With two semesters of operation complete, we collected feedback from the faculty participants of the Student Faculty Teaching Collaboration Program.
The program pairs two students with a WCU faculty member for a semester-long collaboration. Each week, the faculty member works with student collaborators to select an aspect of their teaching or course design for the two student collaborators to observe in their teaching and then provide feedback from their perspectives as students. After the students’ weekly observation, the faculty member meets with the student pair for up to an hour to debrief their observations and identify the next aspect of the course for them to observe.
The following comments about their experiences in the program come from:
- Joey Miller, Philosophy
- Rodney Mader, English
- Sandi Walz, Nutrition
- Mike Rosario, Biology
- Angela Guerriero, Music Therapy
- Ashik Ahmed Bhuiyan, Computer Science
- Roger Gatchet, Communication and Media
Working with the student collaborators in this program helped me to..
➡️ be more “present” than I’ve ever been.
➡️ be even more humble and be completely open to new ideas and adventures with students.
➡️ feel safe enough to let the student collaborators ask students questions about my teaching style, the clarity of instructions I give, and the clarity of sharing course materials.
➡️ get out of out of my head and get out of my own way.
➡️ accept compliments instead of just brushing them off. I look forward each week to having a conversation with the student collaborators. They help me think through things via a student’s perspective. For example, am I using too many props? Do the students seem engaged in course material, or did I lose their focus? Did I speak too quickly and/or loudly? Did my analogies make sense?
➡️ prioritize making my classroom as accessible and welcoming as possible. It has been great to not only have weekly feedback, but also dedicated time to discuss how the feedback can be implemented to improve my class.
➡️ recover from burnout and reconnect with my passion for teaching.
➡️ gain different perspectives on teaching and build stronger connections with students outside the traditional classroom setting.
➡️ realize that I am doing a good job of cultivating a sense of community in my classes that helps students reduce their anxiety.
➡️ see some things from a student’s perspective and get good feedback about the ways that I could make my teaching more student-oriented.
➡️ better understand how to engage a classroom in discussions. I’ve found that feedback from the collaborators has given me insights into what kinds of approaches aren’t good at generating large discussions, what approaches might be better, the effectiveness of small groups, and the importance of how I present myself during our course discussions. It’s also been helpful to see what parts of assignments and readings I need to further or more effectively explain.
Two faculty collaborators had more to say:
This program has given me a valuable perspective by allowing me to see my class through the eyes of a student collaborator. It has inspired me to redesign lessons and materials to better support student success while also refreshing my course content. The impact has extended to the other courses I teach as well.
Crazy as it may seem, I will feel a void when the student collaborators finish the semester with me. Their support, honesty, and commitment to student learning and teacher engagement will leave a void for me to fill. Sigh. I am so supportive of this initiative, and am hoping to be matched with two more student collaborators next semester!!! Please join me in keeping this initiative alive and growing. Students, student collaborators, and faculty, together, can expand this win, win, win movement.
If you are interested in participating in a future semester see the Student Faculty Teaching Collaboration Program information on the website for the registration form.
