International Journal for Students as Partners

Building pedagogical partnerships

Katie Knapp — 2024-10-15

Engaging students as pedagogical partners in teaching and learning in higher education is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, developing and sustaining such partnerships can be challenging. The present study highlights the potential of utilizing work-integrated learning (WIL) students as partners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 university instructors to explore how access to an online learning assistant (OLA) program helped them navigate remote instruction challenges. The OLA program was a novel WIL initiative providing co-operative (co-op) education students with full-time, paid work to assist instructors transitioning to remote learning. Unexpectedly, our findings demonstrate that pedagogical partnerships emerged in the context of this WIL program, leading to teaching and learning benefits. Online learning assistants were able to assist instructors with many of the difficulties they faced, although some program challenges also emerged. Our findings suggest that full-time, paid co-op student positions offer a unique program structure that make them ideal for the development and ongoing success of pedagogical partnerships.

Engaging students as partners (SaP) in a collaborative inquiry to develop a course

Rebecca Wilson-Mah — 2024-10-15

Aiming to develop a course with students as partners and to explore the process, two faculty initiated a curriculum development partnership with graduate students to design a new field study course. Applying a collaborative inquiry approach, we engaged in a research collaboration with graduate students online. The data collection was organised and facilitated using MURAL, a digital whiteboard that enabled synchronous and asynchronous visual collaboration with pictures, text, links, emojis, diagrams, and drawings. The study concluded with an exploration of the students’ experiences in the project. The co-created course design and pedagogy informed the development of a new field study course which was subsequently approved through the university curriculum approval process. Students shared that they appreciated reflecting, sharing, and contributing together as a group; they felt important and valued; and that it was meaningful to them to contribute to the learning of future students entering the program.

A students-as-partners-inspired approach to assessment rubric design

Christina Do — 2024-10-15

The global popularity of the students-as-partners (SaP) model in the higher education sector demonstrates that students, through their lived experiences, have valuable perspectives to contribute to shaping university curricular and co-curricular experiences. While there are numerous inherent benefits associated with facilitating SaP arrangements, incorporating such practices to influence curricular change can be difficult in highly regulated and accredited courses. This article presents a successfully trialled SaP-inspired model involving assessment rubric design in the Bachelor of Laws degree offered at Curtin University in Australia, which is subject to multiple layers of regulation at national and state levels by public and private bodies. The SaP-inspired model presented in the paper is a useful starting point for academics wanting to engage in SaP co-creation of curricular initiatives in contexts that are not especially conducive to SaP, for example, heavily regulated and accredited courses. This article further contributes to existing SaP literature as it presents qualitative and quantitative data collected from the students who engaged in the SaP-inspired model, as well as data collected from students who experienced the SaP-inspired outputs first hand. This article commences with a student reflection on the SaP-inspired model, written by Ryan Kirby who participated in the workshop and assisted in the creation of the assessment rubric and supplementary materials.

A mixed-method investigation of faculty perspectives on the benefits and challenges of engaging in student partnership activities in science

Laura Chittle — 2024-10-15

There is a growing interest within higher education to engage with students as partners to reposition students from consumers to producers of knowledge. The purpose of this study was to gather insights into the benefits, barriers/challenges, and best practices for engaging in student-faculty partnership activities for science faculty members. Supervising or working with graduate teaching assistants, working with students on university committees, collaborating with undergraduate or graduate students on a new or existing research project, and co-authoring manuscripts with graduate students were regarded as the most impactful partnership activities. Common benefits of student partnership activities included: collaboration and relationship building, broadening perspectives and gaining feedback, personal satisfaction, and institutional and career-related benefits. Common barriers/challenges reported were interpersonal dynamics and maintaining relationships, student management, and external influences. Best practices consisted of planning and setting expectations, developing students’ agency, using open communication, and facilitating peer-to-peer collaboration and peer mentoring.

Synergizing perspectives

Beatriz Castro — 2024-10-15

Students as partners in the library

Rachel Fundator — 2024-10-15

Research partnerships as transformational learning experiences

Allison Tucker — 2024-10-15

A common partnership between faculty and students in post-secondary education is that of researcher as a primary investigator (PI) and research assistant (RA). In this reflective essay, we examine an unconventional research partnership between Allison, a PI, and Bailey, an RA. Our experiences as PI and RA prompted us to reflect upon our learning partnership. We asked: In what ways might the role of RA be transformative (Mezirow, 1994) in teacher education for both researcher and student when it is approached through partnership? This partnership is unique because of its relational approach, where the PI and the RA collaborated in making decisions about the direction of the RA work. The RA’s perspective offered a different viewpoint on the research focus through which the researcher aimed to gain insights. This approach altered the dynamics of the research partnership, which evolved along the lines of both partners acting as equal contributors and co-learners through the research process. In this paper, we reflect on our consequential learning. Specifically, we focus on the learning that occurred when Bailey self-directed RA work on the topics of radical imagination, restorative justice, and appreciative inquiry, as well as the insights Allison gained through Bailey’s work. We use “I” in our respective sections and “we” and “our” in our collective writing, and we also refer to ourselves in the third person for clarity when needed.

Developing an open and dialogic review of reflective essays

Amrita Kaur — 2024-10-15

Digital media interns

Priya Modi — 2024-10-15

While COVID-19 dramatically changed the way that we taught during the pandemic, not all of these changes were negative. In response to the pivot to remote learning, Western University employed student digital media interns (DMIs) to support faculty in adapting their courses. This resulted in the formation of the Digital Media Intern program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (SSMD), a students-as-partners (SaP) approach that supports faculty in the adoption and use of educational technology. Despite moving back to in-person learning, the DMI program is thriving and has expanded its scope. An understanding of the learner context of technology can be missing when faculty are designing and updating their courses. The DMI program helps bridge this gap by creating a way for students to directly contribute to their education, gain meaningful employment or experience, and provide feedback to instructors. Instructors benefit in two ways: by gaining hands-on support and ongoing, actionable feedback. This case study will outline the evolution of the DMI program, its implementation and its impact. Leader and student perspectives will also be shared. It describes the evolution of this student intern strategy from a band-aid solution to a fully integrated and supported unit in one academic faculty.

Student Led Observations for Course Improvement (SLOCI)

Shaun McAnally — 2024-10-15

As universities strive to enhance course delivery and the student experience, typical end-of-semester course evaluations have been demonstrated to provide insufficient and potentially biased detail for course improvement and innovation. The Student Led Observations for Course Improvement (SLOCI) team at The University of Queensland aims to provide high-quality student experience data through a student-led approach. The team comprises current undergraduate university students who have a basic understanding of pedagogical strategies and methods of evaluation, bridging the gap between students and academics. SLOCI utilises a course partnership model to work with academics to identify key research questions that can direct and inform a process of real-time feedback. Since 2018, SLOCI has conducted 48 single-semester course partnerships and nine research partnerships focussed on other aspects of the student experience. The student experience data generated from these collaborations has underpinned improvements resulting in higher student engagement and better learning outcomes.

Transforming teaching assistant roles into co-creators of instruction

Amrita Kaur — 2024-10-15

This case study explores the implementation of a collaborative initiative that transformed the traditional role of teaching assistants (TAs) into student-faculty partners in two psychology courses. The objective of the collaboration was to leverage the insights and contributions of undergraduate students as co-creators of instruction for students’ engagement and meaningful learning experience. The case study highlights the processes, impacts, and challenges of these partnerships, revealing opportunities for student partners to develop pedagogical and assessment literacy, enhance communication and leadership skills, and gain insights into student behaviors and preferences. Pedagogical and curricular gains were observed, including the incorporation of student insights into instructional activities and improved teaching materials. However, challenges related to power dynamics and student perceptions of privilege were also identified. The findings emphasize the importance of careful navigation and the creation of meaningful opportunities for student engagement in higher education.

Leading a faculty-wide peer-support programme for widening participation students

Rick Hayman — 2024-10-15

Whilst existing research has explored the impact of a peer support role on the holistic development of mentees and mentors, very little is known about the experiences of those students who work in partnership alongside academic and service colleagues in co-creating, implementing, and delivering these programs. In this exploratory case study, the unique aspect was to use the P.O.W.E.R Reflective Framework for Students-as-Partners Practices and Processes to contextualise an undergraduate intern’s experiences of leading a project and the consequent impact it has had upon their personal and professional development. Key findings and reflections from the intern’s interview provide a deeper understanding of the peer mentor experience, highlighting aspects that are often overlooked or not readily apparent. The value of these activities for interns and how best to support their needs, motivations, and expectations are shared, as are implications for academic and service colleagues involved in promoting collaborative learning and mentoring.

A student-partnered approach to design a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in biological sciences

Olivia Hawco — 2024-10-15

Immersive research opportunities allow students to take ownership of their learning, explore based on curiosity, and engage in the scientific process while developing confidence and skills. However, research positions for biology undergraduates are limited, and conventional teaching labs are often restricted to pre-designed experiments without opportunities for curiosity-driven research. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are discovery-based research experiences that provide students with accessible avenues to explore research. Here we describe a unique student-partnered approach to the design of a foundation-level CURE in biological sciences (BIO-CURE). As student partners, we were mentored by faculty as we designed CURE projects that considered the interests and abilities of our peers to create a course structured around student-driven scientific exploration. We anticipate that this case study of our approach and experiences as the student partners of the CURE design team will serve as a helpful resource for other departments and institutions.

Empowering student learning

Kelsey Smart — 2024-10-15

This case study explores the impact of a student partnership in an undergraduate psychology course focused on alcohol use and disorders at a large public university in the United States. It shares insights into the process of creating a student partnership program, pairing a student with an instructor, and sharing feedback via observation notes from the student perspective. This case study highlights the value of this student partnership by detailing the course implementations inspired by observation notes and conversations about pedagogical goals. The three pedagogical goals of the partnership were to foster an accessible learning environment, increase student engagement, and structure the course based on learning outcomes. The partners share their final thoughts on the process through a discussion of the strengths of and future opportunities from this experience.

Investigating interdisciplinarity in SaP programming

Elisa Do — 2024-10-15

In recent years, many universities across the world have been implementing students-as-partners (SaP) programs to collaborate with students on teaching and learning projects. Within these SaP programs, for the benefits that cross-disciplinary learning brings, interdisciplinary partnership has been made a priority. To assess the extent to which interdisciplinarity has occurred within a university’s SaP program, this study quantified the number of interdisciplinary partnerships that have occurred in the Student Partners program at McMaster University since 2020 and investigated the hiring practices within those partnerships. Results showed that certain faculties comparatively did not have as many interdisciplinary partnerships. Hiring practice analyses also revealed that there were faculties with a greater proportion of students applying to work with faculty/staff of the same faculty origin as themselves. This case study examines the variations in interdisciplinarity across faculties at McMaster University involved in a SaP program and explores ideas on future directions for enhancing interdisciplinarity in student partnerships.

Reflecting on vulnerability, skill-building, and identity in an interdisciplinary SaP project

Matthew Dunleavy — 2024-10-15

Launched in 2021 by a team of undergraduate students, university faculty, associate researchers, and community partners collaborating as genuine equals in a diverse team, the Together Time Story Sacks intergenerational literacies program forms part of an ongoing action research project aimed at understanding and addressing barriers that residents of rural regions face in accessing literacies programming. In this paper, six team members who co-imagined, co-designed and co-implemented Together Time but occupy different roles on and beyond university campuses reflect on the ways the students-as-partners (SaP) model, through which we brought Together Time to life, shaped both our process and our outputs during the project’s pilot phase (September 2021–August 2022). We suggest that empowering humans with diverse academic and lived experiences through the SaP model is an Invigorating, messy, and, at times, nerve-racking process but an eminently fruitful enterprise that, in our opinion, produces rich research with and for our community while transforming our understanding of education and ourselves.

Reflections on co-researching AI literacy

Martha Partridge — 2024-10-15

Students as Partners (SaP) approaches have gained more and more traction in higher education in recent years (Dai & Matthews, 2022). Rooted in values such as reciprocity and shared responsibility, SaP can offer opportunities for internationalizing the curriculum and departing from traditional teacher-student hierarchies (Green & Baxter, 2022). This case study focuses on a SaP project involving international students and their English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher, which investigated artificial intelligence (AI) literacy during a UK pre-sessional course in summer 2023. The project identified that learning about the limitations of AI, in addition to developing skills for effective prompt writing, was beneficial to students (Partridge et al, 2023). This case study reflects on the challenges and benefits of SaP for both students and the teacher using the Advance HE (2016) Framework for Student Engagement Through Partnership. Based on these reflections, the case study offers recommendations for future SaP projects including effective scheduling, defining roles, engaging in continual reflection, and formally recognising student input.

The student-teacher experience as a model for students as partners (SaP) and for enhancing student engagement among Japanese students

Omar Rodis — 2024-10-15

Education in Japan and other Asian countries advocates the traditional passive style of learning where students learn through rote memorization in a teacher-centered environment. However, this is now changing due to globalization with Japan’s Ministry of Education promoting learning strategies to involve students in the learning process actively. Many studies involving students as partners have stated that students feel more at ease when they learn with and from their peers and that working in groups makes them learn significantly better and allows them to put into practice what they have taught to others or learned from others. This case study on the Student-Teacher Experience activity aims to present the concept of students as partners to enhance active learning in Japan and its possible application in other countries and fields of study with a similar learning environment as Japan. The activity allowed students to actively engage in class and enhanced learning.

Improving assessment for work-based learning and degree apprenticeships in business through a co-designed peer review process

Elizabeth Houldsworth — 2024-10-15

Involving students in peer review has substantial benefits for students’ learning and development and, more pragmatically, for staff workload. This paper reports on a student-led effort to co-design a peer review formative assessment task. The assessment is part of a personal development module within a higher education degree apprenticeship programme delivered via blended mode by a business school in South-East England. This case study on student-staff partnership offers a description of the process and a reflection on the impacts from both the student and staff perspective. It suggests that student co-design and peer review activities complement work-based learning, effectively bringing the prior experiences and academic skills of mature/professional students into the classroom.

Voices from the field

Felix Reid — 2024-10-15