Insights from the Melbourne Peer Review of Teaching program
Meet Emma Power, a Lecturer in Management within the Faculty of Business and Economics, who recently undertook the Melbourne Peer Review of Teaching program (MPRT) through the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE).
The MPRT process is a university-wide program that offers formal evaluation and recognition of teaching performance and provides feedback through supportive conversations and a holistic review of curriculum design, assessment, and teaching practice. During the program staff complete a written submission and have their in-class teaching observed by members of the Melbourne College of Reviewers, who are highly experienced academics with a demonstrated record in teaching excellence.
What motivated you to take part in the MPRT program?
I am constantly looking for ways to improve my subjects and teaching practices. I thought the MPRT would be a great opportunity to get advice from other educators across the University. We receive helpful feedback from students, but we might only work with a few educators in our subjects, so it is a unique opportunity to receive feedback from highly experienced peers.
What was it like having your teaching observed by members of the College of Reviewers?
When it came to the observation day, I was unexpectedly nervous! I needn’t have been, because the whole experience was brilliant. My reviewers, Professor Beth Driscoll and Professor Albie Brooks, were really warm and supportive. We had a pre-observation meeting to get to know each other and talk through the process. They made me feel very comfortable. They are both highly regarded, expert educators and I felt very lucky to have them on my panel.. In terms of the actual observation itself, once you get into the flow of your seminar or lecture, you tend to forget that you are being observed and just carry on as you normally would with your students.
What did you learn about your teaching during the feedback process?
When you have been an educator for a while, I think you are often asking yourself - what parts do I need to change and what aspects are still working well? I learnt that my teaching style comes across as inclusive and engaging as I had hoped, and that the curriculum was well-designed and relevant. My cohort has grown recently, so I was keen to hear from Albie and Beth whether the interactive teaching style was still hitting the mark. They were very positive overall but also provided useful advice about critical thinking and use of space with a high number of students.
Has the program influenced the way you think about your curriculum design, assessment, or teaching practices?
It definitely has. Picking up on the previous comment, I have made sure that even the practical, experiential learning activities leave more space for critical interrogation of theory and research. Sometimes, with time constraints, activity debriefs hit the main ‘key takeaways’ but might wrap up before the students have been pushed further with their critical evaluation. I have rerun the seminar since my peer review and made an adjustment along these lines. More generally, the positive feedback has given me confidence in my decisions as I have been redesigning my undergraduate subject over the last few months.
Why do you think programs like MPRT are valuable for University staff?
These programs are so valuable for connecting educators and improving teaching quality across the University. In many ways, it is easy to form silos and work independently as an academic, but this isn’t helpful for continuous improvement. What makes the MPRT stand apart is that you have experts sitting in the seats of your students. It’s unlike other programs where you attend workshops and apply what you have learnt, and hope for the best. Here, you can see if your practices and innovations actually lead to more effective teaching and learning. This gives you an indicator of quality and impact.
As part of the process, you also submit an evaluation of your own teaching practices against the Framework of Educational Excellence. This is also very helpful for creating awareness of the benchmarks across the University and aligning our educational practices with the goals and strategies outlined in this Framework.
University of Melbourne teaching staff who are interested in learning more can look at the Melbourne Peer Review of Teaching website and submit an application form.