Teaching excellence has been a theme that has recently dominated discourse about higher education teaching and learning. A fundamental question to ask is: how do we best develop STEM teaching practice to ensure that sessions are effective and engaging? This paper presents a summary of a research project at the Open University that has explored the practice of tutorial and teaching observations. The paper begins with a short literature review and then summarises results and opinions gathered from a series of focus groups: two focus groups for associate lecturers and one focus group for their line manager. At the end of the paper a number of recommendations and suggestions for practice are offered. This session will be of interest for anyone who is involved in teaching development and quality enhancement.
