Calling all faculty who teach undergraduates! What is it like to be a learner in the Columbia classroom?
Find the answer to this question and more.
What is the Students as Pedagogical Partners initiative?
The CTL has launched Students as Pedagogical Partners (SAPP), its first initiative to be co-facilitated by undergraduate students, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to bring together faculty and students to work together towards transforming teaching and learning at Columbia.
Why?
Including the learner perspective, their insights, and experiences, into discussions on pedagogy provides a unique opportunity for faculty to reflect on their teaching with learners in mind.
How will it work?
While originally scheduled to host three in-person events for faculty, the SAPP initiative has transitioned to an online format. CTL staff and the student consultants have partnered to develop online resources and provide helpful feedback and reflections on their online learning experiences for faculty
Who are the 2020 Undergraduate Student Consultants?
The CTL has hired seven Undergraduate Student Consultants on Teaching and Learning from across campus. Meet them below and read why they were drawn to the SAPP initiative.
Resources
Learner-Centered Teaching: The student consultants and CTL staff developed a resource for faculty on learner-centered teaching.
Remote Learner-Centered Teaching: Developed by the student consultants and CTL staff, this resource considers Weimer’s (2013) five key changes to practice learner-centered teaching, adapted to the context of the remote classroom.
Student Reflections and Feedback
Reflections on Week 1 of Remote Learning: The student consultants reflected on their initial experiences with remote learning and shared insights from their first full week of online classes.
Inclusive Teaching and Learning Online: We asked the student consultants to share their thoughts and experiences with inclusive teaching and learning online so far this semester. Here is what they wrote.
Remote Teaching and Learning: Three Learners’ Perspectives on Inclusion: Three student consultants reflected on their experience with online inclusive teaching and learning, and provided questions and suggestions for faculty.
Mae Butler
Sophomore,
Columbia College
“Classrooms are really powerful sites for inclusion and transformation. I am excited to participate in SAPP because I want to support the people on our campus who take on the important work of advocating — from professors to grad students — and help them create inclusive and fulfilling learning experiences for their students and themselves.”
Donian Chyong
Junior,
Columbia College
“I applied to the initiative as a unique way of giving back to the Columbia community, and as a way to use my background in research and experimental design to help create better ways to learn on campus.”
Haya Ghandour
School of Engineering and Applied Science
“This initiative presented an opportunity to engage with the pedagogical methods at Columbia and advocate for more inclusive learning spaces. I found the SAPP initiative as a chance to hopefully influence my learning at Columbia and to become more educated on inclusive and accessible learning.”
Jennifer Lee
Junior,
Columbia College
“I was excited by the possibility of more direct dialogue between students and professors about creating inclusive and equitable learning environments.”
Nicole Lyons
Junior,
General Studies
“Undergrad involvement like this is both rare and incredibly important. I really want to help change…how students with disabilities or outside factors are understood by professors.”
Samatha McAlvey
Sophomore,
General Studies
“I come from a family of teachers, and during my service in the US Air Force, I was heavily involved in teaching and training so I know how much of a difference good pedagogy can make. The SAPP initiative is a chance to make a real difference in the college experience of countless students, and faculty too.”
Kalisa Ndamage
Junior,
School of Engineering and Applied Science
“I’ve had amazing learning experiences and unpleasant ones too. I’ve always been interested in what factors kept me more engaged in one lecture over another. Therefore, this was a great opportunity to both explore those factors and subsequently apply them to shift the scale, making the majority of my educational experiences positive.”