As part of its commitment to enhancing teaching practice at NYU, and to the inclusion of students in shaping their own learning, the Provost’s Office launched the Student Faculty Partners Program (SFPP) in Spring ’24. The full launch will take place during the Fall of ‘24.
Building upon long-standing initiatives such as Bryn Mawr’s SaLT program (itself successfully replicated and customized at universities across the country), the SFPP has brought NYU’s unique collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit to the goal of ever-improving classroom teaching. By enabling and guiding faculty and student partnerships, the program gives faculty a greater understanding of and empathy with student perspectives, and enriches the educations of involved students as they learn effective teaching practices and gain agency in their own educational pursuits.
“I think, overall, it has been a good return on the cost investment…I know exactly how to move on and change things up in the future semesters and implement it so hopefully, you know…I’ll be able to see how that has impacted the students.”
Faculty Partner
During Spring 2024, we brought together 4 student-faculty pairs, who then engaged in a term-length collaboration. During this time, partners met regularly, observed and reviewed classes together, explored pedagogical innovations, reviewed teaching practices, gathered feedback from other students, and worked toward a revised course plan. Along the way, and perhaps most importantly, the student and faculty member each grew as both teachers and learners, and shared that growth with others.
“During the class the professor implemented the idea I suggested during our last meeting at which we discussed how to clarify some confusion about the structure of the assignment. It felt like I actually contributed to the class material delivery which is what I hoped this partnership program would eventually turn out to be.”
Student Partner
This project was one of several NYU-wide programs dedicated to improving teaching and sharing findings and practices across the university. In addition to the development of the individuals involved in the program, the Student Faculty Partners Program (SFPP) formed a portion of the teaching and learning work NYU pursues in its drive to enhance outcomes, learning, and the NYU student experience.