Individual Consultation, Classroom Observation, and Videotaping

The opportunity for a confidential consultation with a faculty colleague about teaching can benefit instructors at any stage of their career. To protect confidentiality, consultations and/or classroom observations must be requested by the individual faculty member. To request a consultation, please email teaching@berkeley.edu with "Teaching Consultation" in the subject line. You will be matched with an appropriate consultant. Please do not contact consultants directly.

2011-2012 Faculty Teaching Consultant Network

• Babak Ayazifar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
• Ani Adhikari, Statistics
• Terri Bimes, Political Science
• Seda Chavdarian, French
• Kevis Goodman, English
• Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Psychology (on sabbatical)
• Na'ilah Suad Nasir, Education
• Andy Packard, Mechanical Engineering
• Jeffrey Reimer, Chemical Engineering
• Sue Schweik, English

Open Classrooms

The Faculty Teaching Consultants welcome colleagues to observe their classes. Interested instructors may drop into any large enrollment course listed in the online schedule of classes that is taught by a member of the network. If you wish to visit a small seminar, please contact the consultant first to request a visit.

Consultations

Individual consultations can focus on any topic of concern or interest to you as a faculty member. If our office is not the most pertinent source, we will put you in contact with the appropriate people on campus.

Sampling of topics that are raised during consultations:

• examining trends in a particular set of evaluations;
• organizing lectures more clearly;
• redesigning a syllabus;
• determining when a syllabus is too crammed;
• engaging students in a particular topic;
• developing better exams;
• overcoming “stage fright” in a lecture course;
• dealing with a particularly difficult student or situation;
• finding ways to refresh your teaching;
• discovering new approaches to a topic.

Our office also has online materials relating to many of these topics, in the “Teaching Materials” and “Publications” sections.

Classroom Observation

As a follow-up to a consultation, faculty often ask for someone to observe their class. A faculty consultant will observe you in action in your class, and meet with you to discuss any impressions.. Usually, the faculty consultant will observe all aspects of your class, or you can discuss focusing on one single area. The Classroom Observation Checklist highlights some of the kinds of things someone observing your class might look for.

Videotaping

Our office can arrange for your class of any size to be videotaped.  You may wish simply to have the class taped and then review the tape yourself. 

However, we strongly suggest that you pair the videotaping with classroom observation and individual consultation For helpful pointers on the process of videotaping, read Watching Yourself on Videotape in Tools for Teaching.

Contact Info

To arrange for consultations, classroom observations, or videotaping, contact  teaching@berkeley.edu and use keyword "consultation" in the subject heading.