Recentering Academics

What does it Mean to Center Academics?

As stated in the 2025 Report of the Classroom Social Compact Committee, the purpose of a Harvard education is: "To build a community of academically excellent, curious, and engaged students who are eager to learn; to expose them to the most informed, rigorous, and enriching academic experiences; to equip them with knowledge, critical tools, and habits of mind to support constructive, fulfilling lives and careers; and to prepare them for a lifetime of ongoing, independent learning." The report goes on to underscore that in order to achieve this purpose, our teachers and administrators must center academics in the lives of students by ensuring engaging, challenging, and meaningful classroom experiences and by providing rigorous and consistent assessments of student academic achievement. What follows are practical pedagogical strategies faculty can implement to aid our students in centering their academic experience among their rich set of activities. 

Concrete Approaches to Centering Academics

There are opportunities for change in two key areas:

  1. Meaningful and engaged classroom experience. We encourage faculty to promote in-class engagement through a combination of:
    1. engaging teaching and content,
    2. active learning,
    3. course policies that encourage attendance and participation, and/or
    4. limiting or prohibiting in-class use of devices such as laptops, tablets, and phones.
  2. Rigorous assessment and feedback. We encourage faculty to design and grade assignments so that students receive accurate and actionable feedback on their learning through a combination of:
    1. redeveloping assignments in light of generative AI,
    2. providing consistent, substantive feedback on student work, and
    3. returning to assigning a broader range of grades that more accurately reflects student achievement. 

Central to the call to center academics in the FAS is to ensure that course assignments are challenging and meaningful and support grades that distinguish between work that is satisfactory, good, and excellent. As the 2025 Grading Report stated, “We owe [our students] an education that is meaningful as well as rigorous; we owe them an education that feels ‘worth it’ to them.” For assignments to provide this distinction, faculty are likely to need to change grading practices. Moreover, particularly given the advent of generative AI, many traditionally effective assignments are likely to need to be redesigned.

For guidelines and more information on grading at Harvard, see:

Getting Started

Here are a few actions instructors can take right now:

  • Revise Your Course Policies. Setting Course Policies that Center Academics will guide you in ensuring that you are asking students for in-person engagement with no distractions from devices or inappropriate reliance on Generative AI.
  • Prepare Your Teaching Team to Grade Consistently. This resource on Teaching Teams outlines techniques for working with your teaching team to ensure that students across sections are receiving equitable and actionable feedback and grades. 

Next Steps

We encourage you to review your courses to ensure that they are in alignment with your AI policies and that you are asking students to do work that engages their interests and will result in rigorous and meaningful grades. Designing Rigorous Assignments and Exams that Lead to Fair Grades gives practical tips for reviewing how you are assessing students. Designing and Facilitating Impactful Courses offers ideas for centering student engagement and creating high-participation classrooms regardless of the size of the class. 

How The Bok Center Can Help:

The Bok Center team is available to  review syllabi, help with assignment (re-)design, provide strategies for efficient and effective grading, help with the design and running of innovative multi-modal activities and assignments, and brainstorm active learning strategies. 

  • Drop-In Virtual or In-Person Office Hours. Bok Staff are available during weekly Drop-In Office Hours, to troubleshoot any questions or concerns.
  • Workshops or Training Sessions for Departments, Course Teaching Teams, or Pedagogy Seminars. You can request a custom workshop on topics related to teaching, including lesson planning, leading discussions, working with AI, providing meaningful feedback, and teaching difficult topics.
  • Individual Appointments. We invite faculty or TFs to make an appointment with Bok Staff to consult or collaborate on your teaching.