Observation and Giving Feedback Management Course

The IH Observation and Giving Feedback Course will give you the skills and strategies you need to manage observation and feedback successfully in your school. In 6 weeks, this course will help academic managers and teacher trainers explore different observation types and the ways in which you can give feedback to your teachers.

Choose your dates and apply for this Observation and Giving Feedback course now! >>

Who is it for?

This course is for you if:

You are an Academic Manager or Teacher Trainer who wishes to develop and broaden your knowledge of observation and feedback and ensure the effectiveness of observation in your context;
You want a course that gives you a range of practical ideas as well as a theoretical grounding in the topic;
You want to discuss issues and solutions with other managers and with a course tutor, networking within a global community.
You are a Senior Teacher in any context and would like to support the management team with teacher observations and feedback.

The course requires a minimum English language level of C1. The course can be taken by managers working in a language school context in any department e.g. DOS, Teacher Trainers and Senior Teachers.

Content

This is a 6-module course, delivered asynchronously entirely online via our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) site.

During the course you will:

The Role of Observation. Teachers' and managers' views on the observation process. The role of observation in your organisation.
Types of observation. Which ones are/aren’t used in your organisation. Reasons for teacher resistance to observation.
Effective Teaching. Evaluate what you think makes a ‘good’ teacher. What is effective teaching in your context and how to make criteria to measure effective teaching.
Stages of Observation. And what might affect these stages. Before, during, and after. What might happen at each stage.
Oral Feedback. Different ways of dealing with difficult feedback. Create a resource bank of oral feedback phrases.
Written Feedback. What should/shouldn’t be included? Assessing different types of formats for written feedback.

The course introduced me to the concept of “unobserved observations”, which we are now putting into practice as a valuable development opportunity encouraging more experienced teachers to hone their reflective abilities. - Antoinette, Switzerland

Structure

The course is an asynchronous online course. It is designed this way so that you can access the material whenever it suits you. You don't have to log on at a certain time which means that wherever you are in the world the time difference is never an issue.

A new module is covered each week and the material for that module is provided over the course of the week. You are given tasks to do both in groups and individually. The discussion forums are a great opportunity to share ideas and learn from your peers on the course. It is advisable to log on regularly so that you keep up to date with the ongoing discussions. The tutor also logs on frequently, to monitor the discussions and give you guidance and support.

Read more about why Observation and Giving feedback is important for organisations and teachers and what our Alumni think about this course https://ihworld.com/news-blog/ih-blog/observation-and-giving-feedback-why-is-it-important/

Assessment

Your tutor marks your tasks as the course progresses and there is the opportunity to resubmit if necessary. Participants are expected to submit a minimum of 70% of the tasks. At the end of the course there is a final assignment which pushes you to reflect on what you have learnt during the course. The assignment along with your tasks makes up the portfolio that is submitted electronically to the IHWO Assessment Unit. Your tutor is on hand for support throughout. The final grade is a pass or fail. Portfolios are submitted two weeks after course completion.

You can find out about the certificate you will receive here.

Course Tutor

The course is delivered by an expert tutor and the number of participants ranges from 8 to 12. Our tutors are all experienced managers with many years of experience working in language schools as well as online training experience.

See what course tutor Maureen McGarvey has to say about observation and feedback and how this course could help you in this blog article.

Time commitment

It depends on the individual, but we recommend a minimum of 7 to 10 hours per week spent online and doing tasks. Your study hours are flexible, but some tasks require group input and have set deadlines. The more time you can devote to the course, the more you will gain from it.

Read our IH OTTI FAQs >>

Take this course as part of the IH Diploma in Academic Management

If you want to deep dive into fine-tuning a range of language education management skills and be a stand-out candidate for your next job application, consider taking the IH Diploma in Academic Management. The IH Diploma is 5 Courses in Academic Management + Action Research Project to be completed over two years.

It is a comprehensive programme designed to support and equip managers in language education to perform better, make more assured decisions and feel confident in approaching issues in their organisation. Learn more about the IH Diploma here,

What is special about this course?

What participants really value in this course is the online community, the opportunity to share best practices and discuss experiences they have had with peers from all over the world. Plus the expert input from their knowledgeable tutor.

Attending the IH Observation and Giving Feedback course was a really valuable experience for me as I had the opportunity to discuss with Academic Managers around the globe and to challenge and question my own practices on observation and giving feedback. - Tanya, Greece, Tanya has completed the 5 necessary modules for the full diploma

Is there a reading list for the module?

The course reading is provided during the module, with additional resources provided by the tutor as required.

Course dates

5th July - 16th August 2025 (plus two weeks for the final assignment and to prepare your assessed portfolio)
1st November - 13th December 2025 (plus two weeks for the final assignment and to prepare your assessed portfolio)

*The course fees stated are exclusive of 20% VAT. VAT will be added to the fee if it is paid by a business or individual located in the UK.

Course fees must be paid in full prior to the start date.

Discounts cannot be used in conjunction with each other.

How do you apply?

Choose your dates and fill in the online application form, which is sent directly to us. You will have to answer some basic questions about your qualifications and experience, but there is no need to submit any documents or proof of language level.
We will review your application and get in touch if we have any queries.
Once your application is approved, we will send you a payment link to pay for the course via debit/credit card.
Once the payment fee is paid (by your or your employer) we will confirm your place on the course.
A few weeks before the start date we will send your login details, and you can access the platform / VLE to familiarise yourself with how it works before the course starts. We will also send you any pre-module reading materials.

There is no deadline for applying, but once we have 12 people confirmed on a course, then it is full – so it is better to send your application form in as soon as you’re interested, to secure a place on the course!
We create each new course specially for the participants, and so we need to close applications on the Wednesday before the course begins to give us time for this.

Fees

Fees £385 ( IH staff £327)*