Creating the conditions for partnership
Lessons from embedding students as curriculum co-designers in Dutch teacher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v10i1.6813Keywords:
Students as Partners, Teacher education, curricular co-creation, Active Student Engagement, higher educationAbstract
This case study describes how a Dutch teacher education program brought students as partners (SaP) principles to life during a major curriculum renewal. Five development teams, comprising staff, field professionals, and student developers, collaborated across 10 co-design days. Students were prepared through workshops on dialogue and decision-making, followed by collective reflection after each session. Using SaP dimensions such as engagement, equity, reflexivity, and ownership clarified what partnership looked like in practice. The process fostered trust, mutual learning, and belonging among all participants. Staff perspectives on curriculum design shifted, and students gained confidence to contribute meaningfully. Early indicators showed reduced student attrition, and the collaboration led to a SaP coordination team to sustain the work. We reflect on key enabling conditions such as time, structure, and relational trust, and discuss dilemmas related to power and workload. Our experience offers encouragement and practical insights for embedding SaP more deeply in curriculum design.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rutger Kappe, Manon Joosten
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