Notes for guidance for observers 

·          Before observing the session, discuss its purpose and structure with the staff member taking it. 

·          During observation, make notes. Use the suggestions below. Do not expect the suggestions to be relevant to every class. 

·          At the end of the session grade the class on a scale of A-D, with A highest and D lowest. Make sure that you include a justification of the score. Make a careful note of any comments with the member of staff. 

Suggestions 

1        What were the objectives of the class? Were they appropriate? 

2        Did the member of staff outline the structure and purpose of the class? 

3        Could the member of staff be seen and heard? 

4        Were the key points emphasised? 

5        Were the explanations clear to the students? 

6        Were the examples and other references appropriate? 

7        Was the class interesting for the students? 

8        Was there variation of activity? 

9        Did the member of staff ask or invite questions or use other forms of student participation? 

10   Did the member of staff summarise key points and conclusions?

5.10          Teaching hours for faculty staff 

Central to the accreditation process is ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning is sufficient to prepare well-qualified teachers.  While much of the judgement is about quality, some is also about quantity:   staff who teach too many courses cannot teach well enough to ensure well-prepared teachers. 

In reviewing teaching and advising assignments, assessors should consider all teaching and advising: 

·          graduate and undergraduate students

·          second shift as well as day students

·          work in schools as well as teaching classes on campus. 

Assessors should be concerned when any staff are teaching more than 18 hours per week, including seminars.  Staff who supervise doctoral dissertations or who have significant assignments to supervise students in schools should teach fewer than 18 hours per week on campus.  Similarly, assessors should be concerned when class size is so large that staff cannot give adequate attention to individual students. 

If any staff teaches too many hours per week, or are working with too many students, assessors should look for the following problems: 

1          Classes are cancelled frequently.

2          Staff are late to classes.

3          Staff give teaching to research assistants.

4          Students are not given complex assignments, as they take too much time to mark.

5          Assignments are not returned promptly to students.

6          Feedback on assignments is limited to grading and check-marks, with little commentary from staff.

7          There is excessive reliance on objective tests, with little use of essay questions.

8          There is excessive reliance on student presentations to cover the material of the course, with staff doing little actual teaching.

9          Courses are not revised regularly.

10     Staff are not available to meet with students outside class.

11     Staff are not available to work with partner schools.

12     Graduate students may have difficulty getting help with their research or dissertations.

13     The quality of graduate student work suffers, due to insufficient supervision.

14     Students work less because staff work less on each class.

15     Student work suffers because of inadequate feedback from staff.

16     Staff do not have time for other work, including professional development, research, and working parties. 

The report should indicate how many hours staff are teaching. Where staff are teaching too much, the problems which the excessive teaching causes in the quality of the programs should be made clear.

5.11  Questions for the dean, program heads, faculty staff, and students 

A   Questions for the dean 

1        Do students have sufficient opportunity to practise the skills they will need as beginning teachers?

2        Are there parts of the program that are regularly difficult to staff with qualified faculty members? 

3        Are faculty members active in taking advantage of professional development opportunities?  Are there some kinds of faculty development which these programs are particularly successful in?  Are there areas where you think they need to improve? 

4        Are the students in these programs well qualified when they enter the university?  Do they have the academic background they need to be successful?  Are they motivated to become good teachers? 

5        Please explain how these programs were matched up with the partner schools. 

6        How well has the partner school arrangement developed to date?  Why has it been as successful as it has been?  What has kept it from being more successful? 

7        Raise questions about any facilities problems suggested in the self-evaluation.  If facilities are not satisfactory in some way, ask about plans to remedy the situation and attempt to learn how definite and immediate the plans are. 

8        Does the library support these programs?  Do you have a sense about how well the education faculty is supported compared with other programs in the university?    

9        Are there ways in which the library is particularly helpful to these programs – or ways in which you wish it would be more helpful? 

10   Explain what working groups and commissions are active in the faculty this year.  How were the representatives chosen?  How is their work progressing?   Are the staff  in the programs under review generally available to participate? 

11   Is there a mission statement for the faculty overall or for the programs in this faculty?  If so,  please describe its meaning and explain how it was developed and approved.  If not, have you or the faculty considered developing such a document?  Do you see the programs under review as distinctive in any way or having any special purpose or quality it might be useful to articulate? 

12   I reviewed the documents section on your quality assurance system.  (Ask about any pieces you thought might be there but were missing to see if they are available.)  Please talk a little about what you think is working particularly well and what needs to be improved.  (Examples have to do with feedback about the curriculum, staff appointments, staff support, and assessment and review of students.) 

B   Questions for program heads 

1        Do students have sufficient opportunity to practise the skills they need as beginning teachers? 

2        Are there parts of the program that are regularly difficult to staff with qualified faculty members? 

3        How are new faculty members informed of professional development opportunities? 

4        How do you make the assignments for staff to support their professional development? 

5        Are the students in this program well qualified when they enter the university?  Do they have the academic background they need to be successful?  Are they motivated to become good teachers? 

6        How well has the partner school arrangement developed to date?  Were you involved in setting up the arrangements with the partner schools?   If so, how?  If not, why not? 

7        Why has the partner school arrangement been as successful as it has been to date?  What has kept it from being more successful?    

8        Are you pleased with the quality of teaching and the availability of mentors for your students in your partner schools? Why or why not? 

9        Do your students get good supervision in the partner schools?   From the mentors?  From the faculty staff? 

10   Raise questions about any facilities problems suggested in the self-evaluation.   If facilities are not satisfactory in some way, ask about plans to remedy the situation and attempt to learn how definite and immediate the plans are. 

11   Does the library support your program?  Do faculty in this program regularly request book and materials to be ordered?  If yes, are they ordered? If not, why not? 

12   Explain what working groups and commissions are active in the faculty this year.  How were the representatives from your program chosen?  How is their work progressing?   Are the staff in your program generally available to participate?  Do you generally feel your program can make its voice heard in important groups? 

13   Is there a mission statement for the faculty staff in this program?  If so, please describe its meaning and explain how it was developed and approved?   If not, have you considered developing such a document?  Do you see the programs being reviewed as distinctive in any way or having any special purpose or quality it might be useful to articulate? 

14   I reviewed the documents section on your quality assurance system.  (Ask about any pieces you thought might be there but were missing to see if they are available.) Please talk a little about what you think is working particularly well and what needs to be improved.  (Examples have to do with feedback about the curriculum, hiring and support of faculty, and assessment and review of students.) 

C   Questions for faculty staff

1        Do students have sufficient opportunity to practise the skills they need as beginning teachers? 

2        What methods are used to assess student performance? (Examples: exams, tests, papers, demonstrations, case studies, oral reports, presentations, lesson plans, development of classroom material).  (Ask if this is not clear from the documents) 

3        Do you see any major areas of overlap in the curriculum?  Are there any significant gaps? 

4        Are you ever asked to teach courses for which you don’t feel adequately prepared? 

5        Can you talk a little about your own research or professional development?   What are you working on this year? Or what did you work on last year?  What kind of support did the university provide?   

6        Are the students in these programs well-qualified when they enter the university?  Do they have the academic background they need to be successful?  Are they motivated to become good teachers? 

7        What is your involvement with partner schools?   Were you involved in setting up the arrangements with partner schools?  How?  What would you like your involvement to be in the next 3 to 5 years?  Will the faculty management support that? 

8        Talk to me about the classrooms in which you teach and any other special facilities you use for teaching.   Are they satisfactory in terms of lighting, sound, temperature, ventilation?   Can you vary your teaching methods in the classrooms?   Are the rooms big enough for the number of students you have?  Can you use the technology you would like to use in those classrooms? 

9        Does the library support your area?  Do you regularly request books or materials to be ordered?  If yes, are they ordered? If you do not request books or materials, why not?

10   Do you use any special facilities in your work, such as laboratories or art studios?  If so, are they reasonably up to date? Safe? Available? Do you have support staff who help run and maintain them? 

11   Are computers sufficiently available to faculty staff in this program?  How old are your machines?  Can you get new software when you need it?  What happens when there is a problem?  Who helps you? 

12   What working groups and commissions are active in the faculty this year.  How were the representatives from your program chosen?  Are you on any of the groups?   Are the staff in your program generally available to participate?  Do you generally feel your program can make its voice heard on important groups?  Do you find that participating is a generally beneficial use of your time?  Does it make a difference? 

13   What do you see as special or distinctive about your program?  Is that recorded in a mission statement or comparable document?  Do you think other staff share your point of view about what is special about your program? 

D  Questions for students 

1        Do you have sufficient opportunity to practise the skills you will need as a beginning teacher? 

2        Do you get enough feedback from the academic staff along the way?  Do you feel you know how well you are progressing?  Is the feedback useful in helping you improve? 

3        Are the academic staff knowledgeable about the courses they are teaching?  Do you feel you are learning from experts in the field? 

4        Are the students in this program well qualified when they enter the university?  Do they have the academic background they need to be successful?  Are they motivated to become good teachers? 

5        Are staff available to give you guidance and advice about your academic program?  In general?  About becoming a teacher?   

6        Ask about the time the students have been in school. 

7        Talk to me about the classrooms where you take classes from this program and any other special facilities you use.  Are they satisfactory in terms of lighting, temperature, ventilation?   Can you see and hear well enough in the rooms?  Are the rooms big enough for the number of students?   Can you work in small groups in the classes? 

8        How often do you have assignments in your education classes which require you to use materials from the library?   Give me some examples from the last two or three education classes you took?  How did you use the library?   Could you find what you needed?  Were there enough books and journals?  Are the materials new enough to be useful?  Is there enough material available in Turkish/English?  Is the library open enough hours?  Are the librarians helpful?    

9    Can you get access to the Internet when you need it?  Do you find Internet resources for assignments in education? How can you tell good Internet resources from poor ones? 

10   Do you have an opportunity to give feedback on the staff who teach you about their teaching?  How does that work?   Do you think that feedback is used? 

11   If you have a complaint about something in your program, is there a way for you to make it known?  Who would you go to?  Do you know anyone who has done that?  What happened? 

5.12  How to look at the library 

The Standards, indicators, evidence and grading (2.2) outline the expectations for the library (Standards 5.1.2, 5.2.2, and 5.3.2) and its use by students.  These standards move from

·          input (library resources) to

·          process (use of the library) to

·          output (effectiveness: the student has the skills and habits to continue using libraries effectively as a learning resource) 

In general, assessors should consider all information resources including library books and journals, and also CD-ROMs and Internet resources. 

Visiting assessors can review the library, and information resources from several perspectives: 

1        reviewing documents

2        visiting the library

3        interviewing the staff

4        “sufficient” resources

1        Reviewing documents 

The form Library resources and services (A1.7).  The information on this form provides the basic documentation about library resources.   Below are the items and some questions assessors should consider.

Review the course syllabuses provided by the faculty to see if students are being given assignments which require them to use library resources.  Consider whether an appropriate range of resources is being used, for example: reference books, classical works in education, modern works in education, books and journals, and Internet resources. 

Review student papers and other written assignments in the documents room to consider these questions.

·          Is the use of library resources reflected in student work? 

·          Are bibliographies written in an appropriate format with all elements present (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, pages). 

·          Are students using footnotes and citations appropriately? 

·          Are students using a balance of sources in their papers (e.g., classical and newer sources, books and journals, printed materials and Internet resources)? 

·          Do students use library resources at all levels of the program, from the first to the fourth year? 

·          Are the library and information skills of fourth year students appropriate for a university graduate?  For a beginning teacher? 

2     Visiting the library 

The visit to the library need take no more than an hour if the time is well organised.  Below are factors to consider. 

Facilities

Location 

·          Is the library conveniently situated for students? 

·          If not within walking distance of the education faculty, is there regular and convenient transportation? 

·          If the distance is significant, pay attention to interviews and other evidence to see if every attempt has been made to help students get to the library.

Suitability

·          Is the library a place conducive to work and study?

·          Are there sufficient reading areas for students?

·          Is there sufficient lighting?

·          Are the study areas comfortable?

·          Is the reference desk conveniently located?  Do students in general seem to use the reference desk for help?

·          Are photocopying services easily available and working?

·          Are there Internet terminals around the library for students to use?

 Library director

Explain to the director the purpose of your visit to the university and to the library and follow up on any questions raised in the Library resources and services (A1.7) form. 

Collection

Books Visit the reference section of the library.  Are there sufficient reference books that a teacher might want:  encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and the like. 

In the book section, visit a general area important to teachers, such as Turkish history for classroom teachers or the science books for science teachers.  Make a general judgement about whether the collection is sufficient in quantity for teacher education students.  Also notice whether the library is continuing to add resources in the area you selected. 

Visit the section of the library which includes books in education.  Examine the general collection.  Do you see sufficient resources for students to be able to complete general assignments on topics such as current issues in education, child development, and classroom management?  Are there enough relatively new books so that students can read a variety of current theories and practices?    

Are there sufficient resources for students to learn about both historical and recent issues in education in Turkey?  Are there sufficient books in the language of instruction?  Check a sample of books to see if they have been borrowed frequently and recently.  Examine the part of the collection relevant to the programs being reviewed.  Ask the same kinds of questions as above about sufficiency and newness and the books in the language of instruction.   Examine a few books to see if they are being used and borrowed.

Journals Visit the area with current journals.   Are they available for students?  Do you see the journals which were on the Library resources and services list? 

Visit the area with bound journals.  Are older journals (older than a year or two) easily available to students? 

Other  If time permits, you may do the following:

·          Visit the Internet facilities.  Do students have access?

·          Visit the CD-ROM room.  Do students have access?

·          Try the library’s on-line catalog if it is available.

3     Interviewing the staff 

Ask faculty staff questions about the library as needed to follow up on questions remaining from examining the documents, visiting the library, and talking with students.   For example, if staff do not appear active in requesting books, ask why.   If student papers do not show appropriate use of library resources, ask faculty how they encourage students through assignments to use the library. 

A good general topic is how staff are preparing students to use the resources of the Internet.   Since the Internet contains enormous amounts of material, students can find excellent as well as poor sources.   Ask the staff how they are teaching students to judge sources they find on the Internet.

4      A word about “sufficient” resources 

As in other areas of accreditation, reviewing the library calls for judgement.   At what level are resources sufficient?  How many books and journals are enough? 

Assessors are advised to keep the purpose of the standard domain in mind when reviewing the library. There are at least two reasons why library and information resources are important in teacher education.

·          Reading widely and being able to find, select, evaluate, and use information resources is a mark of an educated person. 

·          Teachers must have the skills of continuing learners.  In their work, as the world changes, they must have the skills and habits of valuing and being able to find and evaluate information resources. 

Keep the goal in mind:  students become skilled users of library and information resources.  The collections and the building are means to this end.  Without access to a suitable library and sufficient library resources, students cannot develop the skills and habits they need.  However, simply having a large library with many books and journals does not guarantee that students will use the library and develop their information skills.  Thus, it is important that teacher education students have the resources, opportunity to practise, and feedback on how well they are developing library and information skills. 

It takes time and money to develop a library.  Inflation, increases in the number of books and journals published, the need to buy books and journals in Turkish and other languages, and to fund technology, all place considerable strain on university budgets to fund the library.   Assessors will make some judgment about these questions. 

·          Are the books and other resources sufficient for students to develop the information skills which teachers should have?

·          Is the education faculty being treated equitably with other faculties in the university when it comes to library and information resources?

·          Are the education faculty doing their part, such as requesting books, giving assignments that call on students to use the library

·          Do students value the library and information resources?

·          Are students and staff increasing their use of Internet resources?

·          Is the university committed to improving the library overall, including in education?