The course homepage is tidy, but it doesn't show the whole teaching experience. Students may be working through instructions, discussions, feedback, and connected assignments across several weeks. A useful online review needs a route through that work.
The handbook describes reviewing course design, assessment, organization, communication, and interaction. Agree on the evidence and scope before assuming one screen or one live session can represent the course.
Clarify the review's purpose and criteria
Use the applicable process and explain the course format, learning goals, and place in the program. Distinguish design questions from questions about how the course was taught.
An asynchronous course and a live online session may need different observation arrangements.
Arrange appropriate access
Follow the authorized institutional route and provide only the access and materials suitable for the review. Consider student privacy, confidential feedback, and other restrictions. Confirm how access will be handled when the review ends.
Don't substitute shared credentials or a public export for an appropriate review process.
Trace a learning sequence
Show how students encounter the topic, practice, submit work, receive feedback, and use it. Explain the relationship among the materials and activities. A reviewer should be able to see why the pieces belong together.
Check the student-facing navigation and instructions as well as the instructor's view.
Examine communication and participation with context
Look at the expectations and opportunities for interaction. Identify what suitable evidence shows about the instructor's guidance and response. The number of clicks or discussion posts alone doesn't establish the quality of participation or learning.
Respect the scope of the review and the information the reviewer may access.
Discuss findings and limitations
Ask which parts of the experience are well supported by the evidence and which remain uncertain. Separate a navigation concern, an instructional design question, and a technical issue so the next action fits the problem.
Retain the appropriate report and record a practical response through the relevant process.
Choose one module and map the path from its learning goal to practice, assessment, and feedback. Use that map to orient the reviewer. It can reveal more about the teaching than a tour of attractive pages without an explanation of how students use them.
Adapted from The New Faculty Handbook by Zafer Unal, pp. 203-206.
