Could peer review inadvertently lead to "educational malpractice"? Lessonsfrom clinical psychology

Teachers should consider developments in clinical psychology toward manuali zed, prescriptive treatments for specific diagnoses when considering recomm endations; of the American Association for Higher Education for peer review and communization of teaching. Among clinicians, evidence for the efficacy of a particular treatment can be perceived as a de facto order to use it e xclusively lest they be guilty of malpractice. Peer review and communizing of teaching may inadvertently place psychology educators in a similar Posit ion by defining courses or parts thereof as educational "diagnoses " and by delineating manualized, prescribed ways of teaching them. Like many Psycho logy practitioners, psychology teachers may feel a loss of freedom to choos e their own methods.