Over recent decades, peer review of teaching has become an important mechanism for improving the quality of teaching in higher education. While there is considerable international research on peer review of teaching outcomes, these are not widely reported within Australian universities. This paper reports on a systematic review of published studies examining peer review of teaching characteristics that contribute to teaching development in Australian higher education. Following a search of peer reviewed literature published over three decades, 19 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. A thematic synthesis revealed teaching development outcomes gained through peer review of teaching span factors at organisational (N = 16), program (N = 13) and individual (N = 4) levels. Organisational factors included disciplinary context, program sustainability, collegiality and leadership. Program factors included framework, program design, basis of participation, observation, feedback and reflective practice. Factors at the individual level included prior experience and participants' perceived development requirements. In addition to reporting on teaching development outcomes, some studies reported on enhanced student learning outcomes (N = 5). Improved reporting of program design in addition to validated tools to assess outcomes are required to better understand how peer review of teaching supports teaching development. The growth of peer review of teaching within Australian higher education presents an important opportunity to advance our understanding of practices influencing academic teaching development.

Social capital refers to the benefits that accrue from social connections and networks. Most frequently linked with the work of Bourdieu and Putnam, the concept has found expression in the disciplines of sociology, political science and economics. In this chapter we explore the application of social capital to tertiary education practices. Specifically we examine the ways in which bonding, bridging and linking social capital can be applied to the common academic practices of student peer mentoring and staff peer observation of teaching. Findings from a range of studies show that the explicit development of trust, reciprocity, information sharing and cooperation in student and staff networks can improve learning experiences and enhance belonging. A social capital analysis of these partnerships suggests that investing in these types of partnerships amongst students and staff offers scalable, sustainable and costeffective opportunities to strengthen tertiary education.

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