Peer feedback: The future!

There is currently a worldwide focus on improving the quality of student learning within universities. In Australia this is evidenced by the creation of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (2005) whose mission "is to provide a national focus for the enhancement of learning and teaching in Australian higher education." One mechanism that can directly affect the student learning experience is improvement in the quality of teaching. Peer review has long been recognised as formative and summative techniques for improving teaching. For formative purposes it is often adopted voluntarily by interested lecturers. The manner in which peer review is encouraged within a university will have an impact on its use. Part of creating a supportive cultural environment involves using peer review for staff development purposes, rather than for assessment purposes. In the future, peer review of teaching may be one of a number of quality teaching performance indicators (e.g. student reviews, peer reviews and self-reflections). Lecturers are encouraged to document how they have used the feedback obtained from peer review to improve their teaching. This could be via a portfolio the use of which is gaining prominence within universities for promotion and tenure.

At UWA, peer review is encouraged for both formative and summative purposes and can be used in Academic Portfolios (UWA, 2004) for tenure and promotion applications. Since Academic Portfiolios will assist the annual review process in 2006, is peer feedback in your future?

• Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (2005). Background: Australian government announcement. Retrieved 4 April 2005, from http:// www.carrickinstitute.edu.au/carrick/go/pid/9
• UWA (2004). Academic Portfolio Promotion and Tenure - 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2005, from http://www.hr.uwa. edu.au/page/587975