Student–staff partnerships in teaching and learning

A radical approach to enhancing teaching and learning would prioritise the creation of collegial spaces for students and staff to work together in partnership to co-create curricula, to (re)design courses, to enhance quality, and to research teaching and learning (Healey et al., 2014; Ryan and Tilbury, 2013). This practice, often referred to as student–staff partnership, has potential to reframe traditional hierarchies and boundaries, offering new spaces for staff and students to interact and engage in dialogic pedagogies (Werder et al., 2010). Partnerships recognise the value gained from working with the different expertise and knowledges that students bring to conversations about teaching and learning. This chapter presents three models of practice to enhance teaching and learning: course design and consultancy, programme-level quality assurance and enhancement, and enquiry through Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Each model provides international examples and a detailed case study from McMaster University’s (Canada) Student Partners Program (SPP), the authors’ home institution.