Teaching Partners
Introduction
Teaching Partners is a peer observation program that offers instructor colleagues the opportunity to observe each other's classes and receive constructive feedback from both a faculty peer and a CATE teaching and learning expert.
The program has three goals:
- to provide faculty with formative observation opportunities,
- to facilitate faculty implementation of new teaching practices, and
- to encourage self-reflective teaching.
The Teaching Partners Program has Five Steps:
The five steps are accessibly available in the accordion below.
The program has 5 steps:
STEP 1: Record and upload
STEP 1: Record and upload
After an introductory meeting to allow for questions about the process, teaching partners work with the coordinator to schedule a classroom recording. The coordinator records the classroom meeting and then uploads the recording into Canvas’ Studio.
STEP 2: Reflect
STEP 2: Reflect
The observed instructor reflects on their teaching experience and adds comments to the beginning of their classroom video for context.
STEP 3: Review and comment
STEP 3: Review and comment
Observers watch their partner’s video and make notes/comments throughout, using time stamped comments in Canvas’ Studio. A CATE teaching and learning expert follows with added comments.
STEP 4: Debrief
STEP 4: Debrief
A debrief meeting between both teaching partners and the CATE expert is conducted for the purpose of explicating comments, answering questions, and sharing resources.
STEP 5: Close the Loop
STEP 5: Close the Loop
Participants complete a reflection that relates their overall experience with Teaching Partners.
TIMELINE FOR PARTICIPATION
1
January 16, 2026: Deadline to enroll.
CATE is limiting the pilot program to 20 (twenty) partnerships, so enroll soon!
January 26-February 13, 2026:
CATE graduate teaching assistants attend partner classes and record, uploading the recordings to Canvas’ Studio.
2
February 16-March 13, 2026:
Teaching Partners review recordings, make time-stamped comments, and schedule the debrief.
March 16-April 3, 2026:
Partners meet with a CATE team member to debrief. Afterward, partners complete the program reflection.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1
1. Why would I want to participate in CATE’s Teaching Partners program? For many reasons! Peer observations have been well-documented as helping to develop “pedagogical knowledge and understanding, enhancing teaching skills, development OF a more thorough understanding of the student learning process, developing confidence in teaching, and encouraging deeper reflection on teaching practice” (Pembridge & Rohrbacher, 2023). Second, reciprocal observations like Teaching Partners (participants observe one another formatively) encourage the development of reflective engagement with colleagues.
2. Why are we doing observations by video instead of visiting classrooms face-to-face? Videos, as opposed to live observations, provide both partners with more permanent tools for reflection than a classroom visit allows (Coffey, 2014; Orlova, 2009). Teachers participating in video observations such as CATE’s Teaching Partners program have been shown to be better able to “identify a specific practice they changed afterward” (Kane et al., 2020, p. 397). More practically, videos are a logistical tool to help facilitate observations without requiring that instructors visit classrooms at a particular time and place (which can inhibit participation). In addition, partners can take their time viewing videos and review the class in parts, which is an added convenience.
3. Who will have access to the videos? Only you, your teaching partner, and your CATE partner have access to your classroom observation video.
4. What kind of comments should I make to my partner’s video? You can respond to what happens on the screen in real time, or take a more organized approach to your comments based on criteria. There might be some details that jump out to you, maybe teaching strategies that you appreciate, a particularly well-formed response to a student, perhaps a missed opportunity for a follow up conversation. There’s no provided rubric or set of tasks to complete while observing, unless you set that up for yourself, or if your partner has a particular request for the observation. Just review the video and use the time-stamped comments to point the instructor to something interesting that you see or want to ask about.
2
5. Can I download the video and use it for my own purposes, including evaluation processes? Yes! participation in this program can make a strong argument that partners are critically reflective teachers. You may want to consider using a combination of a portion of the video, as well as your reflection statement, in your tenure and/or promotion materials.
6. What if I’m concerned about being recorded? Or if my students have concerns? If you’re not comfortable being recorded, CATE recommends you still seek out opportunities for peer observation with colleagues as a valuable way to receive formative feedback on your teaching. This specific program uses video for the reasons above. As with any intervention in the classroom (whether a recording camera or a “live” observer or visitor, it’s good practice to explain the purpose of the intervention, that the focus is not on student performance but yours, and that the video will only be available to the faculty member, their partners, and not be made available beyond the partners and CATE staff.
7. How much time does the program require of participants? We predict that a teaching partner will spend between 3-6 hours TOTAL participating in the program, depending upon the length of the recorded observations.
More Questions? Send them to CATE
ENROLL BY JANUARY 16, 2026
Resources
Resources
Coffey, A.M. (2014). Using video to develop skills in reflection in teacher education students. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(9), 6.
Kane, T.J., Blazar, D., Gehlbach, H., Greenberg, M., Quinn, D.M., & Thal, D. (2020). Can video technology improve teacher evaluations? An expirimental study. Education Finance and Policy, 15(3), 397-427.
Lowder, L., Atiqullah, M., Colebeck, D., Das, S., Karim, M.A., Khalid, A., Singh, R., & Utschig, T. (2017). Peer observation: improvement of teaching effectiveness through class participation at a polytechnic university. Journal of STEM Education, 18(4), 51-56.
Orlova, N. (2009). Video recording as a stimulus for reflection in pre-service EFL teacher training. In English Teaching Forum (Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 30-35). US Department of State. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.
Pembridge J.J., & Rohrbacher, C.M. (2023). Faculty peer review of teaching for the 21st century. In Eds. Linder et al., Handbook of STEM Faculty Development. IAP, Inc. 207-220.