Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  1. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning /
  2. Peer Review and Enhancement /
  3. Quick Guide for Colleagues

Quick Guide for Colleagues

Purpose of Peer Review and Enhancement (PRE) 

PRE is a developmental, reflective, and peer-supported process aimed at enhancing academic practice. It includes peer dialogue, support, observation, and action planning, and should be connected into other institutional processes like Performance Development Reviewing (PDRs), Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and course development plans (CDPs).

Core Expectations

  • All staff with student-facing roles must engage in PRE annually.
  • PRE includes peer observation of teaching (POT) as an element which may be required (School/Instittute and/or PSRB determined).
  • PRE is owned by the individual, supported by peers acting as critical friends.
  • PRE outcomes should be discussed at appraisal (PDR) and inform future development.
  • PRE should be simple, efficient, and aligned with existing processes (e.g., module review, CPD, curriculum design).
  • PRE should lead to dissemination of good practice and support professional recognition.

Key elements

  1. Peer Review & Enhancement (PRE) is owned by you to support the ongoing development of your academic practice. Informed by University, college and school/institute priorities, you decide what you will focus on.
  2. PRE is an opportunity for you to review and reflect on your academic practice with the support of colleagues as critical friends, and for you to learn from supporting them in return.
  3. PRE helps you to review the methods you use to teach in the environments you use in your practice to identify ways in which you can develop professionally and successfully apply what you learn to enhance your practice.
  4. You are expected to engage in PRE in a way that is appropriate for your student-facing role and the nature of your engagement with students.
  5. Within PRE, you will typically include peer observation methods to help you review the ways you engage students as learners.
  6. A brief summary of your PRE activities should be documented on your School/Institute PRE form (or equivalent).
  7. The outcomes of PRE should also be reported and discussed in your performance development review (PDR) each year when your aims for future PRE activity shoudl be discussed to ensure you have appropriate support and access to further development opportunities.
  8. You should connect your PRE activities to other parts of planning and development including Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) activities, Performance and Development Review [SHU staff link] (PDR), and course development planning [SHU staff link] (CDPs).

Get Support:

Contact your local School/Institute learning, teaching and assessment lead for support and guidance on the approach your area is taking.