Teaching Observation and Consultation
The Teaching Consultation at NTU is a teaching support service designed specifically for our faculty members. Its aim is to assist teachers in enhancing their teaching abilities, optimizing course design, improving teaching methods and strategies, and thereby promoting student learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness. Teaching consultation is typically provided by educational specialists from the Center or experienced teachers, who offer constructive ideas and support tailored to the challenges and issues faced in teaching. These may include course planning, curriculum design, assessment of learning outcomes, integrating technology into teaching, and addressing learning gaps of students. Teaching consultation can be carried out through one-on-one consultations, teaching observations and feedback, skill-building workshops, or by providing opportunities for teachers to observe other teachers’ classes.
One-on-One Consultation Service
This service offers faculty members one-on-one teaching consultation to help them address teaching-related issues and improve teaching effectiveness. Consultations can be arranged for physical meetings or conducted in an online conference room, with each session providing 60-90 minutes of individualized consultation. Faculty members are welcome to apply for this service via email.
Overview of Consultation Services
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Providing suggestions for course design and teaching strategies to help faculty members develop effective teaching plans (including course objectives and pre-course preparation).
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Offering training and guidance to help faculty members acquire basic teaching skills and knowledge (including online resources and information on physical activities).
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Providing teaching assessment services to help faculty members evaluate teaching outcomes and understand student feedback.
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Collaborating with the Academic Advising Office to assist faculty members in addressing student behavior and learning difficulties, and provide corresponding solutions.
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Promoting teaching innovation and pedagogical techniques, with solutions provided by the Digital Learning Center.
Teaching Observation and Feedback
Teaching Observation and Feedback involves direct observation of classroom teaching, objectively recording the teaching activities, including teaching and learning content as well as teacher-student interactions. Subsequently, through feedback and discussion, teachers’ teaching performance is affirmed and improved, fostering their professional growth and enhancing student learning outcomes. The purposes of conducting teaching observation and feedback are: (1) to provide objective feedback on teachers’ teaching practices, (2) to acknowledge teachers’ teaching achievements and performance, (3) to assist teachers in diagnosing and solving teaching problems, (4) to promote a positive attitude towards professional growth among teachers, and (5) to enhance student learning outcomes.
Starting from the academic year 111, the Center has been providing teaching observation and feedback services for faculty members. Through this mechanism, we aim to understand the difficulties and challenges faced by teachers in the educational environment, assist them in analyzing the effectiveness of teaching designs, and provide suggestions for teaching activities based on their needs and expectations. The observation will focus on a single class or a unit of teaching activities, such as teaching content, teaching objectives, teaching strategies, learning assessments, and students’ past learning experiences. Through relevant mechanisms, the Center also collects teaching activities with good outcomes, analyzes their applicability, and shares the results with faculty members, creating a virtuous cycle in teaching.
At the beginning of each semester, senior educational specialists from the Center proactively contact new faculty members to confirm the schedule and focal points of teaching observation, as well as the schedule of post-observation feedback. Oral or written feedback are provided depending on the teachers’ needs. This service is available to all faculty members. For further information, please contact the Center via email.
Consultation Process
Statistics of Service Hours
Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW)
The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) is a professional development program that NTU has been actively promoting in recent years, aiming to enhance teachers’ teaching skills and teaching effectiveness. Established initially at The University of British Columbia in Canada in 1979, ISW has evolved over time to provide international certification and has become an internationally recognized professional development program for teachers.
The core content of ISW revolves around teaching design and assessment, covering topics such as course objectives, teaching methods, and assessment methods. Through this program, teachers or instructors can learn how to design teaching activities, utilize teaching tools and techniques, and conduct effective assessments and reflections. The program includes lectures on theories (thematic courses), practice teaching sessions (A 10-min Mini-Lesson), and peer feedback circles, among other components, to help teachers better understand and apply the knowledge learned. For more information, please refer to the official website. The center has six experienced ISW facilitators and relevant workshops will be regularly organized. Please check the sidebar or the latest news for upcoming programs.
The application of ISW has spread globally, with many countries and regions’ higher education institutions offering such programs, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore. Through participating in ISW, teachers in these countries and regions enhance their teaching skills and effectiveness, improving students’ learning outcomes and learning experiences.
Overall, ISW is highly practical and effective in helping teachers improve their teaching skills and enhance students’ learning experiences. It has become one of the widely promoted professional development programs for teaching in higher education worldwide. The teaching consultation services provided by the Center are based on relevant frameworks, and we encourage faculty members and instructors to learn basic knowledge of the BOPPPS model through the video.
Spark Tour
Consultants and ISW Facilitator: IFan Chang, Senior Educational Specialist
● Tel : 3366-3367#512
● Email : ifan@ntu.edu.tw
ISW Administrative Specialist: Che-Ling Hsu, Project Manager
● Tel : 3366-3367#516
● Email : hcl1005@ntu.edu.tw
Feedback
Using the BOPPPS to design the course was very helpful for my curriculum design this semester. (Feedback from a teacher in the 110-2 semester)
After consultation, I adjusted the course design and increased course interactivity. The teaching skills provided by the specialist were very practical and applicable. (Feedback from a teacher in the 111-2 semester)
Thanks to the specialists for their feedback, i can pinpoint the problem more accurately! (Feedback from a teacher in the 112-1 semester)