July 10-12, 2019
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, Australia

Welcome to the website for the International Institute on ‘Students as Partners (SaP) in learning and teaching in higher education’ organised by the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation, & Excellence in Teaching & Learning, McMaster University, Canada.

Please note that we’re moving for 2019. The 2019 Institute will take place at the University of Adelaide. Visit the 2019 Institute website for further details!

This site will continue to provide historical information about the institutes hosted at McMaster University in 2016, 2017, and 2018. We intend to return to Canada in 2020, at which point this site will provide up-to-date information.

This International SaP Institute has several key features which make it distinctive:

• The overall aim of the International Institute is to build the capacity and understanding of faculty, staff and students to develop, design and implement initiatives to promote the practice of students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education.
• Faculty and staff are encouraged where possible to bring a student with them, or students to bring a member of faculty/staff with them, to participate in  interactive workshops.
• Alternatively teams of 4-6 faculty/staff and students (at least two of each) from an institution can apply to join a  ‘Change Institute’ where they will be supported to plan the implementation of a Students as Partners initiative. Inter-institutional and international teams are also welcome.
• The Institute will be facilitated by highly experienced faculty, staff and students.
• The International SaP Institute will have students threaded throughout every aspect of the work – from the planning to the facilitating to the participating teams.

Views of some participants in previous Institutes:

“Overall, I found the institute to be an eye-opening experience. As a student, it allowed me to learn from perspectives of those that I don’t often hear from (professors, educational developers, curriculum developers), and provided me with a growing sense of agency over my own education.”

“The inclusion of student partners was terrific and essential.  I wish we could have brought a student or two.  The time to simply plan in a context with stimulation, structure, and feedback was so valuable.” 

“Having a chance to work with students and teachers from around the world and seeing the way they do things at their universities was really enlightening.”

“By far the most beneficial and enjoyable aspects … were the networking opportunities which led to collaboration and collective knowledge building. The international nature of these discussions really helped me to reconsider my assumptions about partnership, and UG research and enquiry.”

“Thanks for this most challenging and rewarding experience, a very inspiring three days! We very much appreciated both the balance between systematic impetus, drawing on the community present and focusing on our own issues.”