'In their shoes': exploring a modified approach to peer observation of teaching in a university setting

Peer observation of teaching (POT) has become common practice in many universities. However, it could be argued that existing models often have limited scope for understanding the student experience. This study presents a modified approach to POT in which the researchers adopted the roles of (1) lecturer, (2) peer-participant and (3) peer-observer. Four lecturers in a university in Ireland were involved as participant-researchers in the study with an external observer acting as an 'outside eye' to the process. Findings reveal that the process provided opportunities for reflection on own and other teaching styles, strategies and contexts. In particular, lecturers noted the value of sharing the student experience more authentically or being 'in the students' shoes'. The study demonstrates that modification of the traditional POT model, where the lecturer adopts several roles (lecturer, peer-participant and peer-observer), creates multiple perspectives into the teaching and learning process and therefore may allow greater scope for the development of professional practice.