Peer Alliance for Classroom Excellence (PACE)
The 2026 Peer Alliance for Classroom Excellence cohort will be during the 2025-2026 academic year. Registration information for those interested in participating will be posted in Fall 2025. Fill out our PACE interest form to stay in the loop!
Peer observation plays a crucial role in the continuous improvement of teaching practices. By engaging in structured observations of peers, educators can gain valuable insights into alternative teaching methods, effective classroom management strategies, and innovative approaches to student engagement.
The Peer Alliance for Classroom Excellence (PACE) program is an easy way for faculty to participate in small teams to get peer support and feedback on their teaching practices. Specifically, the goals of PACE are to:
- Promote student success by discussing practical and implementable evidence-based pedagogy.
- Adapt to the ever-evolving educational landscape by providing a space for structured peer feedback and pedagogical exploration.
- Connect faculty across campus by forming teaching teams as a community of practice.
- Expand upon teaching practices through peer observation.
There are two options for participation:
Track One (casual feedback)
Track One is designed to offer faculty the opportunity to observe other Track One faculty members’ approaches to teaching and to have their teaching observed in return in a casual and supportive environment. This is the track that was piloted in the 2024-2025 Faculty Academy for Teaching Excellence (FATE) cohort, which faculty found inspiring and validating, as well as a great way to build community.
Track Two (structured / documented feedback)
Track Two provides the same benefits as Track One, while providing structured feedback for participants. Faculty use the DTEI Peer Observation Protocol, to observe courses taught by other Track Two faculty. This protocol includes a pre-observation meeting and a post-observation debrief and ideation meeting. Written feedback will allow faculty to more deeply reflect on their own teaching practices, as well as the teaching practices of other faculty. This structured reflective practice can be used in the Reflective Teaching Statement or in preparing documents for Merit and Promotion Review.
If you have any questions, please contact Matt Mahavongtrakul.