Syllabus Blues? Try Reciprocal Peer Review

Credit: iStock.com/shapecharge
Credit: iStock.com/shapecharge

For university instructors, late July and August signal the transition from flexible, grading-free weekdays into long (re)orientation sessions and faculty meetings. Amidst city buses full of brightly colored T-shirts and the U-Hauls plaguing one-way campus streets, instructors often retreat to their cramped offices to create syllabi for their fall courses. While the process can be exciting, it can also be frustrating, isolating, and exhausting. To counter some of these negative feelings, consider introducing new perspectives into your course by inviting your colleagues to review your syllabus. Peer-reviewing syllabi with colleagues can allow you to create meaningful reciprocal relationships and leverage your teaching network to improve your course.


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