Spring 2026: A Community of Practice about Teaching Observations

Overview

This Community of Practice is designed for any faculty member and administrator in any discipline and position across campus to discuss, propose ideas about, and help create a variety of templates and approaches to peer teaching observation materials for Marquette’s campus community.

Apply to join here. Deadline: Friday, January 23. 

Summary

Meetings

February 11, February 25, March 4, March 25, April 15: All from 12:00-1:15. Lunch provided.

CoP members should commit to attending at least four of these sessions. 

All sessions held in the Center for Teaching and Learning classroom (330B, Raynor Memorial Library)

Motivation and Rationale

The process of developing Marquette’s new Teaching Quality Framework (TQF) through the Committee on Teaching and the Center for Teaching and Learning in AY 2024-2025 and the subsequent endorsement of the TQF by Marquette’s Academic Senate in Fall 2025 revealed several possible immediate and future ways that this framework can help address the needs of faculty across campus. Identified through focus groups, surveys, conversations, presentations, and information sessions associated with the TQF, one pressing desire of interest to faculty is the development of fresh practices, tools, and materials devoted to developing peer teaching observations. This Community of Practice brings together diverse perspectives and disciplinary interests to discussing useful approaches to peer observations, what observation materials might be able to look like in light of the TQF, and how we as a campus community can support educators everywhere on campus in providing formative, productive, and useful peer observations that are distinct to Marquette’s mission and culture while being evidence-informed.

Three more reasons to consider joining.

#1

#2

 If you observe others or are observed by others and would like to generate new ideas about productive approaches to observations, you might apply.

#3

If you are interested to learn how to enhance our teaching community by talking with a variety of people outside your home unit about teaching at Marquette especially in light of the TQF, you might apply. 

All communities of practice are characterized by three traits: Individual interest in a certain topic, a desire to learn with others in community, and a desire to put what’s learned into practice. If you have an interest in teaching observations, want to learn with others, and contribute to the development of peer observation practices at Marquette, this community of practice is for you. 

PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE APPLYING to JOIN

Who Should Join

Any educator in any role on campus is invited to join, as is any relevant staff member and program administrator. We hope for a richly diverse cross-section of disciplines, roles, and interests for this Community of Practice.

Guidelines

To apply to join the community, please complete this short questionnaire before Friday, January 23. All applications may not be accepted. Applications will be reviewed and accepted based on their relevance to the goals of the community.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Melissa Shew, Associate Director of Teaching Excellence.