Designing a Peer Observation of Teaching Form: A Modified Delphi Study

Abstract

An important aspect of conducting peer observation of teaching (POT) is the observational form that guides the observation process. Although several published POT forms are available for faculty to use, these forms tend to be unique to the academic discipline, with none originating from the perspective of faculty in the field of public health. As such, the purpose of this study was to create a new POT form grounded in the published literature that could be used for in-person classes for a newly established Department of Public Health. This study used a modified Delphi method with 10 faculty experts in the department, ranging in academic title and years of experience in teaching, observing others’ teaching, and being observed as a teacher. A foundation of 657 relevant items found in 33 published POT forms were used for six phases of anonymous surveys, group discussions, and pilot testing. The final POT form consisted of 22 new items that represented over 30 categories of established, observable teaching practices, and a dichotomous measurement scale with open ended text boxes. The study underscored previous research regarding the utility of the Delphi method, which included allowing for instructor buy-in on the items that would be used to evaluate their own teaching practices.