CMU-Q Explores New Teaching Program To Enhance Instruction and Foster Community Spirit

Carnegie Mellon University professors not only inspire students but also their peers. Faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) are working in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation to do just that.

The Peer Observation Program (POP) is a voluntary program designed for faculty teams to enhance teaching practice and foster a culture of collaboration. Classroom observations and discussions are at the root of engagement, said Simon Faulkner, a CMU-Q assistant teaching professor of chemistry who served in the role of POP project manager.

He said that participating POP faculty help conduct classroom observations of each other, provide supportive feedback and document their findings.

“Small, incremental changes are useful,” Faulkner said. “Two important aspects of the POP program are that participation is voluntary, and the feedback is developmental.”

Adviti Naik, an assistant teaching professor of biological sciences at CMU-Q, is among the POP participants at CMU-Q.

“An observer finds things you’re doing unconsciously — small things that you can change to make an immediate impact on your instruction,” she said.

The multi-phase program began in 2023 at CMU-Q.

In the first phase, discovery sessions helped the team of faculty to identify a list of shared values, such as the correctness of scientific content as important. The application of knowledge and active learning — an approach to teaching that engages students in learning beyond reading, listening and memorizing information — were prioritized values.

These shared values were a call for support. Instructors who value active learning, for example, continually seek out ways to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom. They discussed to what extent active learning is occurring, focused, engaged, well-organized and inclusive, according to Faulkner.

In the second and third phases, classroom observations between faculty members took place, followed by a sharing of their findings. Participants were paired together for two sessions of observation and two sessions of being observed.

“It’s a discussion,” Faulkner said. “Don’t give too much feedback all at once. Break it down, and be specific, not just, ‘Do this better.’ Tell them how.”

The faculty ask for a variety of feedback, ranging from how they engage students better during a lecture to how they can improve the readability of classroom materials and visual aids.

“In the future, there is the possibility of extending the program to include our teaching assistants,” Faulkner said.

Faulkner presented findings of the program at a recent Mellon College of Science Summer Symposium, an event that aims to connect and positively impact the teaching practices of MCS instructors on the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses. The program is coordinated by Ken Hovis, the MCS assistant dean for educational initiatives, with Chad Hershock, executive director of the Eberly Center, contributing programming and support.

“Peer observation can support the development of all instructors, regardless of one's teaching experience,” Hershock said. “Whether you are the observer or being observed, it provides valuable opportunities for reflective practice and the exchange of strategies.”

Eberly consultants provide opportunities for faculty to discuss their challenges and successes as well as how best to implement evidence-based principles of inclusive teaching.

“The CMU-Q biology faculty took the critical first steps to identify their shared values regarding teaching and learning and then align observation methods to their highest priorities,” Hershock said. “Independent of the observations, these foundational conversations added transparency and intentionality to their teaching, especially for new colleagues calibrating to CMU programs and students.

Teaching Professor Ihab Younis, who leads Biological Sciences at CMU-Q, supports the POP process.

“There were some reservations expressed by participants, whether it was the time involved, a reluctance to be observed by others or something else, but in the end, it was a matter of wanting to become better at what we do,” Younis said. “If I’m participating, I’m a person who wants to improve as an educator.”

Younis said he looks forward to being able to develop a set of recommended practices from the data and documentation, which could serve as a reference for all faculty.

“It will be an excellent resource,” Younis said.