Student-Faculty Partnerships Program
Piloted in spring 2017 and supported by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, Berea’s Student-Faculty Partnerships Program brings students and faculty together to explore teaching and learning in new ways.
Based on the premises of respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility and modeled after the successful program at Bryn Mawr developed by Dr. Alison Cook-Sather (Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P., 2014), students are paired with faculty partners to engage in dialogue about the faculty members’ course-based goals. Each week, student partners use these goals as a lens for observing their faculty partner’s class meetings. Then, the pairs meet to discuss their roles and experiences as teachers and students, the observations, and students’ feedback. Student partners also participate in a quarter-credit, a semester-long course focused on deepening their understanding of pedagogy, communication, and partnership.
Early on, Center Director Dr. Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens collaborated with two Mellon-funded post-baccalaureate fellows, Mia Rybeck and Khadijah Seay, to create structures and resources for faculty and students to engage in this informed dialogue. Working closely with other stakeholders on campus, the program continues to study and share students’ perspectives on learning and model ways of partnering across common barriers. For more information, please contact Dr. Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens.
Faculty Development and Student-Faculty Partnerships are located on the main level of Hutchins Library near the circulation desk (Room 206).