Teaching and learning are at the heart of being able to guide learners in the art of communicating and analysing data well. Whatever stage you are at in your career, there is always something new to learn, as well as engaging with opportunities to share your practice with others, as part of your own Continuous Professional Development (CPD). 

The PPI is based on reflection and supportive development, with the aim to enhance engagement and learning about teaching practice. This process will provide an opportunity to share pedagogic practices within disciplines, with a focus on statistics. The feedback process prompts all parties involved to learn from the experience as well as encouraging dissemination of excellent practices identified, further afield. PPI activities need to be useful and designed well, to ensure they benefit the users of the interaction.

This scheme can be used to support evidence of excellent teaching and learning approaches and can be included as part of the personal development review (appraisal) process. Participants could also use this interaction as evidence for promotion application processes, if appropriate.

Engaging with a PPI could also lead to the identification of excellent teaching and learning resources in the areas of statistics and data science, which could be worked up into a paper to be submitted as a peer reviewed lesson plan, or other article, in the Statistics and Data Science Educator. Excellent statistical teaching resources could also be shared on the Burwalls website, identified with a PPI.

The Peer Pedagogic Interaction (Statistics) is for anyone involved with statistical teaching and learning activities. The individual being supported as part of the process, and showing elements of their teaching and learning practice, will be called: The Reviewee. Whereas the individual providing feedback for the interaction will be called: The Reviewer. 

The scheme aims to: 

1. Provide a consistent approach to PPI

2. Provide individual feedback on learning and teaching related activities, including student assessments

3. Facilitate and encourage more practice sharing across the statistics teaching and learning community

4. Support reflection on teaching, assessment, and feedback

5. Build on and create stronger networks and professional working relationships

6. Develop and enrich learning and teaching practices 

7. Provide a process to help identify staff development and enhancement of learning and teaching 

The process should be seen as flexible, developmental, constructive, supportive, collaborative, inclusive and reflective. It is not about performance management or a way to be judgmental.  

The scheme will involve PPI of teaching, and/or associated learning resources in any areas involved in statistics. This could include a review of formative or summative assessments, or other relevant associated resources. Other PPI exchanges could be based on: Lectures, seminars, workshops/labs, written feedback, supervisory meetings involving statistics guidance (with students), integrating research involving statistics or quantitative methods into teaching, enhancing, and embedding employability skills in the curriculum, facilitating group work, designing activities for more advanced learners, and inclusive learning activities. If sessions are to be observed as part of the interaction, these can be live face to face or online, or pre-recorded teaching sessions. 

Further guidance: 

1. Participation in the scheme will be encouraged, for anyone involved with teaching and learning activities in statistics

2. Interested people will be supported to engage with the process once a year, as a reviewer and reviewee, using a common feedback template (see Burwalls PPI Form)

3. Reviewers can be chosen from different disciplines that use statistics. Burwalls will collate a register of Reviewers. 

The process should have a positive impact on participants who engage with the PPI. This could be related to:

1. Enhancing your teaching and learning skills in statistics, which could include assessment and feedback approaches .

2. Increasing your confidence in trying out new teaching and learning activities in statistics.

3. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the statistical teaching and learning community.

4. Receiving feedback on new ideas or methods you would like to try out, related to your statistical educational practices.

5. Sharing your strengths and weaknesses, identifying support to help improve, where appropriate.

The scheme will be coordinated by Burwalls, who can, if needed, support the facilitation of pairings, as well as keeping a participation record. However, colleagues can choose their own pairings if they wish to do so. A register of Reviewers, who are prepared to engage with the PPI outside their discipline, will be maintained by Burwalls. The scheme could also be used to identify more widespread needs, related to teaching and learning in statistics, that could be used to develop bespoke workshops, facilitated by Burwalls. 

For further guidance, or if you have any questions, please contact us.