that 3 – 4 weeks should be allowed for the review process. Some timelines can be arranged at the time of the first meeting. Flexibility will be needed here to accommodate the busy schedules of all faculty involved in the process.
Which faculty are currently on the peer review committee (August 2007)?
Cheryl Redinger, Jason Kaufman, John Hickey, Mary Stephens, Julia McGregor and Jennifer Joffee offered to be part of the initial peer review teams. Two reviews were successfully completed in the summer of 2007. Any persons interested in being trained as part of future review teams should contact Anne Johnson.
