Stanford’s Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE) has been on a mission to determine the ideal educational environment. Launched Friday, Promoting Academic Communities and Engagement (PACE) is the office’s initiative to increase “intellectual engagement” among students in the classroom.
The initiative does not aim to directly install new approaches, but rather share best practices and resources with students and faculty. Some of its frameworks include device-free classrooms, in-person assessments and more flexibility in course structure.
Other recommendations are in the works, both from university leaders and students. For example, one student suggested “oral check-ins” to ensure that students can articulate their understanding of required knowledge without consulting technologies including AI. Another policy under consideration would factor attendance and in-class participation more heavily into grading.
Concerns regarding student engagement in the classroom have been rising among students and faculty, according to Jay Hamilton, a communication professor, director of the Stanford Journalism Program and the vice provost for undergraduate education.
“Faculty and students alike have been challenged by numerous changes over the past 10 years – the pandemic, the ubiquitous (and distracting) use of devices in the classroom, AI, heightened focus on getting As, rising rates of accommodations and increased absences from student-athletes due to the ACC transition,” Hamilton told The Stanford Report. “The result has been real confusion around expectations for classroom engagement.”
The initiative is being led by Shari Palmer and Lianne Kurina Ph.D. ’98 and has been in development since 2023. Given the many potential reasons behind students’ confusion around classroom expectations, Palmer and Kurina spent much of fall and winter quarter this year gathering data from student surveys in classes.
They hope that sharing these recommended practices will have a long-term effect on students’ critical thinking, one that transcends the classroom.
“Our goal is to add energy to discussions around what outstanding undergraduate courses look like so that students are challenged in each and every one of their classes,” Kurina wrote to The Daily. She emphasized that this would allow students to think deeply about complex issues for “prolonged periods of time.”
Kurina also stressed that the initiative was not meant to take a one-size-fits-all approach, as different departments could have different needs regarding instruction and assessments.
Mutual expectations in the classroom are essential, according to Palmer, who feels that they “build trust and allow participants to take risks.”
Challenge oneself is easier “when you feel that you are supporting and learning from your classmates,” she wrote.
This critical thinking should eventually be reflected in the work students do outside of the classroom, Hamilton wrote to The Daily. Self-transformation in classes comes from a “chain of effort,” he wrote, including “doing the reading, coming to class, asking questions, [and] doing your own work.”
Palmer is thankful for the “care, expertise and dedication” of the instructors whose ideas have informed the project, which she believes indicates a desire for change in students’ best interests.
Proponents of PACE remain optimistic about its potential impact on students, citing what they consider successful course redesigns in the past. Many sections of COLLEGE101: “Your Education and the Good Life” banned laptops and began in-person assessments this year, for example.
There has been positive feedback from students surrounding these changes, according to Hamilton. “Student comments noted additional insights gained from reviewing for the exam,” he told Stanford Report.
Palmer and Kurina hope to continue conversations with students but also “pivot to identifying and creating practical tools and resources for instructors,” Palmer wrote.