Student Pedagogy Advocates

The Student Pedagogy Advocates program is designed to pair students and instructors as partners in support of enhancing teaching and learning at Purdue. The program is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, with funding from a NSF grant, and administered by the Center for Instructional Excellence.

Student Pedagogy Advocates serve as catalysts, helping instructors think through potential class structures and activities, observing and reporting back on the class, and supporting communication between instructors and students enrolled in the class. This is distinct from the role of teaching assistants, who often support the delivery or assessment of content, as the students in this program are present only to focus on pedagogy, communication, and the classroom environment.

Student advocates attend class meetings as well as meet with instructors weekly to discuss their observations and offer feedback and input. Instructors and student advocates collaborate with the program director to determine an appropriate focus for their work such as: classroom environment/structure, pedagogical transparency, and classroom conversations.

Anyone interested in participating (as a student or instructor) and/or learning more can contact Dan Guberman (dguberma@purdue.edu).