As the UTOP may be used by observers who, for research purposes, wish to remain “blind” to the educational experiences of the teacher being observed, the “Background Information” section of the UTOP does not ask for this kind of information about the teacher. Instead, this information will be collected through the use of the “Demographic Questionnaire,” discussed in Section VI.
Teacher is the name of the teacher being observed.
School is observation site.
Date of observation refers to the date of the lesson observed.
Start and end time of observation refers to the time that the observed lesson began and ended.
Date of post-interview refers to the date that the post-observation teacher interview/survey was completed.
Method of post-interview allows the observer to select how the interview/survey data was collected. NOTE: Due to time constraints in teachers’ daily schedules, it is not always possible to conduct a face-to-face interview after each observation; therefore, in Spring 2013, an electronic survey was developed and piloted.
Subject observed should be the actual name of the course being taught during the observed lesson—for example, Biology, Algebra II, Physics.
Grade level is the actual grade level of the students in the class. For example, Algebra I is often taught to 9th-grade students. If the observed class is a 9th-grade Algebra I class, then record “9th grade” for grade level. Some courses target multiple grade levels. For example, Environmental Science may be 11th- and 12th-grade students. If this is the case, record all the grade levels present in the class to the best of your ability. This information is also collected in the teacher interview.
Course level is a place to note whether the course is advanced, gifted, AP, special education, or regular education. This information is also collected in the teacher interview.
Observer is the person conducting the observation and filling out this form.