Students as Partners (SaP) turns students from just users of education into co-creators with teachers and staff. It's high time that they are in the limelight.
SaP is about everyone working together equally but differently on educational projects, like designing courses or making decisions. Power dynamics shouldn't throttle the idea of imbalance. Power imbalance just complicates the purpose of SaP. It cares about mutual learning, teamwork, respect for different contributions, and shared responsibility in educational settings. A real partnership means both students and staff should equally share the work and responsibility in projects. Both students and staff learn from each other. Students learn about the subject and teaching methods, and staff learn from students’ experiences and suggestions.
The idea began with the 1989 United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child.
Students should be able to express their views on their education. Central to it is the idea that students and staff bring different but equally valuable skills to the table. Students bring their firsthand experience of being learners.
Over the years, this idea of ‘student voice’ has carved out a significant place in educational discussions, from schools right up to universities. In higher education, SaP particularly shines as a strategy that prompts educators to see students not just as learners, but as partners and peers.
For example, think of an economy where satisfying the needs of consumers is important and influences what manufacturers and producers do. Frankly speaking, there should be no hesitation in cultivating a two-way street in education. This means listening to students and valuing their opinions because they’re not just there to learn - they help shape how learning happens.
And as a student, ask yourself: What will your contribution be? Are you ready to invest the effort and share the load? A real partnership means sharing the workload and responsibilities equally.
Reflection Exercise:
Have you ever been in a relationship with a student/staff member where your expertise and contributions were seen as equal? How did this make you feel? Growing up with a strong emphasis on self-inquiry and independent learning, I find the idea of working as equals in education exhilarating!
Does the idea of students and staff working as colleagues intimidate you or excite you? What concerns, if any, do you have? It was never a rare occurrence or an opposed concept. It seemed embedded in nearly everything I experienced! Some situations require more effort, while others might not. Essentially, it makes you feel like a valued part of the whole, which I definitely appreciate.
1.2 - Deakin’s Four Approaches to SaP
Students as Soundboards
So basically, this approach is all about staff learning from and listening to what students have to say through data like focus groups, interviews, surveys, open forums, online discussion forums, online polls, or voting exercises. It's a good starting point to gather student input. Staff commit to really listening to and considering students' ideas and concerns. It's helpful for staff who are new to working with student experiences and want a wide range of perspectives to help with future planning. But it's not a true partnership because students are mainly seen as sources of data.
Still valuable because the data collected from students can help guide decisions for other approaches. It's important to remember that true partnership means valuing students as more than just data sources, but as important collaborators in shaping research, teaching, or services. If staff skip this step and rush into other approaches, they can miss important insights and end up undermining their work.
As a student, I always participate in surveys, provide feedback, and engage in several other reflective activities. This includes participating before, during, and after these events. I feel compelled to do so because I see it as my responsibility to contribute, hoping that this will help improve the event/work/service....
Students as Influencers
Student input is now about shaping, advising, and recommending, such as leading focused groups, serving on committees as representatives, working with staff to create a report with suggestions.
They influence decisions through suggestions and collaborative input. They are encouraged to offer insights and shape outcomes indirectly. They are given the power to offer their insights and indirectly influence outcomes. An important benefit is that students can create a relatable, warm environment for their peers by serving as representatives and guiding the process.
It is strongly suggested that staff consider involving students as influencers in their research focused on students. This could include hiring a student partner to help develop survey questions or analyze interview data. This means that students are now helping staff conduct research rather than just being listened to.
Students as Decision Makers
This is in the interest of creating meaningful student careers by granting them decision-making authority. Students can now directly influence outcomes and implement changes, which is vital for co-generating solutions. They stay fully informed about all aspects, problems, and metrics. They can represent the committee, collaborate on design-thinking workshops and sprints to explore a problem or project, and jointly determine future actions. This process allows students to set priorities and lead projects, which requires clear and ongoing conversation between students and staff to cultivate reciprocal learning.
But the key to this approach is transparent and honest communication to understand and solve problems together. For example, if a faculty member approaches a student to improve the faculty's mental health and wellness services, they should provide info about the present current service use and feedback and complaints submitted by students. If students don't understand the problem, they can't work together on a solution.
Students as Co-Creators
This is a dynamic form of student partnership, where students and staff collaborate closely to produce tangible outcomes such as curricula, learning resources, events, workshops, or even new policies. This thrives on shared decision-making and mutual empowerment, as both parties bring their unique expertise to the table to co-create the final outcome. Share the stage, embrace their page!
When one contributes their piece of the puzzle, it's important to acknowledge it. Co-creation can be challenging because it may require relinquishing a more conventional control you're accustomed to having. For example, in planning an event collaboratively, staff may discover that students find the proposed concept unappealing or irrelevant.
A strong population sample is beneficial, and if the student you're working with is not representative enough, that won't help much. For instance, the effectiveness of their input depends on whether they accurately represent the wider group. Representative sample, better example.
The success of co-creation hinges on maintaining an open mind and a willingness to adapt, such that both staff and students can make a good blend together ; rather than getting carried away by power imbalance. Remember, open minds find fresh finds.
1.3 - Why SaP is Unique and Powerful
SaP is quickly becoming popular in higher education institutions worldwide such as Bryn Mawr and Elon University in the USA; University of Lincoln and University of Winchester in the UK; and University of Queensland and Western Sydney University in Australia.
Research indicates that SaP can improve student engagement and motivation, sense of belonging, positively affect students’ perceptions of their learning, and strengthen relationships between students and staff. Beyond the tangible outputs, the real value of SaP lies in the transformative experience and journey of student-staff collaboration, something that both parties infer.
1.4 - Good Practice SaP Tips for Everyone
Begin how you mean to go on. Having an initial meeting to discuss roles and duties transforms confusion into clarity, and involvement into action. Encourage communication, welcome change, and adhere to agreed-upon targets.
Recognize that this is a transformative and inclusive journey that can involve uncertain results.
Students feeling unsupported, uneqal or lacking transparency. To help with this, provide students with any essential prior info, training, and assistance so that they feel confident about the topic/issue and are ready to contribute their thoughts and viewpoints.
Ethical partnerships: Because integrity is the best foundation for any collaboration. Do right by your partners, and you'll do right by the project.
SaP projects are not the core focus of staff or students' lives ; need respect, patience, and understanding from all parties involved. Establish it early, monitor it often, and never hesitate to recalibrate with your team. First off, it is a team!
Discussion:
SAP initiatives could demand significant time and effort from everyone involved. These are just one part of what we all have going on in our lives, so being open to discussing the impact of the workload, adapting as necessary, maintaining clear boundaries, and making an effort to stay in the loop matter!
Looking back, I'd be amused to realize that sustaining interest and engagement over time can indeed be a dealmaker or breaker. Initial enthusiasm can wane as the novelty of a project wears off. We can only hope to remain as zealous throughout the lifecycle of the project too. Additionally, it can be hard to know if the partnership is truly working. Hence, regular check-ins, further diversification of roles, adaptive goals, and celebration of milestones will not just keep the momentum going but also inform us of success indicators and benchmarks.
Inviting students to the table is a good start, but the real challenge lies in genuinely incorporating their ideas and actually recognizing potential in them to comprehend further. Creating an environment where students feel comfortable and encouraged to express themselves is a few steps ahead of identifying broader representation.
Creating such an environment and applying key strategies can also address conflict resolution and power dynamics. It’s natural for disagreements to arise over decisions, interpretations, or expectations when students and staff collaborate closely. The key is to resolve conflicts in a way that is respectful and constructive. This leads me to quote what is essential for a true partnership. Are we really sharing power? Even with the best intentions, navigating power dynamics can be tricky. We should constantly challenge ourselves and need to foster a mindset that encourages sharing power and co-generating solutions together, especially in unexpected situations!
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