"I am seeing the dramatic impact that this program is having on students as well. . . To be turned to as pedagogical experts has greatly enhanced their sense of their own academic and intellectual capacities."
Read Smith’s plans for the spring 2021 semester.
Current Operating Mode: GREEN
Pedagogical Partnership

Smith College professors believe that there are many ways to teach well and that all teaching is improvable. As one pathway towards improvement, the Smith College Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnership Program engages students as partners to work with faculty in the classroom over an entire semester. We imagine that there are various models that fall under this umbrella.
Spring 2021 Program
The Sherrerd Center for Teaching and Learning is pleased to relaunch our Pedagogical Partnerships Program for the Spring 2021 semester. Again, we will support a flexible model that would work well for our current circumstances. We plan to support faculty and staff teachers working in partnership with students as pedagogical partners in their classes, particularly those students who will be actively engaged with students in the course.
Spring 2021 Partnerships
Faculty Partner | Student Partner | Course |
Vanessa Adel | Sadie Buerker | SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology |
Maren Buck | Jennifer Wise | CHM 222: Organic Chemistry |
Leslie-Ann Giddings | Ahlenne Abreu | CHM 224: Introduction to Inorganic and Physical Chemistry |
Mahnaz Mahdavi | Amanda Beebe | ECO 153: Introductory Macroeconomics |
Mahnaz Mahdavi | Elsa Schenck | ECO 296: International Finance |
Narendra Pathak | Jessica Odin | NSC 230: Experimental Methods in Neuroscience |
Jeff Ramsey | Maddy Pfaff | HSC 211: Perspectives in the History of Science and Technology: Pandemics |
Kevin Shea | Ama Boamah | CHM 222: Organic Chemistry |
Notes about partnerships for faculty:
- Identify a student with whom you would like to partner. Often, these are students who have taken the course before and/or have expertise to offer.
- Identify a weekly meeting time when the student(s)/faculty partners will discuss the course.
- Decide what aspect of teaching (e.g., classes, labs, discussions, break-out rooms, group work) to focus on at the outset of the partnership. Confirm the schedule requirements.
- Contact the Sherrerd Center.
What the Sherrerd Center Will Do
- Begin the semester with a faculty/student partners event where we will share what we’ve learned about partnerships, help you set goals, and help get your partnership off to a good start.
- Begin the semester with a student-focused workshop where we will facilitate a conversation with students about pedagogy.
- Set monthly meeting times for all student partners to share their experiences in the classroom.
- Support faculty partners with consultation, monthly group meetings and informal discussions.
- Pay the students an hourly wage for their time spent with their faculty partners and in the classroom (up to 6 hours a week).
Questions?
Please email sherredcenter@smith.edu with questions and/or ideas and inquiries.
Past Partners
Faculty Partner | Student Partner | Course |
Brian Katz | Allison Quintana | MTH 153: Introduction to Discrete Mathematics |
Alicia Grubb | Mariah White | CSC 111: Introduction to Computer Science Through Programming |
Jack Loveless | Clara Brill-Carlat | GEO 241: Structural Geology |
Roisin O'Sullivan | Yuqi (Iris) Wei | ECO 375: Seminar: The Theory and Practice of Central Banking |
Kevin Shea and Leslie Nickerson | Marva Tariq and Ahlenne Abreu | CHM 222: Chemistry II: Organic Chemistry |
Jon Caris and Tracy Tien | Morgan Jones | IDP 109: Aerial Imagery and Cinematography (fall 2020) |
David Gorin | Akilah Williams | CHM 222: Chemistry II: Organic Chemistry |
Faculty Partner | Student Partner | Course |
Lily Gurton-Wachter | Meaghan Haff | English 237: Environmental Poetry and Ecological Thought |
Dawn Fulton | Shukang Liu | FRN 230: Women Writers of Africa and the Caribbean |
Yanlong Guo | Gwen Jones | ARH 200: China in Expansion |
Susan Sayre | Diana Umana | ECO 150: Introductory Microeconomics |
Tina Wildhagen | Dionna Jenkins | SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology |
Faculty Partner | Student Partner | Course |
Laura Jensen | Shukang Liu | FRN 101: Accelerated Beginning French I |
Simon Halliday | Gwen Jones | ECO250: Intermediate Microeconomics |
Michelle Joffroy | Endi Mato | LAS 150: Introduction to Latin American Studies |
Bosiljka Glumac | Diana Umana | GEO 232: Sedimentary Geology |
Adrián Gras-Velázquez | Maeve Porter Holliday | SPN200: Intermediate Spanish |
Sujane Wu | Yasmine Vera | EAL 231: The Culture of the Lyric in Traditional China |
Faculty Partner | Student Partner | Course |
Ginetta Candelario | Kennedy Guest-Pritchett | SOC 213: Race and National Identity in the United States |
Erica Tibbetts | Rose Silverman | ESS 200: Sport: In Search of the American Dream |
Nathan Derr | Emily Bellanca | BIO 132: Cells, Physiology and Development |
Simon Halliday | Emily Olmos-Govea | ECO 220: Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics |
Gary Felder | Zoe Hildenbrand | PHY 210: Mathematical Methods of Physical Sciences and Engineering |
Faculty Partner |
Student Partner | Course | |
Susan Sayre | Jeny Kwon | ENV 311: Interpreting and Communicating Environmental Information |
|
Gary Felder | Taré Suriel | PHY 117: Introductory Physics I | |
Kelly Anderson | Caty Seger | FYS 179: Rebellious Women | |
Shannon Audley | Jocelyn Yax | EDC 235: Child and Adolescent Growth and Development | |
Elizabeth Klarich | Rose Silverman | ANT 135: Introduction to Archaeology | |
Jamie Worms | Emily Bellanca | LAS 201: Colloquium in Latin American and Latino/a Studies: Landscapes of Work, Wealth and Power: The Economic Geography of Latin America | |
Rick Millington | Nybria Acklin | FYS 192: America in 1925 | |
Benita Jackson | Beverly Lipsey | PSY 240: Colloquium: Health Promotion |
Faculty Partner |
Student Partner | Course | |
Joyce Palmer-Fortune | Erin Garofolo |
PHY 117: Introductory Physics |
|
Barbara Kellum | Kasch Meier |
ARH 285: Great Cities: Pompeii |
|
Jennifer Guglielmo | Cecelia Lim & Maria Perez | HST 383: Research in United States Women's History | |
Leslie King |
Tare Suriel |
SOC 232: World Populations | |
Rick Millington | Michaella Mentu | ENG 199: Methods in Literary Study |
What Do Faculty Partners Say?
"As faculty members discover how rewarding it is to have a pedagogical partner, soon every faculty member will want to have one."
"Working with a pedagogical partner has pushed me to reflect deeply on my teaching in real time throughout the semester—not just once my course evaluations have been submitted at the end of the semester."
What Do Student Partners Say?
"From discussing growth mindset to figuring out ways to get students more engaged, I’ve ended this semester feeling way more accomplished than I originally expected."
"My ability as a student has grown and will continue to grow thanks to this partnership."
"As the program spreads at Smith, it will benefit both the individuals involved in the partnership and the community as a whole."