TEACHING OBSERVATION POLICY
1.0 Definitions
1.1 The following words and expressions shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them:
1.1.1 Academic Members: Faculty Members and Instructional Members.
1.1.2 Academic Professional Development: Planned activities and events that provide for and contribute to the personal and professional improvement of Academic Members, and are intended to help Academic Members improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.
1.1.3 Applied Learning: A process where learners actively use or apply their knowledge, skills, and concepts in real-world situations or practical contexts, emphasizing hands-on experience, problem-solving and decision making, allowing students to understand how theoretical knowledge connects to actual practice.
1.1.4 Co-Curricular: Activities, Programs and learning experiences that complement what Students are learning in the classroom. Co-curricular activities are typically, but not always, defined by their separation from academic Courses as well as the promotion of personal and/or professional growth and development.
1.1.5 Conflict of Interest: A situation where a person has an actual, perceived, or potential personal, professional, or financial interest or commitment, that may affect the conduct of his/her duties and responsibilities, or unduly influence or compromise his/her professional judgment in exercising their duties.
1.1.6 Curricular: Courses of study offered by the University.
1.1.7 Experiential Learning: A process of learning by doing, involving gaining knowledge and skills through direct experiences, and then reflecting on those experiences to gain insights and deepen understanding.
1.1.8 Faculty Members: Members of the Teaching and/or Research staff, whether on part-time or full-time contracts, holding the following ranks: Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer/Senior Technical Instructor, or Lecturer/Technical Instructor.
1.1.9 Formative Observation: Developmental in nature, aimed at providing feedback for the improvement of Teaching practices. The results are primarily used by the Academic member for their professional growth.
1.1.10 Instructional Members: Members of the Teaching staff, whether on part-time or full-time contracts, holding the following titles: Assistant Lecturer/or Workshop/Lab/Clinical Instructor, Assistant Technical Instructor, Trades Technical Instructor, or Teaching Assistant.
1.1.11 Observer: An Academic Member who observes another Academic Member’s Teaching and provides feedback.
1.1.12 Program: A prescribed set of Courses leading to a qualification, including a Certificate, Diploma (2 years), Advanced Diploma (3 years), Bachelor, Post Graduate Diploma, Master, or Doctorate, according to the Qatar National Qualifications Framework.
1.1.13 Semester: A division of an Academic Year where a Student is enrolled in a Course(s) followed by an examination period.
1.1.14 Student: A person who is presently enrolled at the University in a Credit Course or who is designated by the University as a Student.
1.1.15 Student Engagement: The active participation of Students in planned Curricular and Co-curricular activities that are intentional and supportive, resulting in an improved learning experience for Students.
1.1.16 Summative Observation: Performance related evaluation, often used for probation review, Academic Appraisal and/or Academic Promotion.
1.1.17 Teaching: The delivery of theoretical and/or practical instruction for the purpose of Student learning and development, that is generally organized by disciplines and/or interdisciplinarity of study and administered within an established mode and timeframe.
1.1.18 Teaching and Learning: The delivery of practical or theoretical instruction for the purpose of Student learning and development, that is generally organized by disciplines of study and administered within an established model and timeframe.
1.1.19 Teaching Observation: The delivery of practical or theoretical instruction for the purpose of Student learning and development, that is generally organized by disciplines of study and administered within an established model and timeframe.
1.1.20 University: University of Doha for Science and Technology established by Emiri Resolution No. 13 of 2022.
1.2 Where the context requires, words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice-versa.
1.3 Where a word or phrase is given a particular meaning, other parts of speech and grammatical forms of that word or phrase have corresponding meanings.
2.0 Policy Purpose
2.1 The purpose of this policy is to set forth the standards for Teaching Observation in the University, ensuring that it is applied to all relevant Academic Members in a fair and consistent manner.
3.0 Policy Scope
3.1 The policy applies to all full-time Academic Members engaged in Teaching.
4.0 Policy Statement(s)
4.1 Teaching Observation is conducted as a constructive, confidential, and collaborative process, that aims to foster a shared culture of excellence and continuous improvement through supportive feedback, reflective dialogue, and the exchange of evidence-based practices.
4.2 Teaching Observation will result in recommendations regarding the improvement of quality of Teaching and Learning at the point of delivery, and the promotion of Student learning.
4.3 Teaching Observations will be conducted for both Formative Observations, which support Academic Professional Development, and Summative Observations, which provide evaluative feedback for performance reviews.
4.4 Teaching Observation will include the formal documentation of an Academic Member’s classroom performance through a Teaching Observation report, to be submitted to the relevant Dean or Academic Manager to support instructional quality assurance and continuous improvement.
4.5 All Teaching Observations should consist of a minimum of four (4) steps:
4.5.1 Pre-Observation meeting;
4.5.2 Observation;
4.5.3 Post-Observation meeting and feedback;
4.5.4 Self-reflective action plan.
4.6 Pre-observation meeting, observation, post-observation meeting and feedback, and self-reflective action plan assess the below key areas per the guidelines established in the relevant Teaching Observation Procedure (PR-AC-25):
4.6.1 Applied and Experiential Learning;
4.6.2 Communication;
4.6.3 Student-Teaching relationships;
4.6.4 Classroom management;
4.6.5 Student Engagement and motivation.
4.7 Teaching Observation is a required process for Academic Members during their probationary period.
4.8 Teaching Observations are conducted regularly to ensure alignment with institutional standards and to promote ongoing Teaching excellence.
4.9 Prior to the start of the Semester, the Vice President, Academics will establish deadlines for the Teaching Observation process, as defined in the relevant Teaching Observation Procedure (PR-AC-25).
4.10 The University is committed to addressing Conflicts of Interest in Teaching Observation to maintain integrity and professionalism. Academic Members who identify or have concerns about a potential or actual Conflicts of Interest must report it, and the matter will be reviewed and resolved in accordance with the Teaching Observation Procedure (PR-AC-25) and any other relevant procedures.
5.0 Procedures
5.1 The Vice-President, Academics will ensure that procedures are developed for the execution of this policy, and are implemented accordingly.
6.0 Related Documents
6.1 PL-AC-11: Academic Professional Development Policy.
6.2 PL-AC-28: Teaching and Learning Policy.
6.3 PR-AC-25: Teaching Observation Procedure.