Initial Publication Date: February 16, 2022

University of Maine/University of British Columbia/COPUS

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Peer Reviewed ✔ | Editorial Board Score: 17/18


University of Maine/University of British Columbia/COPUS

University of Maine/University of British Columbia

Contact: Michelle Smith (michelle.k.smith@maine.edu)

Part of: COPUS is used by a broad group of faculty, at a number of institutions.

About

To collect information about the nature of STEM teaching practices as a means to support institutional change, faculty at both the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Maine (UMaine) reviewed existing classroom observation programs, and developed an innovative approach. The resulting Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM or COPUS allows STEM faculty, after a short 1.5-hour training period, to reliably characterize how faculty and students are spending their time in the classroom. COPUS observations may form part of a faculty member's review, promotion, or tenure recommendation evaluation. Since publication of a paper on COPUS in a CBE Life Sciences article in 2013, many STEM professionals are applying the protocol.

More information about this initiative »

Notes from the Teaching Evaluation Repository Editorial Board

This is a journal article that shares the development and validation of the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) tool.

Additional Information

Audience: College/university staff, Teaching center staff, Departmental leaders, Graduate students & postdoctoral fellows, Undergraduate students, Student leaders, Change leaders, Faculty with long-term appointments, Faculty with short-term appointments, Institution administration, , Researchers

Level of Intervention: Course

Resource Type: Journal Article

Institution Type: R1, Public

Scale of Change: 3-5 years, Self-implemented, Redesign of teaching evaluation only

Primary Teaching and Learning Context: Multiple contexts

Framework Emphasis: SoTL frameworks

Tools/Materials for Evaluation: Observation tools (e.g., COPUS, EQUIP)

Processes for Revising Teaching Evaluation: Grassroots efforts

Research-Based Pedagogies:Multiple pedagogies