Whether strolling through campus while talking about learning or meeting up for a latte and pset session, students are finding meaningful partnerships through the Stanford Learning Lab.

Peer Engagement Network (PEN)

 The PEN Program pairs Stanford students for productivity. They can choose an Accountability Partner, a Focus & Study Partner, a Processing Partner, or a Teaching Partner.

Stanford Learning Lab Office Coordinator Zabrinah Brown matches students based on their wishes. She says, “Students are able to write down little notes and comments on the specificities of what they’re hoping to gain from this PENship.” Students can ask to be matched with an undergrad or grad, and there’s also a chance to request a partner within the same major or a different field of study for a fresh perspective. Registration is open throughout the quarter.

Students can continue to meet with the same PEN partner across quarters and establish both accountability and friendship. But if the match isn’t working, Brown is there to rematch partners.

Brown says students often share that, “They’re meeting casually, informally, maybe like once a week, and they meet through Zoom or they would just meet in person inside their dorms and just study together, work together.”

She emphasizes that students aren’t tutoring each other, they’re making headway on their own projects or talking about subject matter in order to promote both students’  learning.

Some benefits of the program are: “Accountability, for sure. Knowing that they are not alone in their challenges, and that they’re actually acknowledging what they’re needing, instead of thinking, ‘Oh, I got it all under control.’ And just giving that space of ‘I’m human and I would like someone else to walk down this path of success with me.’”

WanderChat

What better time to explore and enjoy campus than now, when it’s all a-bloom? Program Director of LLIT (Learning Lab Ignition Term) Aillie McKeever created an opportunity for students to do just that–roam the university grounds and talk about learning. “Sometimes the quarterly grind can feel like a stuffy room,” she says. “WanderChat is a way to open the window and enjoy a refreshing breeze.  It’s essentially a light-hearted walk and talk with someone new.  In less than an hour, you can step away from your work and reflect, relax, and connect with another person.”

“Through the Learning Lab’s LLIT Program and drop-ins, students and I talk about the tendency many of us have to arrive at solutions when we’re not looking for them.  For instance, we realize what to say or which next steps to take when we’re making a sandwich or waiting at a stoplight,” says McKeever. She talks about WanderChat as an intentional pause, one that has the potential to bring new energy and fresh perspectives to academics. “The intention is to relax, refuel, and maybe stumble upon something you didn’t know you knew.”

What can students expect at a WanderChat meeting? McKeever says each is unique due to the exploration of new spaces and questions. “You might have a partner who is serious or silly.  You might decide to answer all of the reflective questions or none of them.  You might sit down or get lost.  It’s very open,” she says. “Once, we had WanderChat when it was pouring, so we all decided to have a group talk inside.  We ended up writing collective speed poetry.  It was a lot of fun!”

Like PEN, WanderChat is open to any matriculated Stanford student, both grads and undergrads. During spring quarter, WanderChat is meeting from 3 – 3:45 pm most Fridays. Students can quickly register here for one or several sessions and subsequently will receive a confirmation email with the option to add the event to the calendar.

“Students can come to a single WanderChat or as many sessions as they like.  They can come alone or register with friends,” McKeever says. “I mix up partners and optional questions so that it’s a fresh breeze every time.”