How can online observation support the assessment and feedback, on classroom performance, to trainee teachers at a distance and in real time?

This article reports the key findings of a project commissioned in 2005 by the UK Department for Education and Skills to consider the use of synchronous digital video for observation, feedback and assessment of teaching practice in post-compulsory education and training. A protocol for the remote observation of teaching is presented that was developed after consultation with teachers and observers. Twenty-five lessons were observed, in real time, and judgements of in-class and online observers compared. The study demonstrated that, in the conditions tested, synchronous digital observation was a viable alternative to face-to-face observation for assessment and feedback on teaching performance.