OHIO faculty invited to PTOP training

Two Ohio University faculty fellows with the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) have developed a Canvas course to assist peers in preparing for, conducting and debriefing using the center’s Peer Teaching Observation Program (PTOP) model.

Professor Linda Rice, English Department, and Professor Angela Hosek, School of Communication Studies, both university teaching award winners, have created the resources, which reflect the work of a team of OHIO faculty who developed the program in 2023-24. That team includes Rice, Hosek and Professor Jenny Chabot and Associate Clinical Professor Cheryl Geng, College of Health Sciences and Professions; Associate Professor of Instruction Jennifer Smith, School of Music; and Associate Professor of Instruction Mark Rowe, College of Business.

The PTOP training is entirely asynchronous and takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete. OHIO instructors who complete the training, as well as a full peer teaching observation then become PTOP certified and are listed on the CTLA website. 

The CTLA intends for the training to develop peer observers in each college. College leadership, department chairs and program directors are encouraged to invite faculty members to participate. 

After completing the training, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the background and key principles related to the Peer Teaching Observation Program at Ohio University.
2. Pose questions that will provide important context for the class they will observe.
3. Record what they observe in a class setting using full scripting.
4. Align information gained through a pre-observation interview and class observation with eight Teaching Excellence Criteria.
5. Engage in conversation, guided by full scripting and a Post-Observation Form, about a class that they observed.

According to Vice Provost for Faculty Development Katie Hartman, the PTOP program is an important tool for peer reviews of teaching and evidence of teaching effectiveness.

"Both CTLA leadership and I appreciate the expertise our PTOP fellows brought to program development over the 2024-25 year, which has resulted in this opportunity for all who teach to be involved in supporting one another," Hartman said.

Instructors may register for the training by completing this Qualtrics survey.