Peer faculty mentoring mediated by structured rubrics in virtual higher education settings: impact on professional development

Abstract

The expansion of online higher education has generated increasing demand for effective strategies to support faculty professional development. Among these, peer mentoring mediated through structured class observation and rubric-based evaluation has emerged as a promising practice to enhance teaching quality in virtual learning environments. This study examines the impact of a formative peer mentoring program with assigned roles implemented at an online university in Spain. A pre-experimental pretest-posttest design was applied with a sample of 90 faculty members from the School of Education. Each participant was observed by an expert mentor through the analysis of recorded synchronous online classes, using a sequential rubric designed to evaluate five key dimensions of online teaching: pedagogical design, communication, on-screen presence, instructional design and facilitation. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and qualitative coding of observations were conducted. Results showed statistically significant improvements across all evaluated dimensions, with particularly strong effects in Learning Facilitation (r = 0.891) and Communication (r = 0.820). The qualitative analysis revealed a notable reduction in corrections associated with pedagogical weaknesses, as well as increased pedagogical awareness and the adoption of more effective teaching strategies. Structured mentoring supported by professional feedback demonstrates high potential to enhance pedagogical practice in virtual environments. This study provides empirical evidence of its positive impact on faculty development and offers an institutionally feasible approach to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, engagement, and evidence-informed reflection.