Faculty-Guided Course Observation and Consultation Process
The faculty-guided course observation process is a service offered by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Detroit Mercy which provides confidential feedback to faculty about their teaching. The course review process provides space for faculty to reflect upon their pedagogical practice through objective, confidential feedback. The CETL’s observation and consultation process is specifically designed to provide faculty choice and agency in the procedure by offering faculty three unique categories of observations they may choose from, based on the following teaching domains:
- Planning and Preparation (Focuses on topics including course plans, lesson design, use of effective assessments, and more)
- Teaching Environment (Focuses on classroom management, class culture, procedures, and more)
- Instruction (Focuses on communication between students and faculty, engagement, feedback, discussion, and more)
How It Works:
Once a faculty member decides to engage in the observation and consultation process, they will contact the CETL via email at cetl@udmercy.edu or via phone at 313-578-0580 to schedule a pre-observation appointment. During the pre-observation discussion, faculty and CETL staff will consider specific aspects of teaching they would like feedback about and choose one domain of focus from the list of categories above. The faculty will choose a suitable date for the CETL staff to visit their face-to-face or online course. The CETL will visit the course on the date(s) provided by the faculty and find an inconspicuous place to record their observations and feedback.
After the CETL has completed the observation feedback, they will set up a follow-up meeting with the faculty member. The CETL will provide feedback, observations, recommendations, next steps, and resources when applicable. Faculty may schedule follow-up sessions at their discretion and a letter of participation to include in their dossier/portfolio. (This letter does not contain confidential details about the observation but denotes participation in the process).