Student-Staff Partnerships as Transformational: the 'Students as Learners and Teachers' program as a case study in changing higher education

Abstract

In this article the author offers an example of a student-staff partnership program based in a higher education context in the United States. This program positions undergraduate students as pedagogical consultants to academic staff. The goal of the program is to counter traditional hierarchies and imbalanced power relations and foster a shift in institutional culture toward a more dialogic and collaborative approach to teaching and learning. Drawing on reflections of student and staff participants, the author illustrates how the program catalyzes student, staff and institutional transformation.