Co-creating reflective pedagogy

A student-staff partnership model in agricultural sciences

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v10i1.6774

Keywords:

Student-staff-partnership, ePortfolio, agricultural sciences education, students as partners, higher education

Abstract

This case study explores the transformative role of a student-staff partnership (SSP) in redesigning assessment and learning experiences for the core master’s-level course, Global Challenges in Agriculture (AGRC7047). At the heart of this initiative was a diverse team of student and staff partners who co-developed new learning materials and assessment structures to better engage a heterogeneous cohort. A key outcome of this collaboration was the design and implementation of a reflexive ePortfolio assessment. This innovation emerged from the SSP’s commitment to inclusivity, pedagogical alignment, and global citizenship education. Rather than positioning the ePortfolio as the central course, this paper foregrounds the SSP process: how students and staff worked as co-creators, how diverse disciplinary and cultural perspectives enriched the project, and how this model can inform broader efforts to co-create curriculum in agricultural sciences and beyond. By documenting the application of SSP within agricultural sciences, an area where partnership-based pedagogical research remains limited, this study contributes new insights into how co-creation can reshape teaching practices in applied and interdisciplinary STEM-adjacent fields. The findings offer valuable insights into how SSPs can lead to sustainable pedagogical innovation and shift disciplinary cultures toward more reflective and student-centred practices.

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Author Biographies

Susanne Schmidt, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, University of Queensland, Australia

Professor Susanne Schmidt is a world-leading teaching and research academic at the intersection of agriculture and ecology. Schmidt’s work specialises in plant-soil-microbe interactions in tropical systems, emphasising nutrient stewardship, nitrogen-carbon biogeochemistry, and soil biology. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, Schmidt contributes to innovative projects aimed at next-generation fertilisers that support a future without waste and pollution.

Nicole Robinson, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, University of Queensland, Australia

Dr Nicole Robinson is a researcher and tutorial coordinator at the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at the University of Queensland. She is interested in exploring how plants access and use nutrients in natural and agricultural systems. Understanding these processes at various scales, from molecular to crop systems, is essential in developing sustainable agriculture with a focus on a circular nutrient economy. 

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Published

2026-04-27

How to Cite

Nguyen, T., Schmidt, S., & Robinson, N. (2026). Co-creating reflective pedagogy: A student-staff partnership model in agricultural sciences. International Journal for Students as Partners, 10(1), 238–253. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v10i1.6774

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Section

Case Studies

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