Arcadia’s Student Pedagogical Consulting (SPC) program offers the opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate as partners, reflecting on and revising pedagogies in a liminal space. Beginning in courses in Anthropology and Biology and expanding into the English department, the SPC program has allowed students and faculty the opportunity to collaborate in new & exciting ways. Here are some types of work that students & faculty have engaged in in this program:
- Implementing anti-racist policies, practices, and approaches.
- Piloting inclusive additions to syllabi.
- Practicing in-the-moment self-reflection and course revision.
- Fostering open & honest classroom discussions.
- Developing discipline-specific student learning resources.
- Empowering student voices through student-led feedback sessions.
- Improving student engagement & retention—both within disciplines and the university at large.
Students who serve as Student Pedagogical Consultants are also invited to be CTLM Fellows and participate in other CTLM projects and monthly meetings. Arcadia and the CTLM deeply value this position and are proud to compensate students for their time and contributions as SPCs.
Get Involved
The CTLM’s goal is to see the SPC program expand into other courses and disciplines. If you are interested in participating as a student, or if you’re looking to add an SPC to your classroom, please fill out this interest form.
SPC Values
[List of Values TK]
Courses that have had SPCs:
BI101 – General Biology I
AN282- Introduction To Cultural Anthropology
AN262 -Myth, Magic, and Religion
EN219 – Banned Books
EN299 – Interpreting Literature II
EN322- British Literature
EN101 – Thought & Expression I
Portraits of Practice:
Dr. Michelle Reale (English) – “Working with pedagogical consultants was a game changer for me. It enlightened me to the possibilities that exist in the classroom when students become co-collaborators in the teaching and learning process. Literally, everybody wins.”
Dr. Matt Heitzman (English) – “I would tell someone considering bringing an SPC into their classroom that it was my most worthwhile teaching experience last year. Working with the SPCs made everything feel fresh and new -from my courses to my pedagogy. And it also helped me to see courses that I’ve taught for years through a new lens because I was seeing them as the SPCs saw them.”
Dr. Jonathan Church (Anthropology) – “I have been teaching for over forty years. If you want to begin to decolonize a course and make the classroom more inclusive, then working with a student or a group of students as equal partners in creating a scaffold and process for learning is a great start. But it is scary. Professors who are content experts, must step out of the role of expert to listen, learn, and collaborate with students. Expertise can too easily be a shield stopping professors from learning from students. Collaboration can also be scary for students. Their critical views on their learning must be translated into practical and constructive engagement not only for themselves, but for others in the class who may learn differently. You can’t just criticize; you’ve got to help make a design change. In my experience, both the professor and student learn to respect each other and become responsible for each other in much more humane ways.”
Leigh Ferrier (English) – “Working as a Student Pedagogical Consultant has been one of my favorite parts of my academic career, hands down. I have been given the unique opportunity to be a student as well a collaborator and a partner in the classroom. The experience is invaluable, and I’ve become so incredibly proud of Arcadia for valuing the feedback, questions, concerns, and criticisms of fellow students. I’ve been so lucky to be an SPC in several courses within the English department, and I can’t wait to see it expand further into more classrooms because I believe it can be a truly transformative experience.”
Tobi Tella (English) – “Getting to serve as a Student Pedagogical Consultant was an extremely unique experience, and one I really treasure as an English and Education student. Working with professors that I’d looked up to as equals rather than student and teacher all towards a common goal was empowering and taught me a lot about the planning that goes into a course. It’s a great example of how the CTLM is helping give Arcadia students truly unique experiences and really take charge of their own learning!”
Resources
- Resources for Students: TK
- Resources for Professors: TK
- Other SPC Programs: Bryn Mawr & Haverford Colleges, Columbia University, Tufts University, Ursinus, Trinity University
