Summative Observation for Graduate Students and Postdocs

In Spring 2026, the Center for Teaching and Learning will again offer a summative observation protocol for graduate students and postdocs.

The goal of this observation protocol is to provide graduate student and postdoctoral instructors 1) a narrative record of what happened during their class session and 2) a reflection on how that class session embodies the key elements of effective teaching. Participants can then use this documentation to generate ideas for a teaching philosophy, compile a teaching portfolio, or reflect on their pedagogy.

There are three steps to the process: 1) a pre-observation discussion with the CTL so that we can better understand the class session to be observed and how it fits into your course; 2) a classroom observation by two members of the CTL, each of whom will fill out a narrative log; and 3) a 1- to 2-page narrative, co-written by the observers, describing and reflecting on your class session. This write-up will not evaluate your teaching. Instead, it will seek to make explicit the pedagogical principles that you are already enacting. To complement the CTL’s existing classroom observation, which serves primarily to identify strengths and areas for improvement in teaching, the goal of this protocol is to accurately and non-judgmentally describe and reflect your teaching habits back to you. You will end this process with a record of what happened in your classroom, a record you can use for professional advancement, your own pedagogical development, or both.

If you are interested in participating in this program, please fill out this form.