Empathy from professors, campus allyship, and fidgets to replace phones in the classroom were some of the key student-led ideas discussed at the three-day Rapid Education Prototype (REP4) Nationwide Alliance Gathering at Boise State University in Idaho. The event was attended by students, faculty and administrators from eight higher education institutions.
A popular idea shared at the gathering held from Sept. 28 through Sept. 30 was a Shippensburg University student-led initiative titled “Fidgets vs. Phones” developed in 2022. Ship REP4 students scaled it up this summer, after several faculty members adopted the idea in classrooms. Fidgets Vs Phones is a strategy that replaces phones in the classroom while promoting active listening and reducing anxiety.
REP4, is an alliance of institutions where students design solutions that can be tested and quickly scaled up when proven successful, to create better public higher education.
Teacher Ed major Emma Shank, one of Ship’s REP4 delegates at the Idaho gathering, said the initiative seeks “a way for students to communicate with professors in a human-to-human form rather than a professor-to-student form.”
Lorelee Isbell, Associate Vice President of Career and Workforce Development, said Ship will continue to host summer institutes on campus every year.
“We gathered some good ideas on how to expand our summer institute to reach more students and create an enrollment pipeline into SU,” Isbell said.
“The fidget idea really struck a chord with everyone. I could see people at several tables putting their phones away and playing with either the Big Red fidget or the Ship Logo fidget designed by our students. The effectiveness of this student-driven idea was evident right there during the conference,” Communications, Journalism and Media professor Dhiman Chattopadhyay said.
Ship was represented at the conference by Shank, Jones, Isbell, Chattopadhyay, assistant director of admissions Brandy Brady and President Charles Patterson.
Students interested in learning more about REP4 can check out www.rep4.org.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.