Developing Student-Centered Attitudes Toward the Classroom

Aims:

Student-centered pedagogy has become a central priority of teaching and learning articulated by the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and the Teaching Academy. As numerous ongoing programs support the practice, this content area seeks to provide instructors with resources and developmental opportunities.​​​​​​​

Goals:

The goal of this content area is to help develop instructors as practitioners of student-centered pedagogy. This begins with developing an understanding of what student-centered pedagogy is and sharing attitudes and mindsets that support the creation of student-centered learning environments. Then, it will provide tools, resources, examples, and feedback to help instructors put these ideas into practice while recognizing that creating a student-centered environment is dependent, in part, upon the context of their teaching. More broadly, these topics will serve as a space for collaboration across the numerous units (inside and external to Innovative Learning) that are contributing toward advancing student-centered pedagogical practices at Purdue West Lafayette.

Upon completing this content area, participants will be able to:

• Approach their teaching through a student-minded perspective.
• Develop assignments and activities that empower students to take advantage of their existing perspectives and experiences.
• Communicate with clarity and transparency.
• Determine appropriate teaching strategies to support student success in their class context.
• Ask critical questions of teaching methods and practices to make data-informed decisions about supporting student success.