Pedagogical Partnership Program (PPP)

Purpose of the Programme  

The Pedagogical Partnership Programme (PPP) is a signature programme      
of the LLI that promotes students’ valuable expertise as learners and involves them directly in improving their educational experiences. Students partner with faculty or staff members for an entire semester on projects to create more impactful, relevant, and inclusive learning and teaching opportunities at LUMS. Students are paid a monthly stipend, or in some cases get course credit through the Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education (SOE) for their partnership work.  

Impact

Since 2020, 160 faculty and students have proposed and carried out 65+ different partnership projects sponsored by LLI. In Fall 2021, a new undergraduate course was piloted at SOE, which involved 18 additional partnerships focused on undergraduate students observing teaching and giving feedback to faculty partners who came from all 5 schools.  

Over the past year, these partnerships have led to several important developments:  

Improvements

The main impact of the Pedagogical Partnership Programme is evident in higher quality course content and delivery and better educational outcomes. The programme also increased students’ sense of ownership in their own education and allowed the faculty to gain insights into their teaching practices from the perspective of their students. The transformative experiences of students and faculty and the enhanced quality of teaching and learning have been documented at the end of the partnership reports submitted by student/faculty partners, presentation of their work at LUMS and also higher course evaluations reported by the faculty.  

Student partners have reported that they have developed key skills through this program, as visualized below.

Student Partner Skills

Another impact of the programme has been on the mindsets of the participating faculty and students, who felt that the partnership programme disrupted the existing power dynamics which dismissed the value of students’ knowledge. This led the faculty to respect student voice and keep a close ear to the ground as they designed and delivered their courses. The students reported higher self-esteem and confidence as a result. In addition, they also explained how the experience of working with faculty allowed them to approach the course design from the perspective of teaching faculty and realise the thought and effort behind it. The partnering students and faculty also reported an increase in trust between them. The faculty shared having more trust in the potential of the students, while student partners felt they trusted themselves more and felt responsible, leading and ‘managing it like a boss,’ as one student put it. During the whole process, faculty’s appreciation and encouragement seemed to have acted as a catalyst in improving the performance and progress of the students.  

Future Developments

Many student partners have claimed that the opportunity to be a partner is one of the best experiences they have had as students at LUMS. Thus, we want to offer this opportunity to many more students. In the coming year, LUMS will expand student involvement as partners in more educational activities as we broaden the umbrella of “partnership” to also include student internships with other units, offices, and organisations within LUMS. LLI will play a role in supporting these new forms of partnerships through capacity building initiatives that help students and faculty/staff to learn about how to work “in partnership” and move beyond the top-down interactions that typically define these relationships.

 

 

 

What is PPP?

The pedagogical Partnership Program (PPP) spearheaded by the LUMS Learning Institute is a transformative initiative designed to foster collaborative learning and teaching experiences at LUMS. By bridging the gap between students and faculty through meaningful partnerships, the PPP aims to enhance the educational landscape with innovative approaches for three major categories:

  1. Course Design: student and faculty partner collaborate on designing new course content based on the latest research or industry need. 
  2. Course Delivery: students and faculty partners collaborate to enhance the ongoing course in terms of its learning objectives, content, and delivery. 
  3. Other Research: Research endeavors with faculty to work on pedagogical research projects.

Core Values of a Partnership

Core Values of PPP

  1.  رائے: This implies the value placed on individual perspectives within the program. Recognizing and considering each participant's opinions is crucial for a collaborative and inclusive educational environment.
  2. نقطة نظر: this stresses the importance of acknowledging different viewpoints. In a pedagogical context, this would mean valuing the different perspectives that both students and faculty bring to the learning experience.
  3. اعتماد: Trust is foundational in any partnership, ensuring that all parties feel confident in their collaboration, believe in each other's commitment, and rely on each other's contributions.
  4. باہمی مشاورت: This highlights the program’s commitment to collaborative decision-making processes, wherein students and faculty/staff share the authority and responsibility for decisions related to the pedagogical ventures.
     
Course Design vs Course Delivery

Course Delivery Partnerships

Course Delivery partnerships give instructors direct insight into students’ perspectives and experiences as learners to help inform the delivery of their courses. Student partners work with faculty/ staff partners to provide feedback and suggestions on the delivery of a course (i.e., student partner attends some lectures and offers feedback; helps to create interactive content, innovative assessments or learning activities.) Partners may choose to focus on classroom practice, assessment, and other dimensions of curriculum and pedagogy.

Role of Student Partner:
  • Meet with their instructor partner each week to provide feedback and assistance in course development and delivery.
  • We recommend that student partners join their faculty partner’s class at least once each week and take detailed observation notes on possible improvements in the pedagogical practices of the instructor. The number of observations each week can be negotiated between the instructor and the student partner.
  • Participate in training sessions from the LLI on how to observe teaching and provide valuable and constructive feedback to instructors from a learner’s perspective.
  • Spend some time each week on compiling observation notes, gathering resources or other course-related work, to share back with the faculty partner to inform course delivery.
  • Collaborate with faculty to integrate AI tools such as ChatGPT into the curriculum, developing AI-enhanced learning activities and assessments; helping peers and faculty navigate new AI
  • tools.
  • The maximum time commitment for the student partner is 20 hours per week. Exact hours and weekly time inputs should be negotiated between partners.
Role of Faculty/Staff Partner:
  • Attending the three official meetings and two specialized 'AI training' sessions arranged by the LLI.
  • Overseeing the integration of AI technologies into course design and delivery, setting objectives and monitoring progress
  • Laying out mutually agreed goals for the project
  • Engaging in regular communication with student partner - meeting once/twice a week.

Course Design Partnerships

These partnerships give instructors direct insight into students’ perspectives and experiences as learners to help inform the design of their courses. LLI can provide support in terms of consultations and resources about best practices and research- informed approaches to course design.

*Please note that Course Design partnerships differ from Course Delivery Partnerships: Students in Course Design Partnerships are not expected to attend classes and give feedback. Please apply for Course Delivery Partnership if you would like student feedback and involvement in the course you plan to teach during the partnership.

Role of Student Partner:
  • LLI will pair students with instructors to work collaboratively on designing or redesigning aspects of a particular course.
  • Students participate in an orientation meeting with faculty partners and the LLI
  • Students participate in training(s) with the LLI on how to observe teaching and provide valuable feedback to instructors from a learner’s perspective.
  • Collaborate with faculty to integrate AI tools such as ChatGPT into the curriculum, developing AI-enhanced learning activities and assessments; helping peers and faculty navigate new AI
  • tools.
  • The maximum time commitment for the student partner is 20 hours per week. Exact hours and weekly time inputs should be negotiated between student and faculty/staff partners.
Role of Faculty/Staff Partner:
  • Attending the three official meetings and two specialized 'AI training' sessions arranged by the LLI.
  • Overseeing the integration of AI technologies into course design and delivery, setting objectives and monitoring progress
  • Laying out mutually agreed goals for the project
  • Engaging in regular communication with student partner - meeting once/twice a week.
Functioning of PPP

Application Process

Faculty Partner Selection

Student Partner Selection

Call to faculty sent before semester starts for proposals.

After proposals are finalized,the  a call to students is being sent with a week deadline. This includes details of all the projects and an application form.

A week deadline is given to provide with the project details including the type, time, responsibilities of the student partner 

After shortlisting, 30% of the submissions are called for interviews

 

Students are finalized for each project based on their viability for the project and their core values align with PPP and LUMS Learning Institute

Partnership Functionalities

  1. Orientation: Start of the partnership. Both partners decide on their expectations for the program and meet their fellows too. 
  2. Midpoint Meeting: Mid semester check-in with the student partners on possible challenges they are facing and how we can help them. 
  3. Room Service Meeting: Monthly check-ins with student partners. 
  4. Workshops: Conducted at the start of the partnership to equip partners with necessary techniques to make a successful partnership. 
  5. Project Showcase: Final presentation on the project.
     
Past Projects

From 2019 till 2024, we have successfully completed 87 projects so far.  The categorical division is as follows:

Few are some of the projects our student/ faculty partners have successfully completed:

  • Public Policy in the Era of Covid-19 In Pakistan by Ghazal Mir Zulfiqar
  • Businesses in the age of AI, Big Data and Blockchain by Sheher Bano Mela
  • Principles of Marketing 2.0 – The online version by Sarah Pervez
  • Class, gender, locality, language and participation in higher education during COVID-19 by Dr. Tayyaba Tamim
  • Revamping CLCS 1122 - The Art of Reading and Writing by Zahid Hussain
  • Greening Schools: Development of interactive instructional modules for an environmental education curriculum by Dr. Razia Sadik
  • "Forms & Narratives of Counter Cinema" by Rehab Maqsood"
  • Designing a course on Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding" by Aurangzeb Haneef
  • "Course material for quantum information science and technology" by Dr. Muhammad Faryad  
     
Partnership Showcase

Every year LLI holds a partnership showcase which offers an opportunity to LUMS as well as outside LUMS audience to meet and network with the faculty and student partners who present their collaborative projects on various teaching and learning-related topics. Projects are showcased either through presentation and gallery walk from the Pedagogical Partnership Program and Students as Co-Researchers Program.