The Video-Annotated Peer Review (VAPR) project addresses a growing need to support the diffusion of research-based instructional practices and to create a formative feedback process to enhance faculty development. The project is developing an asynchronous video-based peer feedback system using commercially available software to record faculty in their practice. A network of faculty members review the videos using an instrument developed to facilitate feedback. The software allows faculty peer reviewers to annotate the video with time-stamped comments, thus enabling participating faculty and their peers to identify specific instances of good practices, opportunities for improvement, and opportunities where research-based teaching approaches can be included in their classroom.
VAPR is creating an approach to faculty peer evaluation that supports the diffusion of research-based instructional practices that can be used to supplement or support student evaluations of instruction, and support student learning. This activity advances the knowledge of learning communities within the context of higher education and faculty development by integrating it with the use of educational technology and social reflexivity's support of diffusion. The evaluation and research projects are yielding findings related to the impact that peer feedback has on student learning through direct assessments used for program accreditation, general education assessments, student end-of-term evaluations, and a measure of the rate of diffusion of research-based instructional practices.
