Lori Holyfield, Julie Trivitt and Don Johnson, co-directors of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center, visited the University of Michigan-Flint on Feb. 5-7 to learn about their campuswide peer review of teaching program. During their visit, the co-directors visited with Tracy Wacker, director of the Thompson Center for Learning and Teaching, and Jeffrey Drake, of the Office of Extended Learning, as well as numerous faculty participants in UM-Flint's peer review of teaching program.

Holyfield said, "UM-Flint has a very robust and well-established program and, during our visit, we developed relationships and picked up best practices that will help our TFSC make rigorous peer review of teaching available to UA faculty."

The TFSC intends to make faculty training in peer review of teaching one of the themes at the 2020 Teaching Camp to be held in Eureka Springs on Aug. 3-5.

Trivitt said, "We anticipate our efforts this summer will result in a number of 'peer review of teaching circles' being active on our campus during the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond."

Peer review of teaching is a formative experience designed to assist faculty in building on existing strengths and improve in other areas in a collegial, mutually supportive environment.

Johnson stated, "In addition to teaching improvement, peer review of teaching can be an especially powerful and meaningful piece of additional evidence in documenting teaching excellence for annual reviews and promotion."