Embry-Riddle Program Boosts Undergraduate Retention By Pairing Students With Faculty

An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University program is transforming the higher education experience through student-faculty partnerships aimed at improving learning and teaching.

The innovative Students-as-Partners (SaP) program, developed by the Prescott Campus’ Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), has paired 60 students and faculty members during the 2024 academic year. The student partners observe classroom dynamics and provide nuanced feedback to professors from the students’ perspective.

CTLE Director Joshua Caulkins said the key strength of the program is its ability to transform classroom culture through relationship-driven education.

“Students offer regular insights to faculty that professors might miss,” Caulkins said. “This exchange has immense value from a teaching and learning perspective.”

Of the more than 550 undergraduates in Spring 2024 courses where a faculty member and student were partnered, nearly 95 percent returned for the following Fall 2025 semester.

“It comes down to a relationship-rich experience,” said Caulkins. “Students who have a relationship with a professor who cares about them are more likely to be retained.”

The success of the Students-as-Partners program led to CTLE leadership and students presenting the program at the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network conference in Chicago last November. The event gathered educators and administrators nationwide to share strategies for enhancing teaching and learning in higher education.

“Our students shined during the workshop,” said Aimee Fleming, CTLE associate director. “Their experiences with the program were the focus of our presentation and they were even invited to sit on advisory boards for other large universities.”

Voices from the Classroom

Since its launch in Fall 2022 with just four partnerships, the Students-as-Partners program has grown to some 30 active collaborations. When compared to similar initiatives at other institutions, the Embry-Riddle program has one of the highest ratios of student partners relative to the student population.

Dr. Tyrone Groh, a Global Security and Intelligence professor who presented at the POD Conference, is a longtime advocate of the program. He reflected on how his own education and life experience had created a distance between him and his students. “I can ask them what would make the class more interesting, or what makes the class difficult — and I can make that more accessible, allowing faculty a doorway to continuous improvement that isn’t available any other way.”

Abigail Best, a Global Security and Intelligence Studies major, described how the program has transformed her and her classmates’ approach to learning, encouraging them to embrace vulnerabilities and ask questions.

“The program is unique in how it prioritizes the student partner community, as well as the individual student’s professional development,” said Best. “By creating this community, it ensures that there is reliable support when someone needs it. I learned to embrace challenges and continuously seek opportunities for growth.”

Turning Students into Lifelong Learners

The program’s relationship-focused and collaborative approach impressed attendees at the POD Conference, and some said they have chosen to implement similar models at their own institutions. Kevin Stoller, senior instructional consultant at Purdue University Fort Wayne, said that the Embry-Riddle program has provided “an innovative pathway for strengthening teaching and fostering a collaborative learning culture.”

To grow the Students-as-Partners program at the Prescott Campus, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence plans to increase the number of student partners and launch a new faculty partner leadership initiative.

“Our students and faculty are the reasons we are seeing rapid growth,” said Fleming. “Faculty are willing to learn and grow, and students are willing to challenge themselves to be advocates for learning.”

For more information about the Students-as-Partners program, visit the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at https://prescott.erau.edu/ctle.

Posted In: Institutional News