Teaching is intellectual work fundamental to the University’s educational mission and requires continual adaptation, innovation, and improvement. Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) support these continual processes by bringing faculty from around the university together regularly, to engage in joint inquiry of innovative pedagogical topics and tools developed for course implementation.
The theme for this Faculty Learning Community program is Partners in Education (PiE): Student Consultant Collaborations for Course Design, Assessment, and/or Teaching Practice. PiE is an innovative approach to enhancing curriculum and classroom practice in higher education. Based on extensive research by scholars like Alison Cook-Sather, the "student consultant" partnership model offers valuable applications for:
1. course design,
2. classroom teaching practice, and
3. assessment
This model fosters and develops confidence, capacity, and empathy in faculty and students alike. Working closely together has the potential to build productively challenging, equitable, and inclusive pedagogical practice and learning environments. Reciprocity, respect, and mutual responsibility stand as guiding principles of the frames for partnership in Alison-Cook Sather, Catherine Bovill and Peter Felten’s Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching: A Guide for Faculty.
This year the PETAL FLC will be led by Writing Studies Faculty and PETAL Faculty Fellow Kimberly McGrath Moreira with PETAL Director Dr. Miriam Lipksy who piloted this pedagogical model alongside UM’s Ilene M. Dresner Presidential Distinguished Scholar Dr. Eric Mazur in the spring of 2025. Participants will meet approximately 7 to 9 times, beginning at the end of the Fall 2025 semester and continuing throughout the Spring 2026 semester. We will engage in facilitated sessions organized around important questions related to incorporating student partners into courses and/or course design process. If possible, participants should plan to attend the Faculty Showcase on Friday October 24, 2025, where Dr. Mazur will be the keynote speaker and other faculty who engaged in student consultantships will present their collaborations. Each participant will choose one or two undergraduate student partner(s) to work with them on their course re-design as part of this FLC.
Criteria for selection include:
-support of department chair
-interest in exploring and integrating a student consultant model connected to either a course re-design, assessment, and/or teaching practice
-commitment to faculty development: particularly to educate colleagues on the experience and potential value of the student consultant model to inform your teaching and learning
-openness to collegiality and exchange of new ideas, potential contributions to the community, high level of interest in developing, implementing, and sustaining innovative techniques to enhance teaching and learning
-commitment to researching and evaluating the work of your PiE focus
-willingness to partner with an undergraduate student (chosen by the faculty participant) as part of the course redesign process.
Participants who are selected for the FLC will receive a $2,000 stipend.
If you have questions about the program, please contact Miriam Lipsky (miriam.lipsky@miami.edu) or Kimberly McGrath Moreira (kmcgrath@miami.edu).
In this application, you will be asked to provide:
-Personal/contact information.
-Short responses regarding your interest in teaching and innovation.
-The current syllabus of the course you are interested in working with to incorporate the PiE model connected to course re-design, assessment, and/or teaching and learning. (will be uploaded).
-Your current CV (will be uploaded).
-Completed Academic Leadership Acknowledgement Form (included in the call for proposals) signed by your department chairperson (will be uploaded). Please DOWNLOAD a copy of this form to add your information - do not make changes on the form in the link.
Please have the documents ready prior to starting the application.
A complete application must be submitted on or before Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
