Taking time to reflect on our teaching is a good assessment practice that helps us be more intentional in our work. By asking our students about their experiences in our classroom, we can be more responsive to their needs and can make adjustments in instruction, assignments, or other assessments.

Reflection can also be a powerful practice for teaching teams that include co-instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and learning assistants. Each person brings their own experiences and observations to the conversation, which supports shared understanding of what is working and what needs to be improved.

It is important to use multiple data sources to inform reflection. This might include midcourse feedback surveys or conversations with students, end-of-semester course evaluations (CSU’s Course Survey), Canvas data, or observations from the teaching team. Course instructors may keep a teaching journal or make notes on a lesson plan after class with insights on instruction or content choices. Instructors may ask a trusted colleague to do a classroom observation and peer review of teaching.

At CSU, instructors can choose to participate in professional development programs through TILT that incorporate reflection. For the Teaching Effectiveness Initiative (TEI) faculty must submit a TEI Post Implementation Reflection Form to work towards earning each domain certificate. The Teaching Squares program includes a component of peer observation with self-reflection.