Instructor-Student Pedagogy Partnership (ISPP) Program
The Center for Teaching and Learning is piloting a new Instructor Student Pedagogy Partnership (ISPP) program.
Call for Instructor Participation
- Are you curious about how students perceive your teaching?
- Do you value feedback that leads to real change in the classroom?
- Would you like to build stronger connections and trust with your students?
- Are you open to new ways of thinking about aspects of your instruction based on student insight?
- Do you want to enhance your teaching in a way that aligns with your growth as an educator?
We are currently seeking instructors to partner with undergraduate students to gain feedback on their teaching practices in Spring Quarter 2026. Demonstrated benefits or participating in the program include increased rapport between students and instructors and shared responsibilities in learning.
Quarterly commitments include: one 30-minute orientation, five Student Partner observations of one class, debrief meetings with your student partner after each observation.
Complete the expression of interest form by Friday, March 6, 2026, to join the ISPP.
About Instructor Student Pedagogy
This program is modeled after the well-established Bryn Mawr Students as Learners and Teachers (SaLT) program led by Stanford alum, Alison Cook-Sather, which has become one of the longest-running educational partnership programs globally.
ISPP is intended to formalize the role of students in contributing their perspectives and experiences to the classroom experience. Cook-Sather, et, al. (2014) characterizes ISPP as “a collaborative, reciprocal process through which all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization, decision making, implementation, investigation, or analysis” (pp. 6-7).
ISPP at CTL
At CTL we follow the SaLT model by partnering instructors with undergraduate students to gain feedback on the student experience in introductory undergraduate courses. Students develop skills in observation and feedback protocols and meet with the instructor after each observation to discuss potential methods to improve the student experience. Students also meet with CTL staff on a regular basis.
The pilot began in Winter 2025 and will continue in the Spring 2026 quarter. Instructors or students who have questions about participating in the 2025–26 academic year may email the director of the ISPP program, Cathy Gastelum, at cathyg@stanford.edu.
Testimonial from a Stanford ISPP Instructor
The Instructor Student Pedagogy Partnership program was a wonderful way for me to learn more about the student perspective both inside and outside the classroom. Each time my student partner attended one of my lectures, we would meet immediately afterwards to talk about her observations on how the lesson was received by the students, what they had found challenging with the presentation or topic (including when she was previously a student), and how we might adjust future lessons and course pacing. Their perspective was especially beneficial during a time when students are facing various external challenges, including the integration of Generative AI into their studies. We both found the experience rewarding and would gladly participate again!
References
Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: A guide for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.