Direct Observation Staff developers may assess whether teachers are implementing course objectives and student outcomes subsequent to implementation. Observations can be structured or informal in nature. Structured observations will yield more reliable information. That is, different observers would report seeing similar things, and what is observed would be more consistent over different observations. Direct observations provide direct access to what is actually happening and avoid pitfalls of questionnaire information such as inaccurate reporting.
Specific descriptors help observers to make more reliable observations.
Key objectives are prioritized for evaluation of important course objectives. Observers who are familiar with program objectives can witness the program being executed and can identify where problems are occurring and provide needed consultation. Disadvantages Direct observation is very time consuming for staff developers to conduct when there are several course participants involved. For many staff development situations direct observation is not feasible. One way of getting around this problem is to have course participants schedule a time to observe each other and report back to the instructor.