University Teaching and Learning Commons | Resources | Teaching Effectiveness | Evaluation of Teaching Frameworks & Processes
Evaluation of Teaching Frameworks & Processes
Teaching Effectiveness Frameworks, founded in research on the evaluation of teaching, are helpful templates for developing unit-level processes. Additionally, the Association of American Universities (AAU) with partnering universities have developed resources and guides for establishing an Evaluation of Teaching Process that can support unit-level work.
Review the UTLC’s February 2025: Teaching Effectiveness Frameworks and Rubrics Workshop
Important Questions To Consider
Developing an Evaluation of Teaching Process should center on the unit’s values and goals for teaching. The Teaching Effectiveness Workgroup developed common questions for unit consideration that may assist in plan development:
- What are the strategic teaching goals of the unit in support of student success?
- How is each component of the assessment weighted in the process? Are they all weighted equally? Or do specific elements have more weight in alignment with unit-level teaching goals?
- How does ongoing professional development of teaching factor into the evaluation process? Is it accounted for or encouraged?
- What strategic points of transition (i.e., new faculty, pre-tenure, new course) accounted for or supported in the process?
- How are graduate teaching associates/assistants evaluated or present in the process?
- Peer Review:
- Who is eligible to conduct peer reviews and peer observations? Does it have to be a peer of equal or higher rank? Can someone from another unit (e.g., the UTLC or other department) conduct the peer review?
- What are the shared guidelines used by peer reviewers in your unit? What should they be looking for in course or LMS observations, and how are other important course components, such as the syllabus, student feedback, or student work products included?
- How will the results of the peer review or observation be recorded and shared with the faculty member? The UNC System policy and UNCG policy require that the review have a written output allowing the reviewed faculty member the opportunity to respond.
- How often will the peer review or observation be conducted? Note that units can require more frequent reviews than the UNCG policy mandates, but not less.
- Course Evaluations should be aligned with the UNCG Policy on Course Evaluations and Student Rating of Instruction. Units should consider how course evaluation data will be used to support the faculty member’s growth and professional development.
- Self-Assessment: What should be included in a self-assessment of teaching? Is this the best place for faculty to respond to their course evaluations and peer feedback, or is another mechanism needed? Should self-assessments include reflections on their teaching practice and the impact of their annual professional development activities related to teaching?
FrAmeworks & Resources for Process Development
New Release: Open Access Resources
Documenting Teaching Effectiveness
Looking for actionable strategies and examples for documenting teaching? This recent release (Summer 2025), open-access book brings together experts from across Faculty and Educational Development to explore aspects of teaching effectiveness from dossiers to frameworks.
Transforming Higher Education-Multidimensional Evaluation of Teaching
The TEval (Transforming Higher Education-Multidimensional Evaluation of Teaching) project was developed as a partnership between University of Kansas (KU), University of Colorado (CU), University of Massachusetts (UMass), and the Association of American Universities (AAU). Each university provides a guide for developing aspects of a teaching evaluation process (featured below). The TEval site offers a wealth of resources on scholarship on teaching evaluation, protocols for the process, and tools for each input of the evaluation process.
Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness
The TEval (Transforming Higher Education-Multidimensional Evaluation of Teaching) project was developed as a partnership between University of Kansas (KU), University of Colorado (CU), University of Massachusetts (UMass), and the Association of American Universities (AAU).
University Of Kansas
The Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness was developed at KU and tested by CU and UMASS. The Benchmarks provides guidance on document teaching, peer review process, templates for departmental review committees, frameworks for mentoring, and templates for completing annual reviews.
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado developed Transforming Teaching Evaluation: A Toolkit of Resources for Departmental Level Change. Based on the Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness, the toolkit focuses on department-level tools for implementing rubrics, step-by-step department guides, and peer observation protocols.
UMass Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Guide for Implementing Holistic Teaching Evaluations for academic departments. The guide provides analysis templates, criteria for proficiency in key teaching areas, templates for organizing and assess evidence, “step-wise” process for implementation, and potential timelines.
Critical Teaching Behaviors
Critical Teaching Behaviors Research
The Critical Teaching Behaviors (CTB) framework provides a scholarly-based approach to documenting and evaluating teaching for the purposes of annual review and promotion and tenure.
Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, documenting, u0026amp; Discussing good Teaching
The framework, background research, and examples of structured application are outlined in the 2023 book of the same name by Barbeau and Cornejo Happel.
Critical Teaching Behaviors Worksheets
Barbeau and Cornejo Happel developed a set of worksheets for deploying the framework, teaching observation, and instructor reflection.
Implementing a Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (IFATE)
Implementing a Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (IFATE) was developed by scholars at Boise State and has been used by institutions across the country. The process for developing the framework and the implementation of the framework are documented in Establishing a Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (Simonson, et al., 2021). The article provides background literature on the evaluation of teaching, multiple models, and a formalized framework.
Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (IFATE)
Framework for Assessing Teaching Effectiveness (IFATE) developed at Boise State, IFATE seeks to define effective teaching practice that is learner-centered and integrates multiple dimensions of measurement. The model is aimed at continuous formative feedback for professional growth.
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Scholarship on Teaching Frameworks
Shawn Simonson visited UNCG in spring 2024 and provided resources on framework development, the process for collecting evidence, and reflective teaching practice. He also provided a brief snapshot of literature related to Teaching Frameworks.
Holistic Teaching Evaluation Framework
Holistic Teaching Evaluation Framework
Developed at the University of Virginia, the Holistic Teaching Evaluation Framework focuses on four primary domains of teaching: “Classroom” teaching, non-classroom teaching, reflection & continuous growth, teaching service & scholarship.
Quick link to Detailed Framework
UVA offers a pdf of the Framework with detailed definitions and examples for each domain and subdomain.
Other Frameworks
Elements of Effective Teaching
Developed by the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State, the Elements of Effective Teaching provides shared language for defining effective teaching and encourages the use of multiple inputs for the evaluation of teaching.
Quality of Teaching Standards
The University of Oregon’s Quality of Teaching Standards focuses on four standards: professional, encompassing, engaged, and research-informed. The framework and process is aimed at continuous teaching improvement using multiple inputs.
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Framework For Teaching Assessment
The University of Iowa has been a leader in Teaching Assessment for nearly a decade. They offer resources on instructor self-narratives, collecting student work products, mid-course evaluations and more.
Center for Research on Learning and teaching (CRLT)
The University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) is the oldest faculty and educational development unit in the United States and has long been a leader in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. CRLT served as the external research evaluator for the TEval project, but offers several resources from their own research on the process of teaching evalution.
Resources on Inputs
CRLT has a number of resources on peer review, student feedback, and self-assessment. Starting with an overview of scholarship in the area and framed from how to collect evidence, CRTL can be helpful as you develop processes for collecting data/evidence of teaching effectiveness.
Assessment Data
CRLT provides resources and processes for documenting learning, including direct and indirect learning, evidence of engaged learning, and more.