This is the second post in our three-part series reflecting on our student-faculty partnership. As described in prior literature, our partnership focused predominately on process-oriented questions related to pedagogy and classroom experiences, and not product-oriented changes to the course or curricula (Felten and Kupatadze 2026). This post will explain our approach to the course, outline how students seemed to respond, and offer recommendations to others interested in pedagogically based student-faculty partnerships.  

Elon University is a national leader in undergraduate education and has an institutional ethos of student-centered engaged learning (Felten and Lambert 2020). Numerous structures support engaged learning, including small class sizes, classrooms designed to support active learning, and a 4-credit-hour structure to support more opportunities for engaged learning.  

Our partnership capitalized on our varying perspectives and allowed us to understand student engagement using different streams of information, such as Ella’s observations of students’ contributions (as a Pedagogical Partner), Olivia’s management of group work (as a Teaching and Learning Apprentice), and Dr. Perkins’ understanding of student interactions with assignments, although we want to note that students’ grades or performance in the course was not discussed at any time in our partnership.

Engaged Learning in Our Course 

Ella Negley & Olivia Guarino:  Dr. Perkins worked to create a dynamic in which she served as a facilitator rather than a disseminator of knowledge by making our section a flipped-style course. Students had to take ownership of their learning in preparing for class, which then facilitated group activities and discussions in class. This approach aligns with fundamentals of feminist pedagogy, which has core principles of challenging instructor-student hierarchy, facilitating critical consciousness, and valuing student experience and knowledge (Robinson-Kellig et al. 2014).  

Our emphasis on “process over product,” with more opportunities for student engagement and interaction during class, can empower students to view themselves as viable and legitimate sources of knowledge (Sinacore and Boatwright 2005; Shackelford 1992). Dr. Perkins attempted to move the classroom into an emotional space where everyone was equal, so they could speak their mind freely without judgment. This approach challenges the instructor-student hierarchy by encouraging students to take an active role in their learning and not solely conform to the instructor’s knowledge base (Robinson-Kellig et al. 2014).  Although attendance was not graded, engagement was absolutely necessary. Similarly, we prompted many opportunities to help students examine their personal experiences, look for connections to the content, and reflect deeply about their work.  

Challenges 

Ella: The first challenge we faced related to balancing principles of respectful or feminist pedagogy [with] student engagement. I often noted a lack of engagement during lectures in my observations, but we had to consider our goal of counteracting traditional classroom roles. Many students are familiar with professors who use their position of authority to cold-call them when they seem unengaged, force students to close their laptops, assign pop-quizzes when it seems students are unprepared, or use other more punitive pedagogical approaches. Instead, we frequently discussed ways to hold students accountable for their own learning [by] using more feminist approaches. 

Olivia: For example, we explored research on self-determination theory (SDT) and managing students’ digital distraction. Undergraduates feel they should have autonomy to decide whether and how to use their devices during class, and feel their autonomy is restricted when instructors impose rigid rules (Redner et al. 2020). With this in mind, we discussed how to curb off-task device usage in the classroom without perceived threats to students’ autonomy, as the SDT framework emphasizes students’ need for autonomy to feel motivated and encouraged to learn (Ryan and Deci 2000, 2020). These discussions underscored the challenge of balancing our goal of moving away from a traditional classroom hierarchy and simultaneously holding students accountable for their learning.  

Ella: Another area we faced challenges centered on students’ reluctance or under-preparedness to contribute to the generation or co-construction of knowledge. For example, I noticed moments when students seemed to resist arriving at solutions on their own and wanted confirmation they had the “right” answer. I wondered whether the students had an intense fear of being wrong or if their lack of response was more related to engagement. For example, there were many times Dr. Perkins’ questions to the class were met with silence. From this, she rephrased or altered the question sometimes multiple times until someone raised their hand (see example in Table 1).  

Time	Observation	Reflection
3:16 3:17	The professor starts to explain collective experiences and cultural experiences The prof asks how authors respond to these racism stresses -Nobody responds The prof borrowed the question and then asked ways people in general cope -Nobody responds The prof then narrowed the question even further and asked how do YOU cope -Girl who talked prior responds -Another person who talked before adds on	This is by far probably the most interesting point from the class period. There is a lot to take about what people want to comment on. Nobody wants to talk about racism and how someone experiencing that may feel, nobody wants to speculate on how other people may cope with things, and finally people felt more comfortable talking about themselves, but even those people were ones who had talked before, like what I said earlier about getting that ball rolling. Also this reminds me of at the very beginning of class when the guy sitting in the back shared about his differing perspectives from his own family and how that is definitely about more controversial topics and race, but still very personal. So I wonder how does one get people to be comfortable talking about experiences they haven’t encountered because of their race or gender identity.

Assignment Case Study

Olivia: We also introduced an assignment designed to encourage students to participate in their own knowledge creation. The assignment used photo voice methodology, which aligned with our teaching goals and feminist pedagogy principles (Robinson-Kellig et al. 2014).  

Sabrina L. Perkins:  Students were asked to take a few photos and write brief narratives in response to a prompt about how they had arrived at their current career and professional goals. The goal was to prompt students to consider their developmental histories, personal identities (including race/ethnicity), and broader contextual influences. We were interested to know whether students would identify ways the assignment prompted them to self-reflect, share their experiences, consider how systems of privilege and oppression shape society, and perhaps gain insights into how they can work towards positive change in their own and others’ lives (Robinson-Kellig et al. 2014).  

While many students did share positive feedback about the creative aspects of the assignment and the unique reflective opportunity, others expressed uncertainty about the assignment’s open-endedness, or displeasure with personal aspects of the assignment, stating that asking them to take their own photos was “invasive,” and the assignment was not “textbook-oriented.” This opportunity for anonymous written feedback to me was corroborated in Ella’s observations of a small-group conversation shortly after the reflection (see Table 1). 

Olivia: Students’ hesitations or even resistance to feminist pedagogical principles are not uncommon, as they may take comfort in the familiarity of assuming a traditional student role (Chow et al. 2003; Robinson-Kellig et al. 2014). 

Time	Observation	Reflection
2:05 2:10 2:15 2:30	introduced the photo voice assignment anonymous survey, asking for feedback to discover people’s feelings on assignment itself. – professor acknowledges me and where I am in the room, so people are aware – people begin responding as professor gives everyone some time to fill out the survey people begin finishing up prof goes over results – concerned and excited about the open-endedness – people were not sure what to take pictures of – prof went over examples of things to take pictures of, plants, sidewalks, gym shoes new person asks question about assignment prof asks how people feel about the project and if there’s any question – someone asks about due date – someone asks about extra credit in small groups talk about handout from last class about racism and epigenetics people in the back row complaining about how many words the reflections are for the photo voice assignment maybe 3 groups formed, not a lot of people turned to talk to groups.	Spends a lot of time just talking about the assignments themselves Was it the plan to talk about the assignments for the first half of an hour? Has something happened before to make it so critical to go over assignments in more detail? Like did you used to get a lot of emails and are trying to avoid that?

Recommendations 

Our experiences with these challenges in balancing principles of feminist pedagogy with students’ engagement in class and with assignments have elucidated ways we could capitalize on our student-faculty partnership in the future.  

Ella: Early on, we realized the Pedagogical Partnership Program structure and format of observation notes provided a sense of surface-level engagement based on what I physically observed in the classroom, such as facial expressions and students’ participation. However, simple observations may not be the best way to understand students’ development of critical consciousness, because a lot of that may be internal or thought-based. Prior research on pedagogical partnerships tends to emphasize the value of observations and notes such as those I was trained to perform (Cook-Sather, Bahti, and Ntem 2019); we look forward to learning more from Students as Partners scholarship on other ways student partners can make contributions when the methodological effectiveness of observations seems low. 

Olivia: While we recognized the limits of what kinds of information Ella’s observations could provide, it is important to note that Ella’s observations were incredibly helpful in understanding student engagement. When Ella observed confusion or concern on the faces of students during group work, she directed Dr. Perkins or my attention to address the problem. This meant group discussions and projects continued efficiently and that students were not left waiting for questions or guidance, optimizing their time to discuss and explore course content.

This real-time collaboration allowed us to respond to students’ needs as they emerged, creating a more inclusive and participatory learning environment. By incorporating student feedback and observations into our teaching practices, we were able to foster greater engagement and ensure that students played an active role in shaping their own learning experiences. This process demonstrated the value of the student-faculty partnership by ensuring that student perspectives were noticed and represented in instructional decisions. 

Time	Observation	Reflection
2:45 2:50	Olivia encouraged someone working alone in the corner to come together with a pair – Started mediating dialogue and asked what they put. People in the middle are mostly on their phones now, but there is a little bit of talking Olivia is talking with the group of three she put together and I told Dr. P to talk to middle table and she went over to the group of three girls, because of what I mentioned earlier about them seeming confused and then Olivia indicating they didn’t seem engaged kind of Olivia is going over the diagram from the worksheet with the group she put together and is going through each question	This was really amazing on Olivia’s part. She did a really good job facilitating the discussion with these three people who normally don’t talk as much. I got separate feedback from one of the guys saying that Olivia is really helpful after this as well.

Olivia: My presence in the classroom was valuable to many students, yet I wish I had been able to better support those who were hesitant to approach me. While offering regular office hours created additional opportunities for students to seek help, few students utilized them. One strategy that may foster greater engagement in the course and with Teaching and Learning Apprentices in the future is the co-construction of community values at the beginning of the semester.  

These guidelines would be regularly revisited, with students briefly discussing which value they would like to prioritize that day. For example, students could emphasize open communication, leading them to ask me more questions during class, or a supportive classroom community, by being collaborative and helpful to other classmates. This may help create a more intentional and collaborative learning environment, making students feel more comfortable participating and seeking my support.  

Sabrina: Our goal this term was to move towards pedagogical approaches that emphasized co-creation of knowledge, self-determination theory, and sharing power with students in feminist, respectful ways. While we faced some challenges in the classroom, the dynamic we developed with one another was very much curated in alignment with our goals. Partnerships like ours also share characteristics with high-impact educational practices (see Kuh 2008), such as those described by Moore (2023): building on students’ prior knowledge, centering the relationship, offering feedback, making connections to broader contexts, fostering reflection and metacognition, and promoting integration and transfer of knowledge and skills (Moore 2023, 10-11). 

Looking Ahead

In the next and final post, we continue these reflections specifically related to aspects of the course focused on our institution’s Advancing Equity Requirement.  

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References  

Chow, Esther N., Cynthia Fleck, Gail Fan, Jeanne Joseph, and Deanna M. Lyter. 2003. “Exploring Critical Feminist Pedagogy: Infusing Dialogue, Participation, and Experience in Teaching and Learning.” Teaching Sociology 31 (3): 259–75. https://doi.org/10.2307/3211324.  

Cook-Sather, Alison, Melanie Bahti, and Anita Ntem. 2019.  Pedagogical Partnerships: A How-To Guide for Faculty, Students, and Academic Developers in Higher Education. Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa1. 

Felten, Peter, and Leo M. Lambert. 2020. Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College. John Hopkins University Press. 

Felten, Peter, and Ketevan Kupatadze. 2026. Students as Partners. Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/resources/students-as-partners/ 

Kuh, George D. 2008.  High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities. 

Moore, Jessie L. 2023. Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff. Stylus Publishing. 

Redner, Ryan, Lauren M. Lang, and Kathleen P. Brandt. 2020. “Evaluation of an Electronics Intervention on Electronics Use in a College Classroom.” Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice 20 (1): 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000158. 

Robinson-Keilig, Rebecca A., Catherine Hamill, Angela Gwin-Vinsant, and Mary Dashner. 2014. “Feminist Pedagogy in Action: Photovoice as an Experiential Class Project.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 38 (2): 292–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684314525580.  

Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. 2000. “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist 55 (1): 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68. 

Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. 2020. “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation from a Self-Determination Theory Perspective: Definitions, Theory, Practices, and Future Directions.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860. 

Shackelford, Jean. 1992. “Feminist Pedagogy: A Means for Bringing Critical Thinking and Creativity to the Economics Classroom.” American Economic Review 82 (2): 570–76. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2117463.  

Sinacore, Ada L., and Kendra J. Boatwright. 2005. “The Feminist Classroom: Feminist Strategies and Student Responses.” In Teaching and Social Justice: Integrating Multicultural and Feminist Theories in the Classroom, edited by Carolyn Zerbe Enns and Ada L. Sinacore, 109–24. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10929-007. 

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About the Authors 

Olivia Guarino is a recent graduate from Elon University with a B.A. in psychology. She is currently seeking research opportunities before she plans to pursue graduate study in clinical psychology where she hopes to combine her passion for psychology and student-centered teaching.  

Ella Negley is a rising junior studying mathematical statistics and data analytics at Elon University. Ella recently completed a research assistantship at the Learning Research Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on a scoping review of the provision process in providing feedback. After graduation, Ella plans to continue studying mathematics with a financial scope at the master’s level. 

Sabrina L. Perkins is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Elon University and served as a seminar leader for CEL’s 2023-2025 research seminar on Mentoring Meaningful Learning Experiences. She has several publications and presentations on teaching and mentoring in higher education and has received awards for teaching excellence. 

How to Cite This Post 

Perkins, Sabrina, Olivia Guarino, and Ella Negley. 2026. “Learning Through Partnership: Reflections on Teaching, Power, and Student Engagement.” Center For Engaged Learning (blog). Elon University. October 20, 2026. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/part-2-learning-through-partnership-reflections-on-teaching-power-and-student-engagement/.