Teaching Mentor Program

Peer Feedback on Teaching and Learning

The Teaching Mentor Program (TMP) gives graduate students and postdoctoral scholars the opportunity to give and receive feedback on teaching in a supportive and peer-led cohort. Participants will also receive reference letters from their peer educators that can be included in a teaching dossier.

Overview & Purpose

Note: The Teaching Mentor Program requires a $20.00 deposit in order to register. This deposit is fully refundable upon completion of the program, or if a participant withdraws from the program at least 76 hours in advance of the organizational meeting.

The Teaching Mentor Program (TMP) is a cohort-based hands-on learning experience, through which participants work with a group of 4 – 5 interdisciplinary graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to observe and offer feedback on one another's teaching. Groups meet multiple times over the course of the semester, to act as students in one another’s teaching demonstrations.

TMP generally runs twice a year in the fall and winter semesters. Admission in a given term is capped at 50 participants, so we encourage you to register early!

At the end of the program, students will have letters of recommendation from their colleagues as proof of completion.

By the end of TMP, participants will have the opportunity to

Engage with written and verbal feedback on their teaching from their peers

Provide constructive, specific, written, and verbal feedback to their peers

Apply engaging and effective teaching strategies that they have observed or learned to their own teaching

Incorporate positive written feedback from colleagues into their teaching dossier

TMP Participant Feedback

“I enjoyed attending the lectures/tutorials of my group members and learned about various active learning strategies used in different departments. The flexibility of the TMP made the program very unique and stress-free for graduate students with a lot of things on their plates. The constructive comments I received from my group members will help me design my future lectures.”

TMP Structure

The Teaching Mentor Program is largely organized and facilitated by each individual cohort, apart from an organizational meeting at the beginning, and the follow up completion review by CTL.

This program takes place over a semester, with specific scheduling for observations and final meeting set by each group. In total, the program generally takes about 9 – 12 hours.

Element	Time (hours)	Purpose
Organizational Meeting	1.5	Learn program expectations Meet and plan with your group
Peer Observations	5 - 8	Observe peer teaching Prepare written feedback and letter of recommendation
Participant Lesson	1	Share your teaching approaches through a one-hour lesson
Final Feedback Meeting	1.5	Reflect on experience with group Debrief and share written feedback

Guidelines for TMP Cohorts

In order to get the most out of your TMP experience and to support your peer colleagues, we encourage participants to engage in the following ways:

Set up your meeting schedule during the organizational meeting

Develop guidelines for how your group will engage and communicate with each other

Stay in touch throughout the semester

Prioritize holding time for your colleagues’ lessons: you must attend the organizational meeting, all peer lessons, and your final meeting in order to complete TMP

Handle conflicts respectfully and carefully – this is an essential skill in higher education and beyond

Additional Resources

While some of the following resources are for slightly different contexts (e.g., writing awards letters; writing for a student you have taught), they may be helpful when you are writing reference letters for your peers.

Centre for Learning and Teaching. Evidence from peers. Dalhousie University.

Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. Five tips for writing a strong letter of support for an award. University of Calgary.

Teaching Assistants' Training Program. Writing reference letters. University of Toronto.

Tse, Crystal (2022). “Peer Feedback on Your Teaching.” Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois Chicago. Retrieved from https://teaching.uic.edu/resources/teaching-guides/reflective-teaching-guides/peer-feedback-on-your-teaching/