Pedagogical Partnership Program

Faculty and Student Partnerships for Inclusive, Learner-Centered Teaching

Applications for faculty partners for Spring 2024 are now open.

Every semester, CELT and our student P3 leaders invite applications from faculty to partner with a student in the Pedagogical Partnership Program (P3). Though traditionally open to faculty in Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, faculty in all schools are encouraged to apply. Space for graduate-level courses may be limited.

Click here to view a list of current and past faculty partners.

What is the goal of this program?

The Pedagogical Partnership Program connects undergraduate students and faculty across departments for a semester to improve instruction and develop innovative strategies for enhancing classroom student engagement, reflect on equity, and improve learning outcomes. These partnerships are intended to alter power dynamics. They provide a unique opportunity for faculty to understand the student perspective on their instruction, and offer student partners the opportunity to constructively co-create improved learning experiences. Student-faculty partners will work together to evolve and improve pedagogy to be more inclusive, equitable, and learner-centered.

What do partners do together?

Each partnership is unique, with the goal of true collaboration and mutual understanding. Some examples of partner work have been to:

Collaborate to design activities to make the classroom experience more student-centered and engaging
Co-develop strategies to strengthen relationships with and between students
Identify classroom inequities and seek to understand how students of different identities are experiencing the class, and implement ways to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all students
Brainstorm and experiment with ways to make classrooms accessible and equitable
Elicit student feedback for course improvement
Collaborate on the development of curriculum for future courses

How does it work?

There will be a meeting and orientation to the program before the semester begins.
Each week, student partners will observe one of their faculty partner’s class sessions. Partners will meet outside of class to reflect on strengths or possible changes that might improve instruction and the learning environment.
The cohort of faculty partners will meet monthly with the program advisor, Heather Dwyer, from CELT.
The cohort of student partners will meet weekly with the student program coordinators and CELT program advisor for learning and sharing experiences.
Faculty who are unable to participate in a full partnership but who are interested in targeted student feedback on their teaching can work with the P3 Student Ambassador.

How much time will it take?

Faculty partners should expect to spend approximately one hour per week, and student partners will spend approximately seven hours per week.

What do student and faculty participants have to say about the program?

"This really made me feel seen and heard because someone was actually listening and doing something about my concerns."

"Being able to stand on equal footing with my professor was an excellent experience. I felt as though it uplifted my voice, and also inclined me to further examine the ways in which pedagogies at Tufts are imperfect."

"It’s taught me that professors are real people and it’s shown me the impact teaching has on an individual’s passions and success."

"Working with [my student partner] helped me think more deeply and consistently about the perspectives and challenges of underrepresented students, and this, not surprisingly, benefited all students."

"I felt like I gained a better perspective on the experience of being a first-generation student and the largely unspoken expectations faculty have about the skills needed to be a college student."

"This program helped me put some policies into place that got me "walking" instead of just "talking". "

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 1 Issue 37 (2022)

P3 Leaders and Partners published a series of scholarly articles on their experiences.

Photo: Alonso Nichols

Teaching Toward Equity: Opening Doors to New Dialogues

Tufts students and faculty work closely together to create a new program that fosters inclusive teaching and learning.

Photo: Christine Lee / The Tufts Daily Archives

The Tufts Daily

In New Program, CELT Pairs Students, Faculty to Address Inequity in Classrooms

October 20th, 2020

Vulnerability in the Classroom: CELT’s Pedagogical Partnership Program

January 20th, 2023