Pedagogical Partnerships
“Having a student partner as a trusted ally is going to provide you with unique insights into all facets of your teaching that no formal end-of-semester evaluation form is ever going to give you. It is not only informative but also motivating and inspiring. For me it has also rekindled my joy in teaching!”
- one Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
Each semester, the CTL invites faculty to join the Pedagogical Partners Program (P3), in which a faculty member works closely with an undergraduate student partner throughout the semester on one of the faculty member's courses.
The Pedagogical Partnership Program aims to foster collaborative and inclusive learning environments where students and faculty work together to enhance teaching and learning experiences at Brandeis.
This program is an opportunity to harness student feedback and partnership to meaningfully address some of the challenges we’re experiencing in our classrooms as we work toward a “new normal” of undergraduate education post-pandemic and given the recent AI advancements. It is also a chance to think deeply about equitable and inclusive course design, explore new pedagogical approaches, or incorporate new course content.
Faculty members interested in a pedagogical partnership should (1) identify a student partner with whom they would like to work for a semester; and (2) identify a specific driving question, problem, experiment, or project they would like to pursue throughout the semester with the help of their student partner. Faculty are encouraged to do this before applying for the program.
Through this program, a faculty member and their student partner work closely throughout the semester, collaboratively exchanging ideas, experimenting with new teaching methods, and reflecting on their approaches to teaching and learning, with the ultimate goals of enhancing student classroom engagement, fostering deeper learning, and cultivating more inclusive classrooms for their students.
Application and questions
Applications for Spring 2024 are closed, but if you have any questions or if you are interested in participating in the future, please email ctl@brandeis.edu.
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In recognition of the value of this partnership and the time commitment involved, participating faculty are each paid a $1,000 stipend and student partners are each paid $1,250.
All faculty who teach undergraduate courses are eligible to apply.
The faculty member chooses their student partner, who serves as their trusted ally and consultant throughout the semester.
The student partners sit in on the course once a week and meet with their faculty partner once a week.
During the semester, the CTL supports both the faculty and student partners by meeting with the faculty partners monthly and with the student partners weekly.
Each partnership is unique, with the goal of true collaboration and mutual understanding. Some examples of past student partner work are:
- Help you brainstorm and be a constructive sounding board for your ideas;
- Offer a supportive student perspective on your class;
- Help you observe your own habits as a teacher (including everything from body language to the way you call on students);
- Help you to think through issues related to equity and inclusion in the classroom;
- Help you track in-class discussions and small group activities and discuss strategies for improving participation;
- Help you monitor blow-by-blow responses to your lectures and discuss strategies for improving engagement and attentiveness;
- Collaborate to develop “how to study, read, and succeed in this course” guides for students. (Here is an example.)
- Collaborate to design activities to make the classroom experience more active, inclusive, equitable, and engaging.
- Co-develop strategies to strengthen relationships between faculty and students.
- Collaborate to revise curricular materials (including syllabi and assignment prompts) to make them more motivating and meaningful for students.
- Identify classroom inequities and seek to understand how different students are experiencing the class, and implement ways to create a more equitable and inclusive environment for all students.
- Collect student feedback for course improvement (via classroom observations, office hours, and surveys).
- Collaborate on the development of curriculum for future courses.
- Reimagine the framing and sequence of assignments to best prepare students for a final project.
- Scaffold and fine-tune collaborative learning techniques, including informal group work and longer-term group projects.
- “I would encourage everyone to jump at the opportunity to take part in this program!”- one Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
- “This is a great resource to get quick short feedback from students but also from other faculty involved in the program. This helped me be a better instructor.”
- another Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
- “Engaging in this activity can provide you with unique insights that you may not acquire through your standard teaching methods and evaluations.” - another Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
- “The semester-long conversation with my pedagogical partners gave me much more insight on the class than any course evaluations.” - another Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
- “By using a paid student partner, I think a lot more can be achieved than if a professor aimed to do this kind of assessment and make these kinds of changes on their own.” - another Spring 2023 Faculty Partner
- “I learned so much about being a teacher and it encouraged me to continue pursuing teaching. It also made me think critically which I needed in order to form solutions. I built a strong relationship with my faculty member and I truly value the whole experience.”
- “The most positive aspects [of the program] have to be getting to work on a project that I know will positively impact future students.”
- “I was able to learn more about what it means to teach a college class which helped me with my learning skills as well.”
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Each faculty member meets with their student partner once a week (for 30-60 minutes).
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Student partners observe one of their faculty partner’s classes each week.
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Student partners meet together as a cohort each week with the CTL to reflect on strengths or possible changes that might improve instruction in their courses.
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Faculty partners meet together as a cohort once a month with the CTL to reflect on the feedback shared by their student partners and possible changes they are considering.
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The University aims to support 6 Pedagogical Partnerships each semester.
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The 6 faculty members and their 6 student partners all attend a kick-off meeting at the start of the semester to introduce the goals and mechanics of the program, establish a shared set of goals and expectations, and address any concerns.
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The 6 student partners meet once a week with the CTL throughout the semester to learn how to observe student behaviors during class, lead open listening sessions, collect data via anonymous surveys, and share their observations with their faculty members.
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The 6 faculty partners meet with the CTL three times throughout the semester to discuss how to respond to the feedback provided by the student partners.
Faculty partners should expect to spend approximately one hour per week, and student partners will spend approximately seven hours per week.
- Mentor student partners and help facilitate their reflection as they explore pedagogical practices
- Participate in a program kick-off lunch meeting and subsequent monthly Faculty Partner meetings throughout the semester.
- Meet with your student partner once a week.
- At the end of the semester, write a brief description of what you learned or developed as part of the program, and/or share what you learned or developed at the Celebration of Teaching Day.
- Participate in a program kick-off lunch meeting and weekly Student Partner meetings throughout the semester.
- Meet with your Faculty Partner once a week.
- Attend class and work together with your Faculty Partner on your pedagogical partnership project
- Spend about 6 hours per week on your pedagogical parternship work.
- At the end of the semester, write a brief description of what you learned or developed as part of the program, and/or share what you learned or developed at the Celebration of Teaching Day.
Fall 2023 Pedagogical Partnership participants
LATTE page for Fall 2023 Pedagogical Partnership
Spring 2023 Pedagogical Partnership participants
LATTE page for Spring 2023 Pedagogical Partnership