Six principles are central to successful Peer Review & Enhancement:

1. Peer Review & Enhancement is owned by the individual.

The individual chooses:

• The focus of the review – PRE primarily relates to the professional development needs of the individual who has the right to decide what aspect of their professional practice they wish to review within the context of the University Strategy and related College, School and Course team priorities.
• The method of review – the way in which the review will be undertaken is normally agreed by discussion with the supporting colleague(s) but will include an observation of practice.
• The intended outcomes – PRE enables the development of the individual’s practice. The aims and eventual outcomes are recorded as an integral part of the process. There is no requirement to record and report the details of peer review, but such details may be incorporated into the dissemination of the development activities at the discretion of the individual.
• Development and dissemination – PRE is expected to lead to the sharing of good practice with others not directly involved in the process and thereby encourage consistent good practice. The detail of what is shared, and how this is shared, is for individuals and peer groups to decide.

2. Peer Review & Enhancement fosters academic confidence

PRE first and foremost establishes enhancement activities in relation to the review of actual practice, and then within the context of other priorities. This holistic, balanced views means:

• Development has a meaningful personal and professional context – enhancement activities are primarily designed to improve aspects of a person’s actual practice, so raising the quality of practice and the confidence of all staff.
• Review leads to enhancement – peer review is always a positive experience because it is designed to lead to improved practice and to foster academic confidence. Review without integral opportunities for enhancement, and vice versa, are comparatively poor approaches to professional development.

3. Peer Review & Enhancement involves colleagues acting as “critical friends”

The role of peers is one of:

• Support – peers supporting colleagues should not attempt to direct, lead the review, assess or critique practice unless specifically asked to do so by the individual as part of the process.
• Flexibility – peers supporting colleagues are not asked to assess an individual’s practice but to support the individual in reviewing his/her practice and to work together to develop plans to enhance it.
• Trust and confidentiality – peers supporting colleagues have been invited to contribute to a colleagues’ professional development. This will often necessitate professional integrity and appreciative, supportive, trustful and confidential relationships being formed, especially where a colleague has identified aspects of their practice that they perceive to need significant improvement.
• Mutual benefit and joint enterprise – PRE is a made-up reciprocal activity, each bringing mutual benefits and incorporating the open sharing of and reflection on practices.

4. Peer observation of teaching provides a rich and important context for Peer Review & Enhancement

Formal teaching occurs in diverse learning environments and should be observed by peers each year. The observation should be:

• Incorporated into Peer Review & Enhancement – peer observation is often a starting point informing a broader set of PRE activities which may involve other supporting colleagues.
• Conducted by peers in pairs - peer observation normally involves pairings. The observer‑observee pairing will normally be determined and co-ordinated by a suitable team leader (the precise mechanism will be determined within the school/institute) to ensure optimal benefits from the experience.
• A partnership - the observation pairings should be based on partnership working and a mutually beneficial experience of development and reflection.
• Engaged with according to the overarching principles of PRE – peer observation activities, as part of PRE, are governed by the same principles (owned by the individual and supported by a critical friend).
• Practice based - the observation should be focused on the teaching and learning practice and should not review the content. As such, pairings can be between colleagues from different teaching teams.

5. Peer Review & Enhancement informs and is supported by annual appraisal

• While Peer Review & Enhancement is owned by the individual and involves peers, it does not operate in isolation of other CPD, professional recognition, and curriculum development activities. Academic appraisal provides the opportunity around which development is co-ordinated and supported. The following should be discussed:
• The outcomes of PRE – while the specific details and recommendations should remain confidential to the individual, the outcomes of PRE should be discussed and recorded at appraisal to monitor engagement, identify areas of emerging expertise and consider options for disseminating outcomes and good practice.
• The scope and requirements for ongoing PRE – PRE is a continuous process, though its focus needs to be redefined each year. Appraisees should identify the general scope of forthcoming PRE activities and identify requirements for support.
• Arrangements for peer observation –managers will agree the conditions in which observation will happen and confirm the arrangements for the running of peer observations, i.e. pairings, timings, documentation.

6. Peer Review & Enhancement reflects the breadth of the academic teaching role, and the diverse environments used for academic practice

The professional academic has a multi-faceted role which is reflected in the UK Professional Standards Framework. Each of these areas of activity needs to be continually developed to reflect the diverse environments used by academics and their students:

• (AoA1) The design and planning of learning activities and/or programmes of study – effective teaching and support for learning takes account of the particular contexts of a course, its subject and participants.
• (AoA2) Teach and/or support learning through appropriate approaches and environments – the methods used to engage and support students as learners.
• (AoA3) Assessing and giving feedback to learners – the formative and summative used to chart and steer a learner’s progress through their course.
• (AoA4) Support and guide learners– effective teaching and support for learning takes places in many formal and informal environments, both physical and virtual. PRE activities, including peer observation, should particularly consider how the conditions for learning are established by the academic.
• (AoA5) Enhance practice through own continuing professional development – teaching is a complex and evolving profession requiring reflection on evidence and ongoing incremental development.

Find out more:

See the main Peer Review and Enhancement page for all forms and guidance.