Abstract
In this chapter, we introduce the reader to the project Faculty Peer Mentoring in Teaching and Supervision (PeTS). This project empirically documents how peer group mentoring practices have been implemented and experienced in four different academic settings at a research-intensive Nordic university. This introductory chapter begins by defining the conceptual basis for the PeTS project, presenting peer group mentoring (PGM) as a term to describe an activity providing collaborative spaces for academic staff to discuss their teaching and supervision practices for the purpose of professional development. The chapter continues by presenting a review of research on PGM internationally, which we relate to the two mentoring models that are implemented and studied in the PeTS project. The chapter also describes how these implementations are studied, here based on an overarching research design. With these conceptual and methodological grounds, this introduction aims to provide a common basis for the subsequent contributions of the book. The introduction also serves as a foundation for final reflections and conclusions in the last chapter, where the overarching aim of the current publication is related to international research, providing commentaries from respected scholars within the field of higher education and faculty development.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
(1) ERIC, (2) ISI Web of Science, (3) ERC, (4) IBSS, (5) PsycINFO, (6) Idunn (the Scandinavian University Press database), (7) Scopus, (8) ProQuest Sociological Abstracts, (9) Medline, (10) British library ETHOS (UK theses), (11) EBSCO Open Dissertations and (12) the Australian library TROVE.
- 2.
Norsk Senter for Forskningsdata: https://www.nsd.no/en.
References
Ambler, T., Chavan, M., Clarke, J., & Matthews, N. (2014). Climates of communication: Collegiality, affect, spaces and attitudes in peer review. In J. Sachs & M. Parsell (Eds.), Peer review of learning and teaching in higher education (pp. 67–84). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7639-5_5
Atkinson, D. J., & Bolt, S. J. (2010). Using teaching observations to reflect upon and improve teaching practice in higher education. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(3), 1–19. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ906466.pdf
Bell, M. E., & Cooper, P. (2013). Peer observation of teaching in university departments: A framework for implementation. International Journal for Academic Development, 18(1), 60–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2011.633753
Bell, A., & Mladenovic, R. (2008). The benefits of peer observation of teaching for tutor development. Higher Education, 55, 735–752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-007-9093-1
Bell, A., & Mladenovic, R. (2015). Situated learning, reflective practice and conceptual expansion: Effective peer observation for tutor development. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(1), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.945163
Bozeman, B., & Feeney, M. K. (2007). Toward a useful theory of mentoring: A conceptual analysis and critique. Administration & Society, 39(6), 719–739.
Buchanan, J. A. G., & Parry, D. (2019). Engagement with peer observation of teaching by a dental school faculty in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Dental Education, 23(1), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12391
Bulman, C., Forde-Johnson, C., Griffiths, A., Hallworth, S., Kerry, A., Khan, S., & Sharp, P. (2016). The development of peer reflective supervision amongst nurse educator colleagues: An action research project. Nurse Education Today, 45(October), 148–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.07.010
Chamberlain, J. M., D’Artrey, M., & Rowe, D.-A. (2011). Peer observation of teaching: A decoupled process. Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(3), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787411415083
Claveirole, A., & Mathers, M. (2003). Peer supervision: An experimental scheme for nurse lecturers. Nurse Education Today, 23(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0260-6917(02)00162-4
Cole, M. (1996). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline. Harvard University Press.
Colvin, J. W. (2014). Peer mentoring and tutoring in higher education. In L. Mang & Z. Yong (Eds.), Exploring learning & teaching in higher education. Springer.
Costello, J., Pateman, B., Pusey, H., & Longshaw, K. (2001). Peer review of classroom teaching: An interim report. Nurse Education Today, 21(6), 444–454. https://doi.org/10.1054/nedt.2001.0571
Daniels, H. (2016). Vygotsky and pedagogy (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Darwin, A., & Palmer, E. (2009). Mentoring circles in higher education. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(2), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360902725017
Davis, T. S. (2011). Peer observation: A faculty initiative. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning, 3(2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2011.01.009
de Lange, T. (2011). Formal and non-formal digital practices: Institutionalizing transactional learning spaces in a media classroom. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(3), 251–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2011.549827
de Lange, T., & Lauvås, P. (2018). Kollegaveiledning I høyere utdanning—En empirisk analyse av veiledningssamtaler [Peer Mentoring in Higher Education – An empirical analysis of mentoring conversations]. UNIPED, 41(3), 259–274.
de Lange, T., & Wittek, L. (2014). Research genres as knowledge practices: Experiences in writing doctoral dissertations in different formats. Journal of Educational Public Relations, 35(3), 383–401. https://doi.org/10.3138/jspr.35.3.383
de Lange, T., & Wittek, L. (2018). Creating shared spaces: Developing teaching through peer supervision groups. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 25(4), 324–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2018.1544645
de Lange, T., & Wittek, L. (2022). Analysing the constitution of trust in peer-based teacher mentoring groups – A sociocultural perspective. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(3), 337–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1724936
DeCastro, R., Sambuco, D., Ubrel, P. A., Stewart, A., & Jagsi, R. (2013). Mentor networks in academic medicine: Moving beyond a dyadic conception of mentoring for junior faculty researchers. Academic Medicine, 88(4), 488–496.
Deni, A. R., & Malakolunthu, S. (2013). Teacher collaborative inquiry as a professional development intervention: Benefits and challenges. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14(4), 559–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-013-9280-y
Driscoll, L. G., Parkes, K. A., Tilley-Lubbs, G. A., Brill, J. M., & Pitts Bannister, V. R. (2009). Navigating the lonely sea: Peer mentoring and collaboration among aspiring women scholars. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 17(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260802699532
Edwards, A., & Downes, P. (2013). Alliances for inclusion: Developing cross-sector synergies and inter-professional collaboration in and around education. European Commission, Directorate General, Education and Culture.
Engeström, Y. (2005). Developmental work research: Expanding activity theory in practice. Lehmanns Media.
Engeström, Y., & Sannino, A. (2011). Discursive manifestations of contradictions in organizational change efforts: A methodological framework. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 24(3), 368–387. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534811111132758
Esterhazy, R., de Lange, T., Bastiansen, S., & Wittek, A. L. (2021). Moving beyond peer review of teaching: A conceptual framework for collegial faculty development. Review of Educational Research, 91(2), 237–271. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321990721
Gosling, D. (2014). Collaborative peer-supported review of teaching. In J. Sachs & M. Parsell (Eds.), Peer review of learning and teaching in higher education. Professional learning and development in schools and higher education (Vol. 9). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7639-5_2
Hammersley-Fletcher, L., & Orsmond, P. (2004). Evaluating our peers: Is peer observation a meaningful process? Studies in Higher Education, 29(4), 489–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/0307507042000236380
Hammersley-Fletcher, L., & Orsmond, P. (2005). Reflecting on reflective practices within peer observation. Studies in Higher Education, 30(2), 213–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070500043358
Hatzipanagos, S., & Lygo-Baker, S. (2006). Teaching observations: Promoting development through critical reflection. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 30(4), 421–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098770600965425
Heikkinen, H., Jokinen, H., & Tynjälä, P. (2012). Teacher education and development as lifelong and lifewide learning. In H. Heikkinen, H. Jokinen, & P. Tynjälä (Eds.), Peer-group mentoring for teacher development (pp. 3–40). Routledge.
Hendry, G., Bell, A., & Thomson, K. (2014). Learning by observing a peer’s teaching situation. International Journal for Academic Development, 19(4), 318–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2013.848806
Huizing, R. L. (2012). Mentoring together: A literature review of group mentoring. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 20(1), 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2012.645599
Iqbal, I. A. (2014). Don’t tell it like it is: Preserving collegiality in the summative peer review of teaching. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 44(1), 108–124. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v44i1.183625
Kenny, A., Mitchell, E., ChróinÃn, D. N., Vaughan, E., & Murtagh, E. (2014). ‘In their shoes’: Exploring a modified approach to peer observation of teaching in a university setting. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 51(2), 218–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2013.771971
Kinchin, I. M. (2005). Evolving diversity within a model of peer observation at a UK university. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Annual Conference, University of Glamorgan, Wales, 14–17 September.
Kohut, G. F., Burnap, C., & Yon, M. G. (2007). Peer observation of teaching: Perceptions of the observer and the observed. College Teaching, 55(1), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.55.1.19-25
Kroll, J. (2016). What is meant by the term group mentoring? Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 24(1), 44–58.
Lauvås, P., & Handal, G. (2014). Veiledning og Praktisk yrkesteori. Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
Lauvås, P., Lycke, K. H., & Handal, G. (2016). Kollegaveileding med kritiske venner. Cappelen Damm Academisk.
Lomas, L., & Kinchin, I. (2006). Developing a peer observation program with university teachers. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 18(3), 204–214.
Lumpkin, A. (2011). A model for mentoring university faculty. The Educational Forum, 75(4), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2011.602466
Mager, D. R., Kazer, M. W., Conelius, J., Shea, J., Lippman, D. T., Torosyan, R., & Nantz, K. (2014). Development, implementation and evaluation of a peer review of teaching (PRoT) initiative in nursing education. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 11(1), 113–120. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2013-0019
Mårtensson, K., & Roxå, T. (2016). Leadership at a local level—Enhancing educational development. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143214549977
Martin, G. A., & Double, J. M. (1998). Developing higher education teaching skills through peer observation and collaborative reflection. Innovations in Education and Training International, 35(2), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/1355800980350210
Meirink, J. A., Meijer, C. P., Verloop, N., & Bergen, T. C. M. (2009). How do teachers learn in the workplace? An examination of teacher learning activities. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32(3), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619760802624096
Moss, J., Teshima, J., & Leszcz, M. (2008). Peer group mentoring of junior faculty. Academic Psychiatry, 32, 230–235.
Nash, A., & Collier, C. (2016). The alternative peer group. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 27(2), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000122
Roth, W.-M., & Lee, Y.-J. (2007). ‘Vygotsky’s neglected legacy’: Cultural-historical activity theory. Review of Educational Research, 77(2), 186–232. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654306298273
Sachs, J., & Parsell, M. (Eds.). (2014). Peer review of learning and teaching in higher education. Professional learning and development in schools and higher education (Vol. 9). Springer.
Schultz, K. K., & Latif, D. (2006). The planning and implementation of a faculty peer review teaching project. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 70(2), 32. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1636927/
Shortland, S. (2004). Peer observation: A tool for staff development or compliance? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 28(2), 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877042000206778
Shortland, S. (2010). Feedback within peer observation: Continuing professional development and unexpected consequences. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(3), 295–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2010.498181
Shousha, A. I. (2015). Peer observation of teaching and professional development: Teachers’ perspectives at the English Language Institute, King Abdulaziz University. Arab World English Journal, 6(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol6no2.10
Skaniakos, T., & Piirainen, A. (2019). The meaning of peer group mentoring in the university context. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 17(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.24384/EKNZ-S730
Stillwell, C. (2009). The collaborative development of teacher training skills. ELT Journal, 63(4), 353–362. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccn068
Sugrue, C., Englund, T., Solbrekke, T. D., & Fossland, T. (2018). Trends in the practices of academic developers: Trajectories of higher education? Studies in Higher Education, 43(12), 2336–2353. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1326026
Sullivan, P. B., Buckle, A., Nicky, G., & Atkinson, S. H. (2012). Peer observation of teaching as a faculty development tool. BMC Medical Education, 12(26), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-12-26
Sutherland, K. A. (2018). Teaching, research, and service activities, and preferences in the work lives of New Zealand early career academics. In Early career academics in New Zealand: Challenges and prospects in comparative perspective. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61830-2_4
Thomas, S., Chie, Q. T., Abraham, M., Jalarajan, R. S., & Beh, L.-S. (2014). A qualitative review of literature on peer review of teaching in higher education: An application of the SWOT framework. Review of Educational Research, 84(1), 112–159. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313499617
Torres, A. C., Lopes, A., Valente, J. M. S., & Mouraz, A. (2017). What catches the eye in class observation? Observers’ perspectives in a multidisciplinary peer observation of teaching program. Teaching in Higher Education, 22(7), 822–838. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2017.1301907
Toth, K. E., & McKey, C. A. (2010). Differences in faculty development needs: Implications for educational peer review program design. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 40(1), 53–68.
Vian, T., & Ashigbie, P. G. (2015). Accelerating educational innovation in the MPH degree program: What is the role of peer review of teaching? Journal of Health Education Teaching, 6(1), 43–56. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1085276
Wertsch, J. V. (1991). A sociocultural approach to socially shared cognition. In L. B. Resnick, J. M. Levine, & S. D. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 85–100). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10096-004
Wingrove, D., Clarke, A., & Chester, A. (2015). Distributing leadership for sustainable peer feedback on tertiary teaching. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 12(3), Article 8. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1085096.pdf
Wingrove, D., Hammersley-Fletcher, L., Clarke, A., & Chester, A. (2018). Leading developmental peer observation of teaching in higher education: Perspectives from Australia and England. British Journal of Educational Studies, 66(3), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2017.1336201
Winstone, N. E., & Boud, D. (2020). The need to disentangle assessment and feedback in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1779687
Yiend, J., Weller, S., & Kinchin, I. (2014). Peer observation of teaching: The interaction between peer review and developmental models of practice. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 38(4), 465–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2012.726967
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
de Lange, T., Esterhazy, R., Wittek, L. (2023). Peer Group Mentoring Among Faculty Staff in Higher Education. In: de Lange, T., Wittek, L. (eds) Faculty Peer Group Mentoring in Higher Education. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 61. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37458-6_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37458-6_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-37457-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-37458-6
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)