Peer review of teaching: instituting a program in a college of nursing

Institutions of higher education can lose sight of the importance of teaching. Teaching, in some settings, needs to be restored to its place of primacy in the faculty role and its quality needs to be evaluated. The American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) national project, "From Idea to Prototype: The Peer Review of Teaching," is an attempt to accomplish that purpose. Involvement in the AAHE national peer review project has been the impetus for the Kent State University College of Nursing to initiate a faculty-developed program of peer review. The program has been well received primarily because it was owned and controlled by the faculty. Its voluntary nature, administrative sanction, and strong support have contributed to its success. Faculty explored many possible methods to accomplish peer review. However, the use of a task force, classroom and clinical observations, and teaching circles have been the approaches best suited to this particular departmental culture.